Focus first on your needs

My grandfather had an interesting saying, most likely born of his experience during the Great Depression: "Don’t let your wants hurt you."

These days I find some encouragement in reflecting on his simple statement. Certainly in a time of economic distress and financial uncertainty, delineating your "wants" from your "needs" seems to be a good strategy. It leads to gratitude for what you have; it helps to build some perspective.

I’ve had a lot of conversations lately with business owners and leaders regarding their outlook for the remainder of 2009.

Securing organizational needs seems to be a top priority: positive cash flow, engaged customers and employees, systems and processes that support day-to-day operations, successful renewal through new business development - these are examples of organizational needs that many leaders have become refocused on today.

This back-to-basics mentality is certainly warranted given the uncertainty most organizations face this year. I concur with these leaders that organizational focus on getting things right, at the right price, in the right time frame, is a critical element of organizational survival.

These successful organizational leaders aren’t bemoaning the list of wants that have had to be reduced, recalibrated or postponed.

But they aren’t giving up on them either.

There is a shift of strategic planning occurring in business thought today. Where businesses of a year or two ago might have berated themselves for not achieving a strategic growth goal, or for missing a target date for a new product or service, or for failing with a new tactical approach to their business, there is now a subtle shift to the positive.

Leaders today are taking a fresh look at what their organizations do well, where their success and sustainability lie, and how they can do more of what they already do well.

Strong leaders today haven’t given up on their wants: organizational growth, innovation, profit, contribution and greater success in whatever measure still occupy their thinking and actions. Two different distinctions seem to be emerging from my recent conversations.

First, leaders are recognizing the important quality of identifying success in a tough environment. Second, leaders are listening closely to team members, employees, customers and constituents to acquire a solid sense of connection and understanding.

Why are success recognition and strong organizational connections getting increased attention now? A recent article in the Harvard Business Review by James Kouzes and Barry Pozner reported that the vast majority of respondents in a recent study look for a leader who is both honest and future-looking. This in itself isn’t too surprising; however, those followers want their leaders’ future visions to align with their own hopes and wants.

In other words, it isn’t enough for a leader to articulate a future vision - the successful leader creates a vision that personally resonates with the people being led.

Today, it isn’t enough to set a bold new direction. New visions and new wants need to line up with the organizational members’ own vision of success. Kouzes and Pozner found that followers have a need to know how the organizational vision will affect their own individual performance, responsibilities and aspirations.

To do so, top-leaders need to highlight successes big and small. They also need to create a positively oriented, inclusive and responsive culture in their organizations. This is a specific skill of successful leadership, and success recognition and culture building start at the top.

One new high-profile leader is attempting to use just these skills. President Barack Obama is working to craft a vision of recovery and strength for our nation. His success in these endeavors may well rely on two important tasks. He must be able to articulate how the government’s planned economic interventions will impact the average citizen in the country - and he will shortly need to move to highlight the things that the government and our country are getting right as we address our challenges.

As you lead today, focus on your needs first, and then build toward your "want" vision by highlighting how the vision incorporates the aspirations of your followers. Praise their successes in tough times and encourage them to build upon those successes in the direction of your leadership vision.

Stuart G. Danforth is the founder of Positive Leadership Dynamics in Wellesley. He may be reached at sgdanforth@positiveleadershipdynamics.com.