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ISCOVER
Grey is the new black and white this season – and I’m not talking fashion here.
Rather it’s the “grey areas” in which forward thinking intermediaries are increasingly finding themselves operating, as they transition towards a holistic model and reposition their business for long term success.
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The need to build a sustainable business is nothing new; leaders have always had to strive to maintain a point of difference in an increasingly competitive marketplace – and as anyone in the broker /advisor industry will appreciate, it’s not without its challenges.
Strategy, structure and direction are all susceptible to change, with roles, responsibilities and accountabilities becoming less defined. More often than not this ambiguity and uncertainty causes apprehension for the people that work there – and it’s this which brings added complexity to the role of any people leader.
But whether we like it or not, change is essential to creating a sustainable business and remaining competitive in the market place, so we’d better learn to manage it effectively and help our employees to do so too. So how should we, as leaders, approach this?
It’s a good question. Being an inspiring leader is never more important than in times of change - because not only do you have to get the commitment from, and ignite the passion in, your employees, you have to do so while helping them get comfortable with ambiguity.
But it’s within this ambiguity where I see an opportunity – an opportunity for employees to up-skill, learn more, do more and create their own future.
Rather than being confined by a job description, these “grey areas” in roles and responsibilities open up a whole new set of possibilities – including the chance to move away from the traditional organisational hierarchy and adopt a more collaborative approach.
It’s up to us, as leaders, to create an environment where employees are encouraged to take on new responsibilities, are empowered to make more decisions and as a result become more accountable for their actions. And it’s essential that we do so, because it’s the people we work with who are integral to an organisation’s success.
My advice to any leader guiding their organisation through a period of change is to get comfortable with the ‘grey.’ Move away from the ‘old school’ importance of hierarchy and defined roles, and stimulate co-creation and collaboration between teams and organisations.
Don’t worry so much about who does what, or who used to do what – focus instead on building personal relationships and a truly shared direction.
