‘The Hopeful Thought Leader’, Chapter 2
3 pm
A café
I’m sitting on a squashy chair by the window, sandwich in hand, staring at what looks like an explosion of tinsel on a petite potted Christmas tree. Its merry festiveness seems to be in glaring opposition to my current mood – today has not been a ‘sparkling’ day at the office. We’re launching a new product and there have been some significant issues. Having spent every minute since I got to work fire-fighting, I’ve sneaked away for half an hour for a breather and some lunch.
I’m stressed, but I have to admit, there’s a part of me that is glad I’ve had to cancel my plans for today. I had intended to do something I’d been putting off for ages: write a really hard-hitting, insightful article for our upcoming thought leadership series. I guess now it’ll have to wait a little longer. I had zero original ideas in any case.
I finish my lunch and make my way back to the office, hurrying through streets full of mockingly twinkling lights. I’ve called a meeting with the team to talk about our failed launch, and in my head I’m going over what I want to say. It has to be more than just a pep talk, as there were mistakes involved, but it also can´t be a scolding…
I write some notes, throwing in some examples of other organisations that have had similar issues and how they survived. I jot down how we can use this as a lesson for future challenges. It doesn’t take me long, but I feel instinctively that it needs something more. I need to inspire them.
The team seem a bit down when they come in for the meeting. I stand up and go through my points, weaving in and out of criticism and praise, and guide them as they discuss possible solutions. Oh dear – they still look like they’re sitting under a dark cloud. I don’t want them to lose morale. They’re a young team and still learning…
“Come on,” I say, encouragingly. “Remember why we’re here.”
I turn the conversation towards the pride we have in our approach, the brilliant way we usually do things, and the real value we bring to our customers. After all, everyone makes mistakes – it’s how we deal with them that makes us who we are as a company. To my enormous relief, a sense of revival appears in the air. People have key takeaways around what to do next and are ready to get back to work.
Over a much-needed cup of coffee, I reflect on what happened. It’s not easy to solve pressing issues during a critical time, while not losing sight of who we are and our end goal… Hey, maybe this experience could be something to write about?
I grab my laptop and tap out a draft article before anything else interrupts me. I shoot it off to my marketing manager, who replies a little later with greater than usual enthusiasm, telling me it’s a really compelling read. I guess it makes sense – the thought leadership pieces I personally find most inspiring tend to be about things I can actually relate to. I feel pleased. Maybe today isn’t a complete calamity after all.
~Business Game Changer Special Promotion~
I’m no expert on thought leadership, but I think I’m realising that, if I want to join the party, I’ll need to create something that ignites an emotional connection. I need other leaders to see their own organisations reflected in mine. And perhaps that doesn’t always mean coming up with brilliant, disruptive, ground-breaking ideas. Perhaps it simply starts with me paying closer attention to what it’s really like to run a company – including the days that don’t entirely sparkle.
The Hopeful Thought Leader is a fictional series of short stories about leadership. Any resemblance to actual persons or actual events is purely coincidental .
By Catie Romero-Finger and Anjalee Perera
