As a leader of your organization, think of yourself as a lighthouse. You provide direction and assurance in the dark. People look up to you. Everything you do is very visible. The higher you get, the more attention your actions and decisions attract. Being a lighthouse is not for the faint of heart. Is all the scrutiny and responsibility worth the rewards? Make up your mind, because a lighthouse without a light is quite useless.
Light up the vision
The lighthouse manager brings clarity to the team or the organization. Every initiative and task has a purpose and is connected to the overall goals of the company. The leader is the one who reminds the team of the ultimate purpose when it’s hard to prioritize, and pulls people back from the tactical noise when it gets in the way of what really matters.
Light up the values
The lighthouse manager walks the talk. S/he leads by example and illustrates the core values of the organization with every action and decision. People notice what managers disapprove, tolerate, approve or encourage, so the lighthouse manager is very intentional about it.
Light up in tough times
In stormy weather, lighthouses are more important than ever. People need assurance that everything will be OK, that the company will survive this. They need a clear vision of how to get through the worst and what their role will be in it. Lighthouse managers will make themselves even more visible in times of change or trouble.
You don’t need to be with your people every second of the day. You just need to provide a frequent cadence of brightness, enough to provide confidence that they and the organization are on the right track.
Beautiful image. Thanks!
Thanks Brigitte. There is something comforting about lighthouses, isn’t it?
Great post. This is a wonderful object lesson. Thanks for sharing. I’ll re-post it today.
Brad, thanks for your support as always.