Venturing Into The Unknown: The Leadership Challenge
by Taking on a new leadership role is always a challenge. People move on leaving a challenge for whoever takes on the role next. It can often feel like venturing into the unknown, we have to make our own mark not simply try to emulate the incumbent. A leader will facilitate the aims and aspirations for those around them, yet facilitate this within a team context. Are you ready to venture into the unknown?
This is what makes venturing into the unknown possible. We are able to achieve anything that we are able to perceive, although the path to success may not always be a simple, or straightforward, one. A key part of leadership is about building a vision of what is to be achieved. This is as important in a social role, for organisations like Toastmasters, or your local youth football club, as it is for any commercial organisation. Every individual will need to have their own personal goals.
These individual, personal goals, being achieved will help everyone move forward and the club as a whole succeed. It is also important that the leader listen to the goals of each individual. The person that ventures into public speaking through Toastmasters and performs their first speech has a very different goal than the person that is delivering their hundredth one. To each they are making a personal milestone. In a work environment personal milestones can often be forgotten, yet they shouldn’t be. Leaders listen to the personal goals of the individual and help them to happen within the team context this is a powerful tool in achieving team success; even where this one person’s success has nothing to do with the overall direction of the team it helps that individual become dedicated to the goals of the team.
The key to achieving goals and visions is in managing it through small, yet achievable steps and celebrating each success along the way, as well as learning from both the failures and successes. Often team successes are defined by the achievements of each member. This can be a small thing, but it is important to remember that not everyone on the team has the same level of skill, expertise, or experience. Not everyone can work at the same pace or be a shining star, some have a routine that must be obeyed others dive right in. Some measure progress against the plan, others charge ahead and get things done without planning. As much as we would like everyone to stick to the plan it can often be unrealistic and often it is the end result that counts rather than the plan.
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