Staying agile

We have all had to pivot the way we do business in recent months. The name of the game these days is agility. We see how things are going, reassess the market, and try new things.

Offering products and services online

Restrictions on physical get-togethers have forced us to develop new skills that will continue to serve us and our businesses for many years to come. We have all learned more about communicating in a virtual world, and more specifically how to provide business products and services online.

It's about leadership

While some of these skills may be new to us, the driving force that helps us grow is something we have all been doing for a long time… and that is leadership.

For ideas on how to continue as strong leaders in these challenging times, we looked to John C. Maxwell's "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership." In the Law of Process, he describes a five-phase approach for growing as a leader.

1. Admit that you don't know what you don't know.
2. Reflect on why it's essential for you to gain more clarity.
3. Identify what you don't know.
4. Apply that knowledge to achieve growth.
5. Keep your commitment fresh.

How we used the Law of Process

We at the Up Close Team found that the Law of Process worked well when it was our turn to build new leadership skills to adjust to these times. We too have had to pivot. We too have needed to be agile.

For the last five years, we have been delivering the Live2Lead leadership event in Fort McMurray. Enthusiasm for this event has grown from year to year, and so has involvement.

Then 2020 came around and we realized we would have to do it differently. We had to go completely virtual. That's when we admitted what we didn't know and reflected on how important it was for us to gain clarity so that we could continue to offer this important opportunity for leadership and growth.

We realized the main thing we didn't know was how we could bring a human element to the event. We wanted people to feel involved in the virtual event. So, we found a strong online platform, and included elements like a scavenger hunt and prizes to keep people engaged.

Achieving growth

The result was not only a highly successful Live2Lead 2020 event for the Fort McMurray area, but a genuine opportunity for growth within the community. Because the event was online, people did not have to attend at a specific time and place. This allowed more people to view the event at a time that worked best for them and they could do that from anywhere.

The changes in our approach and what we learned by applying the Law of Process kept this important leadership event vibrant. The impact did not go unnoticed. Others have approached us for guidance. We recently helped a non-profit organization who was also delivering an online event by being their sponsor and sharing what we learned.

As Henry Ford said, "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." 

Online training programs

We are also taking our learning into other aspects of our business by putting training programs online to give people more choices in how and when they learn. Stay tuned for the online version of the Foster the Leader Within You course that we have been facilitating for many years.

Call to action

Pause for a moment and consider an area where you need to grow as a leader. What do you not know? Why is it important for you to gain more clarity? Well done. Now you're ready to grow.

Your Friends,
The UpCloseTeam