‘Good leaders make you feel safe.’ Quote by Simon Sinek.
In these days and weeks of easing Lockdown, leadership is going to be an incredibly important aspect of many organisations. We are all uncertain, we are all anxious about what may be the result of more people returning to work, of more children returning to school and of more people simply moving around.
Remember it is Ok to have these feelings, ‘we are all in it together’ and it is Ok to be on a roller coaster of emotions. Now that we are able to see our loved ones again we are filled with joy, but not yet being able to hug them presents us with feelings of longing and sadness.
Returning to work will involve a range of those emotions too. The environment will be different, our behaviour needs to change and although many of us will look forward to seeing our colleagues again, we will also be thinking about how we can keep ourselves and each other safe. This is where good leadership is important. Good leaders embed a feeling of trust in their teams. They lead by example and are the first to take a risk. They do all they can to ensure the people in their teams are safe not only in their workplace but outside it too. But why do they do this? Why do good leaders make us feel safe?
Sinek likens a great leader to a great parent. A parent protects their child and wants their child to do better in life than they have ever done. A great leader has the same feelings for their people. Leadership is about caring and wanting the best for the people in your organisation. ‘Leadership is a choice, not a rank.’
Idea for today: Find your ‘Why’. 'Why do you do what you do?'
This is a question many head teachers in England are asking themselves right now. As a head teacher myself, I have a commitment to my staff to keep them safe, and this has never been more poignant than now, when the government have decided that this is the right time for more children to return to school. They have written guidance for schools, but this guidance is not statutory and as each school is a different environment with a different group of staff and children, each school is in reality, needing to work out for themselves how they can put together a safe return. The time this is taking together with keeping up to date with the ever changing ‘guidance’ is phenomenal and exhausting. School will be a very different place than it was before Lockdown and I hope that children will not be put off school on their return which is likely to be on a part time basis only.
This situation will be similar for all other businesses, shops, dentists, hairdressers, restaurants. There is a huge amount of decision making ahead and many people will be looking to the leaders of their organisations to make the best choices they can to keep everyone safe, as well as return to some type of ‘normality.’ I think we all realise it will be a long time yet until that ‘normality’ is the one we knew at the very beginning of this year.
Stay alert, stay safe.
Want to Explore this Further?
Watch this Ted Talk
Why good leaders make you feel safe (Simon Sinek | TED2014)
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If you want to work with me, contact me on isabel@norfolklifecoach.co.uk
Or visit my website https://www.norfolklifecoach.co.uk
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