The Leader's Podcast with Maxie Carpenter

As noted in Part I, the best leaders lean into the fundamentals when challenged with crisis or unplanned pressure. The best leaders are students of leadership, never ceasing to scan the environment, collect feedback from their people, and keep a hand on the overall pulse of their organizations. 

There are so many so-called subject matter experts out there today, with many of them coming up with some new innovation or trend in Leadership that you just have to buy into. In my experience, when in doubt, under stress, or in crisis,, always lean into the fundamentals, which all have to do with investing in your people. 

The top 4 haven't changed since the earth cooled. I will never agree with the 5 challenge and any Leader who does, shouldn't be the Leader.

There are times when Leaders should create some discomfort, dysfunction or mild chaos in order to jar the organization or key people out of complacency or misguided behavior. 

We all have behavioral defaults we go to in times of stress or anxiety. Often, those defaults only serve to increase the stress and the chaos that comes with it. Because they're subconscious for the most part, the chaos dulls our level of awareness.  

Leaders who put people first, face fewer dilemma's in their decision-making. The data doesn't lie about the results, both financially and culturally, of organizations with a healthy balance between both. They're willing to suffer short-term pain for long-term gain. 

As a leader, if the best you can do is default to policy or protocol, when a challenging issue or crisis arises, then you need to check yourself before you wreck yourself and everyone else in the process. 

We live in an environment of more resistance to just about anything I've seen in my lifetime. The reality is that most leaders are great when times are good, but not so great in times of crisis. Leading through resistance is a skill set not many have. 

Organizationally, change has to start at the top. Where's there's a significant RC Factor (Resistance to Change) in the culture, that change oftentimes has to start with the individual. If you're going to take that risk, have a plan. 

Myopia is shortsightedness and we're seeing an epidemic of Myopic Leadership today that borders on the incomprehensible!