Over the past few months I’ve observed a fair bit of movement across leadership roles in the water sector. Whether that’s been people I know personally, people who I’m connected with in some way or just people loving roles on Linkedin.
Some move within the sector but I have to say there’s a fair few that look like they have moved out. Now there will obviously be a whole host of reasons why people move jobs, but it did get me thinking about how aligned leaders are in the role they have taken on.
Different organisations ask for different kinds of leadership
It’s true. You can look at most companies, their values, what they stand for etc etc, and they will all look fairly similar. Under the surface though, there will be a culture that’s bred from the top down which will determine the type of leadership that is championed and also that which may be seen as, well, not as good.
We’ve all heard the spiel about having diversity in our leadership teams and how that makes for a better team but if we’re honest, this is often the exceptional and not the rule.
Different leadership styles can often be seen as inferior and ground out leading some leaders to adapt to a style they may not be too comfortable with, even losing themselves in the process.
What then?
Ask yourself 3 questions…
How do you want to lead?
How do you actually lead?
How does the company want you to lead?
If the honest truth is that these are all fully aligned then congratulations you must be happy. You probably feel like a great fit. You are rewarded for being you. You can sleep at night.
What if any of these is out of alignment?
I really like the ikigai concept and when I thought about these 3 questions I felt this was a good way to understand and gain insight from them.
When I thought back to my previous roles here there and everywhere it made sense to me why I had moved on from some roles. Staying true to myself has outed me a few times and as I look at those leaders moving around right now I do wonder if and why they have struggled to land in the centre of those 3 circles.
Avoiding the mis-alignment with company
I believe that water companies need great leadership right now and that would be in the form of strong leadership teams. I would go one further and add in that they need to be diverse.
So, when you look at the company and the type of leadership it champions, what can be done to broaden that particular circle so that great leaders who may be different in their own style, feel that they belong, are valued for who they are and for what they can bring.