Blogs

January 2022: Embracing New Leadership Goals

  

Happy New Year CMAA! It was President Harry S. Truman who said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” I know many of you subscribe to this quote and I do too. As we kick off the new year, I want to share some leadership messages I have read over the past few months that resonated with me, some of which may do the same for you, as our leadership abilities continue to evolve in 2022:

Jeff Morgan and Tony D'Errico Visiting with CMAA Past President
Tony D'Errico, CCM, CCE
January 2022
  1. Leadership by Experimentation: The pandemic forced us to change in so many ways – casting aside tradition. We had to experiment to find success. As we enter 2022 and beyond, experimentation and curiosity are powerful tools for success. Hopefully we will exit this pandemic in 2022, but we need to be mindful of the experiences (positive and negative) of the last two years and use these as a catalyst going forward. I have seen example after example of experimentation as a key theme in club management and know this will continue.

 

  1. Cross-Functional Leadership: “Command and Control” leadership has been on the decline for years. The pandemic has really accelerated its demise. It has given way to cross-functional leadership where everyone is a leader and collaboration is key to organizational success. The diversity of thought and opinion makes us better as a team. A key to shared leadership is shared purpose and trust which takes constant work to build and maintain.

 

  1. Informal Leadership: Dovetailing with the cross-functional leadership is the need for informal leadership by everyone on the team. Informal leaders (all of us) help to shape, guide, and influence those we work with. It also means that we don’t sit idle and wait for instruction. Flatter organizations call for everyone to step up when there is a need and keep everyone informed.

 

  1. Whole Person Leadership: The pandemic has put all of us on edge to some degree. But this edginess has also heightened our senses and desire to read into everything. As leaders, we must be even more mindful that it is not just what we say, but it is how we act. We need to lead today as a whole person – our intellect, our emotions, and our body are all connected and continually telegraph our entire self. They are being evaluated by those we lead and work with -- our posture, our mood, our tone, and our facial expressions are all being watched. Leadership requires us to be aware of the whole person we are and work to ensure we are expressing our best self.

 

  1. The Resting Leader: Do you ever rest? We live in a distracted world and the pandemic has just added to that distraction. Being at our best demands rest. We need to refocus our efforts to disconnect at times and take a break. That break could be closing our eyes for a few minutes; or leaving our device on our desk and going for a walk outside; or being fully present in something that isn’t work; or meditating/spending quiet time with breathing exercises; or possibly using the Calm app or something similar.


As we start the New Year, we have a lot of challenges in our clubs – labor, inflation, member demands, and the list goes on. Leadership is hard and leadership is evolving. I know we all are too. My sincerest wish in 2022 is for you to be the best leader you can be and continue to grow your leadership style and abilities! I hope at least one of these thoughts resonates with you and may enhance your own leadership style.

Until next month,

 

Polls