“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” ~ Abraham Lincoln 

The reality of today’s media is that internal division in thought, direction and goals is brought out in our organizations. Are you facing the dilemma of a divided company and are your leaders lacking clarity of vision?

Weak leadership will impact the success of your organization.  When the genuine attention and intention of all involved is not present uncertainty, chaos, and lack of productivity will reign.  Those you lead will lose trust or motivation to achieve the vision of the organization.

How does this happen?  As with anything challenging or difficult, it is easier to ignore division than to address the situation with courageous conversations.  Taking the safe road and not acknowledging situations when they arise is not the best solution especially if we have an unforeseen crisis that impacts our ability to do business. This will cripple efficiency!

We as leaders must be present to set a powerful example.  So how can we strive and work towards maintaining unity within our organizations?

It is how we show up.  Being present and engaging.  Leaders must lead the way in creating the space and environment where courageous conversations can happen and where unity can be nurtured. Have an open-door policy for anyone within your organization that needs to be heard. You must lead and listen with heart.

Though it is impossible for everyone to agree all the time, in fact you don’t want to. Disagreement and solutions are where progression and understanding begins. It is possible to accept differences and seek to identify ways to compromise to move forward.  It is not always about being right but being open to different options that will guide direction and maintain unity in your organization.

A few values and skills that an exceptional leader will always show up with:

Self Integrity/Honesty:  Behaves in an honest, fair and ethical manner.  Shows consistency in words and actions.  Models high standards of ethics.

Interpersonal Skills:  Treats others with courtesy, sensitivity and respect. Considers and responds appropriately to the needs and feelings of different situations.

Continual Learning:  Assesses and recognizes own strengths and weaknesses; pursues self-development.

Resilience:  Deals effectively with pressure; remains optimistic and persistent, even under adversity.  Recovers quickly from setbacks.

Communication:  Communicates in a clear, concise, organized and convincing manner for the intended audience.

Flexibility:  Is open to change and new information; rapidly adapts to new information, changing conditions or unexpected obstacles.

Problem Solving:  Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations.

“Together you stand, divided you fall.”  Ancient Greeks, John Dickson and Patrick Henry

How about simply believing. We win together or we lose together.  Please focus on being together, united versus the possibility of division within your organization.  Share your thoughts; know that I am here to serve you and your organizations.

In service,

Greg