‘Too many things to do and not enough time.’ This is a common theme that I hear from many Leaders across all areas. With things moving faster we are looking for how to prepare for the future and what to do about it. Now more than ever, it is important for a Leader to be aware of their focus, their activity and their impact on those around them. This is not the time to be the one on the treadmill spinning the wheel, and not going anywhere. I believe that there are 3 key roles that a Leader needs to embody:

• Leaders Must Simplify the Way Forward
• Connect: Leaders Need to Truly Connect with Staff
• Empower: Leaders Have to Empower People Towards Action

1. Leaders Must Simplify the Way Forward. We now live in a world that is becoming overly complex with information and options attacking people from multiple directions. This is encouraging people to mix up their priorities and often not focus on the things that really matter. Leaders need to capture the essence of what everyone needs to focus towards and continually broadcast and amplify this throughout all areas of the business. When a Leader simplifies the way forward staff understand what to focus on. 
2. Leaders Need to Truly Connect with Staff. We need to go back to the way trust between people used to be done. Leaders need to take the time to connect with their people. They need to be visible and interact with their staff to let them know that they are not on their own. Too often when I ask staff when was the last time their Senior Leaders took the time to have a conversation and truly connect, they respond with two words: not enough. When people connect they become committed, which creates a key foundation in any workforce.
3. Leaders Have to Empower People into Action. Without action nothing happens. Leaders need to mobilise their people toward results. They have to help identify the opportunities that are available and encourage staff to take action. This needs to involve the internal mentoring that used to occur in the past. Leaders need to take the time to work individually with people to guide, support and challenge their people.

As many of you know I am a Founding Board Member of Hands Across the Water, a charity that supports seven homes in Thailand. To be commercially smarter, we have a separate social enterprise called Hands Group that runs events that provide experiences to lift performance and potential.

If you would like to gather some additional ideas and get your brain thinking at a higher level I invite you to attend the attend one of the 1 day Future of Leadership Events in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Newcastle happening in August. There are world class speakers who have waivered their speaking fees (include Dan Gregory of the Impossible Institute who will focus on improving performance by looking at behaviour and pulling on his expertise as an adman for the top advertising agencies/companies around the world!) Please click here to book and find out more.

Don’t let the excuse of not having enough time get in the way of your learning opportunities. Take the time to develop your skills and your people’s skills to be prepared for the Future of Leadership.