Your question seems to imply you want to control a group of people. Trying to control anyone is a poor use of your time and energy. If your leadership style is centered on controlling people then you miss the opportunity to be your best self as well as allow others to be their best. So the first suggestion is to change your language or thinking developing leadership skills. The next suggestion is to clarify what is the problem or challenge you're trying to solve.
When working with executives I ask them questions that clarify what they mean and what they want to happen. My suggestion is to first clarify what you mean by "high powered".
Write out your answers and try to separate fact from hearsay. Gaining clarity on what it means to be high powered will also help you understand what areas you lack the confidence or the skill to lead this group.
The ability to lead well is a learned and practiced skill. Most people believe you are born a leader whereas now we know from scientific studies you can learn to be a great leader. Unfortunately, developing leadership skills is as difficult as dieting. Food is everywhere and you have to eat every day, you have to know what's good for you to eat because what works for someone else may not work for you and finally you can't be successful without the help, guidance and support of others. The same is true about leading. You're always doing it and it works best when you are authentic and have a supportive group to help you improve.
After you’ve answered the questions above here's another quick exercise you can use to assess your ability to influence and lead others. It will provide some great ideas on what to include in your plan to lead this team.
The action plan included asking for advice and assistance from his peers and other executives on how to best motivate a highly talented team and still influence the direction of the work.
He used the advice to create a plan that sustained the teams’ high performance and allowed him to relax and lead authentically. The analysis also allowed us to address a number of challenges that otherwise may have gone unnoticed. One key to long term success at this company was the importance and high regard for relationships and loyalty. Violating that unwritten rule would have jeopardized this leader's success.
In another instance, we discovered the group wasn’t “high powered” just two members were well connected. One executive was regarded highly because of their performance while the other was considered a bully and many were secretly hoping my client would simply eliminate the problem. The action plan we crafted focused on how to minimize the bullying aspects of the one individual and how to best utilize the high performance of the other to achieve the desired business results.
In the end, we all make up stories about what's happening and then we talk with others to add to the story. The best results occur when you can first clarify what are the desired results and then write down the facts without all the perceived “reasons why s/he did that” and any hearsay. Then develop the relationships necessary to obtain accurate information, guidance and support from others.
Leading is a long term objective. Your ability to lead is often impaired because of the same reason diets don't work. Diets don't work because we want quick fixes and to expend little effort. When they work it takes self-awareness, an understanding of our emotional triggers and how we respond to those triggers. Your action plan should include a description of how to respond when faced with an emotional trigger. Analysis and planning produces a healthy lifestyle and will improve your leadership skills to the point you can lead any team no matter what their connections or performance.
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