For any of our readers who live in Minnesota you know about the quixotic weather we've had this spring! I really appreciated this blog post from Paul Batz about handling Mother Nature whiplash. In addition to discussion of many inches of snow, he makes this point;
"I believe leaders create the weather. Not the Mother Nature kind of weather, but the climate by which we operate.
...Good leaders make a habit of staying in tune with the climate they create with their leadership. And they do their best to stay calm, strong and confident in all types of weather."
How does somebody exercise leadership to create the climate? Some behaviors we've discussed before that can influence organizational culture are:
- Dynamic and engaged leadership
- Living values
- Responsibility and accountability
- Celebrate success and failure
To have an opportunity to influence behavior you need to be present and aware. I don't necessarily mean that you have to be physically in the same space, but you need to make yourself available and to actively seek out what is happening in your organization. Keep your ears open to find out what is being said by your employees and by your market.When you hear about something that is a success for your organization, make sure that the people involved get the kudos they deserve. When you hear about something that is a failure, acknowledge it, deal with it, and work hard to understand it in order to identify a positive way to turn it around.Staying engaged and leading with calmness and fairness will help you to control the weather in your organization.