Successful Public Service Leaders Know This Truth
No one is an island. No one can succeed alone.
This is because running a successful government department or team is about so much more than providing good services to the public or stakeholders. You might be a skilled specialist, but are your shoulders broad enough and your skills deep enough to carry a team of other professionals?
Perhaps. Perhaps not. Not many leaders have had the specific training, coaching and mentoring to support them in becoming leaders worthy of following. To learn to create a culture where employees never want to leave.
That’s why you need to be able to surround yourself with high-performers and experts.
It’s the ticket to creating a high performance team.
You no doubt already know, you need a high functioning team for several reasons:
With a great team around you you’ll have the support needed to focus on the things that matter. If you have to wear too many hats at the same time, you’ll lose the necessary sense of direction and that means not delivering on key government initiatives.
You need to learn how to delegate everything possible outside of your zone of genius. Sure there are some tasks and activities that are in your delegation and require your hand, however there are many that can be shared and delegated consciously to free you up to focus on doing your best work.
Your team can also help you with your own growth and accountability. The reality of government today is a highly complex, ever changing environment where you need to meet multiple deadlines and deliverables. When you grow a peak performance team you can trust them to carry some of the lifting and keeping track and let go of some of the burden of having to remember and know it all.
The higher you go in government, the bigger the scope and more complex things become. It’s typical to feel lost and get overwhelmed. But it doesn’t have to be your reality. Once you learn how to grow a high performing, engaged team you will begin to feel more supported and able to accomplish more. When your team hold themselves and each other accountable for their part you avoid being the problem solver for everyone. You can finally stop parenting and start leading. Clarity of roles, clarity of direction and purposeful delegation will ensure the team’s work flows more smoothly and efficiently.
As you can see, there are many reasons to learn how to build a high performance team and to carefully curate its culture. I’d love to hear about the best team you’ve ever been part of and what made it stand out from the rest – comment below, I’d love to know.
And if you’d like some more support to become an engaging, inspiring, relatable leader then I’ve included some resources and ideas below.
To your leadership success,
AJ
P.S. If you’re a public sector leader looking to support your managers and team then text me with a g’day at +61 415 843 654 (yes, I’m a real person and I will reply when I am back in service – I live in the bush after all).
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P.S. Here are those resources to help you get results:
DM me the word LEVER and I will forward you a simple 5 lever audit you can do immediately to see where your leadership skills are strong or lacking.
Listen to the 10 Degree Shift Podcast - and hear from other leaders, industry associates and other experts to keep up with the latest news and cutting edge innovations to ensure you stays on top of becoming a healthy, happy, conscious leader. Tune in HERE
Sign up to my LinkedIn Newsletter - and do what hundreds of supervisors, managers and leaders across Australia and New Zealand have done to learn quick tips and fab ideas to uplevel their leadership here
Jump into The Leadership Culture Club - If you're looking for a safe space for discussion around leadership, managing and engaging people, reducing overwhelm and burnout and building your career then join this free private group today!