GUEST EDITORIAL
The Leadership Century
Does your team clearly understand its vision and goals?
L
John Somers
John@Hudson-
Potomac-Associates.com
202.265.0845
linkedin.com/in/johnsomers
acc-5264281
8 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
Editorial
Advisory Board
Andrew Johnson
Chief Executive Officer
The Rapid
Gary Thomas
President/
Executive Director
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Keith Jones, P.E.
General Manager
DC Streetcar
Kristen Joyner
Executive Director
South West Transit
Association
Matthew Tucker
Executive Director
North County
Transit District
Paul Larousse
Director
National Transit Institute
eadership is in the news more and more every day. Whether they
are talking about business leaders or politicians, praising “strong
leadership” or bemoaning the lack of leadership. Leadership is
everywhere and smart organizations are focusing on it as part of
their workforce development strategy.
Clients oft en ask which leadership skills I believe are the most
important for success as a leader. It’s a great question and if you google
it, you will fi nd dozens of lists of the top 10 or 20 leadership skills and
traits. To my mind, one of the most important skills necessary for
a successful leader in any fi eld would be the ability to create a clear
vision and goals for his or her team.
It is amazing how oft en leaders try to lead without knowing what
they truly need or where they exactly want to go. It is certainly understandable
since in today’s frenetic pace with constantly changing
mandates, leaders have to think and act quickly. In such cases they
usually have a sense which way their team should be headed but they
haven’t really taken the time necessary to clarify the vision or mission
and identify the goals they want to achieve. Th is makes it diffi cult for
them to clearly explain to their team how to proceed and they end
up giving fuzzy or vague direction. Not only will this stymie their
immediate eff orts, but over time it corrodes both the eff ectiveness of
their team and their team’s trust in them as a leader.
So how then to avoid this trap?
As a leader you must make the time necessary to really stop and
strategically assess the mission and goals. Carve out quiet time to
thoroughly evaluate the mission, vision, issues, etc. As busy as your
schedule is, this really is where the rubber meets the road. Strategy
takes time. Your preparation here will pay off handsomely and help
you avoid wasted time and eff orts later on.
When meeting with your team be prepared to clearly articulate
where you need to go but enlist their ideas in identifying the goals
and markers along the route. Don’t think you need to know all the
answers in advance; you have a team for a reason — utilize and empower
them. Being closer to the ground, they may be especially suited
to develop the tactics necessary to achieve your mission. Be aware of
their capacities and welcome their feedback as the process proceeds.
Again, nothing pays off like creating the time and space to strategize
while understanding your team’s capacities and being willing
to empower them.
John Somers, Executive Coach & Consultant
Leadership is
everywhere
and smart
organizations
are focusing
on it as
part of their
workforce
development
strategy.
Consu
John Somers, ACC, is an ICF-certified
executive coach and consultant with
Hudson Potomac Associates. His next
post will focus on communication, which
is critical to strategizing with your team.
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