Between the stimulus and the response is a space – and in that space lies your power, wisdom and love.
Viktor Frankl
Why Touchpoint Leadership?
Those of us who are privileged enough to hold leadership roles – either in the world of work or in the wider community – have huge potential to influence and shape the lives of others. Peoples’ motivation, their confidence, creativity and resourcefulness, are only partly a function of their personalities, intelligence and experience: These aspects of being human are fostered and impacted by those with whom they interact – and most significantly those to whom they look for leadership.
But how often do we, as leaders, take the time to consider the impact we may have on others, and how our actions and behaviours might influence their enthusiasm and effectiveness, and the culture of the teams and organisations in which we play a leadership role?
If you are a leader, sit back and consider how many opportunities you have tomorrow to impact how those you lead think, feel and act. These may be opportunities that arise from one -to-one meetings or calls, group or team meetings, presentations, even chance encounters and chats in the course of the day. It is these points of contact that I call ‘touchpoints’: Moments when, through our behaviour, our words, our ability to listen, to tune into what is needed, we have a chance to create something of value between us that we cannot create alone. This might be a new idea, a renewed motivation, a better feeling, a deepened understanding, a clarity of direction. This ability to generate something new through relationship is what I call leadership – it never happens in a vacuum, it only appears in our relationship with others. And it enables us to bring our differences together to to create positive value for the world.
If you cast your mind over your work today or yesterday, how many of those touchpoint moments created something better for others? In how many of the touchpoint moments were you in a hurry, only 50% listening, worried about something else, agitated others and therefore not at your best? How many would you handle better if could do them again? When you are not at your best, how often do you blame other people and things? The pressure of work, the organisation, other people? And when you think this way, how often do you start to foster personal irritations, grudges or antagonisms?
Which of these scenarios most define how others see and experience you as a leader? And, when you leave work, as a family member or friend?
Whatever your current self-assessment, the good news is that we all have the ability and opportunity to change things, to develop our ability to be our best selves in more leadership situations, one conversation at a time, if we nurture some key principles in our lives:
Intention and Willingness
First, we need to develop the intention and willingness to be a better leader more of the time – we need to realise we have choice about how we show up and where we apply our leadership.
Awareness
Then we need to deepen our awareness of ourselves and the systems we need to serve: Our strengths, our less productive habitual patterns that can get in the way of our strengths, our values and the purpose we want to fulfil as a leader; and then the people, groups and communities that look to us for leadership and what they need from us.
Compassion and Curiosity
We need to be willing to explore, with compassion and curiosity, what holds us in less productive ways of leading, what triggers us when in stress, and how this serves and doesn’t serve our leadership.
Creativity and choice
We need to develop creativity about how we might be different in relationship with others, able to choose from the wider range of styles and skills to create most value, and be ready to experiment in showing up differently.
Pause
Then, fundamentally, we need to introduce space into our lives: Pause between the stimulus and our reaction to allow space for a different type of response. Pause to be open to more tranquility in our busy lives, to give ourselves a deeper well of resources on which to draw, so we are more present, creative, and inspiring as a leader.
We can rarely do this alone – it’s a tough journey. One-to-one coaching, coaching for your whole team or involvement in a tailored leadership programme, can all support and challenge you in this venture.
