Dr. Tim Martin
Are you a situation focused leader or a solution focused leader? Situation focused leaders lean on this leadership lie. “If my situation or circumstances would change I, he, she; they, we, or it could change.” This is a limiting and disabling belief that will lead to desperate or debilitating leadership decisions. A belief, is simply a thought you have allowed to become a truth that you lean and lead on. Solution focused leaders engage the belief and act on a truth, which persuades their leadership mindset to focus on seeing any situation with many obstacles, as being a situation with more opportunities.
The conditions we find ourselves in and the positions others align with in certain situations don’t have to stand in the way of us moving and making something positive happen. Situational focused leaders are reactive and solution focused leaders are proactive. It’s the decisive difference between both leaders. The potential results can be dramatically different for one leader and the team he/she leads.
Solutions are seldom seen or found when only focusing on just what’s going on in the situation. Many solutions can become camouflaged in all the chaos that is causing or adding to the situation. Solutions are found inside people who find themselves inside the situation. A solution focused leader is willing to assess their role and responsibility inside the situation. They are not afraid to step back or away from the situation briefly, allowing time to examine things personally or professionally that may need to be challenged or changed at the time, to either help or keep from hurting the situation more. Leaders lead!! That’s a clue where to start.
The nouns (person, places or things) that surround the situation may not change but, that doesn’t have to limit what role or responsibility you take or response you make inside it. Even if things do not go your way, you can still be okay, because of the perspective, approach, action or solutions you were able bring to the situation. Will you set forth solutions to resolve some complicated situations and fail? Absolutely Yes!! However, you will discover that many mistakes are not setbacks, they are setups. You are being set up to fulfill your ultimate leadership potential, achieve a higher leadership purpose and become a more successful solution focused leader.
For any situations to be changed for the better, healthy solutions must be activated and directly applied. As you have figured out by now, this not only applies to leadership but, life as well. No matter what your situation or circumstances may be, always find the awesome inside you, live it and lead with it.