Your Sphere of Leadership

If you like to do research, leadership is one of those topics that can take you down as many rabbit holes as you care to pursue. Opinions about what leadership is, how to lead, what leadership looks like, and if you are leading correctly are no different. In ancient times, kings, monarchs, and rulers were in vogue with the term leader (for us common people) arriving in the 19^th century. Today Organizational Leadership and its numerous facets are the focus. So why a sphere of leadership?

The Sphere

In mathematical terms, all points within the sphere are equal and is the radius. Today, there are plenty of conversations about diversity, equality, inclusion (DEI), culture, and leadership. Without a DEI culture, you will have no foundation for real culture or leadership. Offering the ability to learn and participate in leadership equally at every level in your organization continues to build a strong culture. You have the mathematical term for sphere and the noun in logic, for sphere is “The extension of a general conception, or the totality of the individuals or species to which it may be applied.”

One of the most frequent and obvious mistakes leadership makes is promoting someone into a leadership role simply because they are doing a decent job. This paves the way for failure for the individual and the organization. Therefore, by the definition in logic for sphere, making leadership classes, courses, training, and programs available at every level, consistently, can eliminate these types of disasters.

The Sphere Shape

The shape of a sphere is of course 360⁰. Why is this important? Before creating any leadership program, it is wise to take a 360⁰ view of current KSAs (knowledge, skills, and talent) available in your organization. Conducting this exercise gives you a bases for building your program, understanding what you have to work with, and where you need to go to meet the needs of your strategic plan. In other words, where are the gaps? There are a couple of interesting and exciting ways to do this.

• A survey: Conducting anonymous surveys can produce information about real time conditions, needs, gaps, and what is and isn’t working.
• Assessments: What better way to collect unbiased information about KSAs? People have difficulty describing their own KSAs, much less a manager who hasn’t taken the time to know his or her people. Using assessments for hiring, development, and promotional endeavors can help you build a plethora of human data which in turn helps your organization be more sustainable, solid, and profitable. Further, they help you identify potential leaders earlier. All of this can help you increase retention, build a knowledge base, and ensure you are building a culture of DEI and leadership.

Size Doesn’t Matter

Regardless of the size of your sphere or organizational world, meaning whether you lead a large, midsize, or small organization, you are wise to develop a culture of leadership and a solid program to back it. Leadership programs can be formal or informal and they don’t have to have a lot of bells and whistles or break the bank to be effective. There are any number ways to have access to courses, coaches, and consultants that fit your budget, resources of time, and physical logistics.

Block Out Your Sphere

Exactly. Laying a solid “cornerstone” for your leadership sphere is important. Bubbles are spheres too and if your leadership program does not have a solid plan behind it, float away it will. Regardless of resources, organizational size, or formality, assessing needs, laying out a clear plan, and a path of implementation is essential to the success of any leadership program. Moreover, creating a culture of leadership and leadership programs will allow you to build those all-important high performing teams. What’s in your sphere of leadership?

Thank you for reading this blog. For assistance setting up your leadership program, Let’s Get Started!

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