Are you a dynamic leader, beginning to feel overwhelmed and under-resourced? Are you starved of inspiration and energy and losing your sense of optimism? Well, you are not alone. The growing evidence of burnout and lack of mental fitness is alarming, impacting people of all ages - and is particularly worrying for leaders as productivity suffers and sick leave and absenteeism escalates.
What you are feeling is understandable and to be expected in one of the most turbulent challenging times for a generation. We all know theoretically that wellbeing and looking after ourselves are important - but somehow many of us pay only lipservice to what is possibly the most vital investment you can make.
I am here to tell you, that not only is there hope, but with the right approach you may well discover that the limitations and challenges you are facing could well become the source of inspiration and the fuel for real progress. Everything I have learnt about leadership over the years gives me real hope that in some strange way it is when we are at our most challenged that inspiration rises, and with small change, have a massive impact, personally or professionally.
When I set up my grassroots regeneration initiative, I had no money, experience, or resource of any kind. Everything I had learnt about leadership to that point as a Sales and Marketing director suggested that this was not a promising start. I had nothing to entice people to work with me, and was in no position to make promises, all I had was a clear idea about what I wanted to achieve, but that became the start I needed to build a dynamic community of support around. Within 18 months we transformed a community, by galvanizing 100’s of people and businesses to work together to achieve something extraordinary. This experience transformed my views of effective leadership - and showed what really matters most when motivating people to contribute their very best over a sustained period of time.
It taught me that we never have nothing, that with the right conditions people are capable of achieving a lot more than we imagined and, by investing time in building relationships and connections with others even the most unlikely groups of people can overcome incredible challenges and achieve outstanding results. Moreover, with the right conditions in place we are better equipped to deal with whatever life throws at us, and become more resourceful, innovative and resilient.
Leadership can be a lonely place, but you are not alone, and nor should you be.
As we face one of the most challenging times for a generation, take heart, and take a step back. Everything you need to succeed is already within your grasp. Look again, at the people around you, and ask yourself what assumptions you are making about those people, their talents, passions, motivations and skills. Set time aside, to get to know people beyond their given labels, and titles - people will surprise you in very positive ways if you invest time in them.
In a world where we increasingly lack real power and influence, who we are, how we behave, and how we treat others is where our real influence lies and needs to become our key focus because it's where you can make the biggest difference.
In my book Scavenger Mindset, I showcase a wide range of extraordinary leaders, many of whom began, like me, with nothing and went on to have a global impact. They worked with whoever was willing to help, and yet, random groups of people formed highly effective teams. I show how many leaders in established businesses found new imaginative ways to work with people, and changing the narrative to build a community around complex challenges created highly productive environments.
By adopting a more resourceful, creative approach, and becoming more Scavenger, we can all achieve far more with much less and discover enormous untapped talent within.
Discover what is really within your grasp, and reveal where your true talent lies.
“I know there is huge hidden potential in everyone and every business & with the right conditions in place that potential can be released to achieve far more than we ever imagined possible.”
@Clare Richmond
Clare is an award-winning Speaker, Life & specialist Behaviour Change Coach, & Social innovator.