The noise and weight of the world around us are at an all-time high, especially since 2020 and the years of recovery that have followed. In a society driven by a lens that elevates oneself over all else – emotion, rights, social justice, and certainly more to come – it is hard to keep the noise out and our productive talent moving forward.
The chaos around us is so loud that it almost celebrates and breeds discontentment. Society is drunk on self-indulgence that minimizes the ugliness of pride, greed, and disunity, so much so that it overshadows kindness, service, and self-development. As each person drenches themselves in the current flavor of distortion, that very indulgence competes for its place in the spiral of destruction that dishonors individual dignity, disrupts team unity, and challenges the resilience of leaders.
In the absence of trust, value, and instructive growth – in other words, leadership – influence will invite itself in from elsewhere. For example, social media affirms complaints without accountability, replacing mentorship and reconciliation. The world now gives us the freedom to consume every kind of indulgence without bounds or limitations, focuses on feelings over sound, rational approaches, and attempts to perpetuate boundless individual rights over responsibility and unity.
Self-indulgence in any form does not bring its own satisfaction and notion of “enough,” which leads to an attitude of discontentment and even desperation. It perpetuates beyond just the individual; it breaks apart the team and kills a productive culture.
This is a warning and challenge for leaders: You are responsible for protecting and fostering the talent and successes in store for the team you have the privilege to lead. We must lead others well amidst the challenges we face. As we are transformed, we pour into and develop others more effectively and impact the culture and success of our teams.
Solution’s Reward
Resilient leaders use challenges to invite an opportunity for refinement. Leaders who invest in people transform relationships and foster the success of their teams. The defense against discontentment is a transformation for you and your team. Rather than allowing people to linger in a longing for something better than the present situation, make the present situation better. Protect your leadership bandwidth, team, and culture (which you create), and let that become what they (and you) long for.
Focus your people efforts on four critical areas:
- Learning
- Unity
- Communication
- Engagement
Learning
Leaders who prioritize learning for themselves and others create an innovative and collaborative environment. The self-investment of the leader ensures that they continue to grow in areas that help their team(s). Investing in the professional development of your team members validates their value to you and the organization. The learning mindset of a leader also cultivates (1) humility, which breaks down barriers and perpetuates authenticity, and (2) gratitude, which builds appreciation and fosters relationships, unity, and a positive culture.
Unity
Shared values set a solid foundation for unity, establishing agreed-upon principles to work by for everyone. You can honor individual dignity and worth by focusing on a few values that everyone finds meaningful. This gives purpose to the work that is done together and safeguards an inclusive and productive environment. Unity comes with the collective commitment to live out your organization’s values in every facet of each role, with a common purpose or goal. Unity is also a productive way for a leader to discuss performance. When done in relation to or through the lens of the value itself, unity diffuses the defensiveness of an individual. Unity fosters something strong to trust in and contributes to bonded relationships.
Communication
Humans are relational beings with an inherent need to communicate and relate to each other. Whether we are celebrating a milestone or experiencing a crisis, communication is part of navigating through those peaks and valleys. It is important to note that this involves both relaying valuable information and inviting and listening to input from others. Open, continuous communication creates a collaborative environment of trust and value. This also is a means to create secure and sound pathways so every employee knows where they stand and what they need to do to improve, meet, and exceed performance expectations.
Engagement
Engagement is a catalyst for contentment. This is a new age of influence. Leaders must go beyond traditional management efforts and invest in deeper team relationships. Being genuinely interested in people – their motivators, fears, and communication styles – is critical to bringing them into the fold. Understanding who the person is is as important as what the person does. These acts of team building do not have to involve a lot of time, cost, or preparation, but they do have to be an intentional part of the culture, where creativity soars and relationships are strengthened.
Lunch and learns, fireside chats, game breaks, and recognition are all simple to do, with significant impact, an impact that washes away dissatisfaction and sparks an atmosphere that everyone wants to be a part of and contribute to. The result is increased productivity and performance.
Parting Encouragement
The defense against discontentment is to uproot it through generosity and to center our affections on the team(s) that we serve. Leaders protect bonded teams and productive cultures by keeping their eyes and efforts on the riches of transformed relationships and attitudes. Let us go forward through the perspective of winning over our people and making our influence contagious. Commit to starting with yourself, be a learning leader who is authentic and relational, and inspire contentment in your culture. Be a leader to follow.
Leadership Truths:
- Discontentment is a breeding ground for disruption.
- A leader to follow creates and protects team culture.
- A strong leader builds an environment that fosters the success of its members.
- A relational leader is transformative to team culture and individual people.
