‘Good leadership consists of doing less and being more.’

So says the Tao Te Ching, as explicated by John Heider in 'The Tao of Leadership'.

We have not forgotten from the worst pandemic for one hundred years. Leaders and managers continue to need to adapt to the discoveries it has brought, changes as to where and when people work. What can leaders and managers do to build on these shifts in mindsets and opportunities?

Much has been written about leadership and management over the past seventy years. Companies and organisations have spent a great deal on training staff to improve leadership, communication skills and emotional intelligence. Has it worked? Are we seeing the results we would wish for? Are workers more engaged and productive? Are we supporting them to be their best?

Much of the training and formal feedback encouraged in the workplace seems to be focused on what people do rather than addressing the core issue, which is that people often don’t have the confidence to be themselves at work, and may not be encouraged to live by values that promote a healthy life, relationships and working climate.

What would it be like to work in an environment where people welcome each other’s contribution, encourage each other to do their best, value differences, exhibit high trust, generate creative solutions and quality results? Study after study shows that most people want a workplace where they are valued, appreciated and can do their best. Sadly, this is often not the case.

Where could the journey to achieving building peoples’ confidence start? Is it more about starting with how one is, rather than what one does? Could it be encouraging people to be reflective about what their underlying thoughts and assumptions in the work environment are and how helpful they are?  Raising awareness of these thoughts allows us to have the chance to choose the most helpful ones in a given situation.

What is the outcome of this approach likely to be? Once the level of reflection and thoughtful action occurs, then working towards how the team wants things to be in the future, thoughtful habits gradually become embedded, and people will find the environment improves, which in turn encourages further changes. If a conscious effort is made in the first month or so to embed this focus, then reflection and thought, results will occur as the positive habits become embedded.

This approach of focusing on encouraging positive thought rather than negative or defensive thoughts and mindsets frees people up to behave in a way which is more comfortable. It allows people to be themselves and much more authentic. An authentic, reflective, thoughtful person is more likely, through these actions, to develop greater presence in the workplace. If every member of a team has these qualities, imagine what results could be achieved!

What can help with this journey? Syd Banks, nearly fifty years ago, articulated the 3 Principles of Universal Mind, Universal Thought and Universal Consciousness[ii]. This philosophy has influenced psychology and self- help books and training since then. The key part of the 3 Principles philosophy is that of raising one’s awareness of one’s thoughts, being aware that they are simply thoughts and not necessarily reality. This is an enormous insight.

Once aware one can decide to act on the thought or let it go and then generate a different one to address the current situation. Most coaching focuses on helping people to be aware of their thoughts and mindsets and finding the best ones for a situation.  Individuals who adopt the 3 Principles effectively become their own coach managing their own development. Imagine how much quicker this is at bringing benefits. The use of the 3 Principles enhances the coaching experience and can shorten the time spent to get great results especially when coupled with deliberate practice.

At a team level there are many tools one can use to raise awareness and performance.  A very effective one is 4D, an approach and range of tools developed by Dr Charlie Pellerin, the ex-Director of Astrophysics at NASA. He had the challenge of sorting out the distorted mirror on the Hubble telescope after it was launched into space. His 4D system, based on Jung’s psychological types, measures and encourages positive behaviours of individuals and teams. This raises awareness and the team can work on improving them. When repeated annually this results in ongoing improvements in performance and stronger teams.  4D assessment and training has brought great benefit to many organisations across many sectors around the globe.