Leadership Impact!

As a frontline leader where is your greatest point of "Impact’? If you’ve been in the workforce for any length of time and have managed to find your way to a new role in corporate life as a frontline leader you’ve probably come to the stalk realization that there is little you can actually change within the work environment. Without a doubt, you’ve managed to make minor changes; perhaps you’ve had several big wins relative to projects and annual corporate targets. But, few of us have had opportunities to create big sweeping change at the c-level. Our overall impact has been minimal as it relates to people. When was the last time you heard a corporate executive (c-suits) say that in some way ‘you inspire her/him'? When was the last time they (c-suits) shared with you what they have learned from you in regards to corporate life? When have they listened to you so intently that you felt like the coach? Remember, we’re not talking about project or budgets, but people and 21st century leadership changes.

Given our individual impact on leaders at the c-level is limited we should turn our focus to a more appreciative group whereby the intrinsic rewards in the coming years will be magnified. As frontline leaders, we are in a prime position to rewrite the future of leadership and we’ve seen enough and know enough to do it. We have experienced the ill effects of poor leadership first hand and more times than not in silence. While not from a lack of trying, but somewhere down the line we learned to speak when spoken to and to mind our own business. We also developed an understanding that having an opinion, good or bad, could ultimately be career limiting. For example, if you we’re the boss then you’re good bright idea may not be well received. Even worst, it may have been viewed as a threat to the powers that be. So we learn.

So, where is the point of impact? It occurs where frontline leaders effectively engage with frontline employees. In my opinion, the beginning of change lies firmly in the hands of the frontline leader. Thereby, please consider carefully, how you define great leadership (its okay to use yourself as an example) or what you like least in the current corporate leadership arena. If you want transparency in leadership, then create an environment whereby leadership in your department or business unit becomes transparent. If you feel frontline employees should hold themselves accountable to one another then talk about it and establish expectations. For example, if employees see you as their first line of defense when dealing with issues of accountability amongst peers coach them and send them back to the frontline to address the issue. There is a good chance that several of these employees will progress through the organization together; hence, the value of what they see, witness, hear, do, or say today is important and cannot be understated.

Challenge question: As a frontline leader what actions do you feel will have the greatest impact on future leaders? And as a frontline employee what would you like to learn from today’s frontline leaders?

Sidebar: We can’t develop the leaders of tomorrow ‘one at a time’. We are already in the red relative to leadership talent. We have to find ways to ramp up. In this month’s issue of Harvard Business Magazine (May issue) there were three articles on the subject of retaining star talent within organizations. One of the articles stated that two organizations have implemented some form of group/peer coaching process.