christian dinesen - proactive leadership - your impact on success factors

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Proactive Leadership Your impact on success factors

“The talent of today and the ambitious employees are demanding proactive leadership in order to deliver to your KPI's and targets..... So do you deliver? Af Christian Dinesen, Head of Institute and Performance Trainer In my role as Executive Coach and OD Performance Trainer I experience a continuous gap in the leadership role in being able to be on top of the game. My experience is that this particular skill not only is about professional acumen but also about the self belief in taking the role as a leader and being powerful in leading the strategy set and bring the organization forward to win the customers. So I define proactive leadership in short like this: Problem Solving • The ability as leader to understand and react upon a given situation and challenge before they become business critical and before we need to solve it with fire fighting. • The ability as leader to bring forward 1-‐3 concrete points in order to resolve and move forward until the we are back on top and are able to take healthy decisions • The ability as leader to Empower the team and organization to bring themselves into the process of moving forward the best way and for the benefit of all involved.


• The ability as leader to be humble and yet decisive in envisioning a way to engage and involve the people who can make us back on track Executing strategy and action plans • The ability as leader to have a high level of business insight of your own business, the market and the competition. What are the trends and what are the potential opportunities and risks? • The ability as leader to continuous improve attitude, mindset and ways of working as to what will serve the strategy best and also lead through others. • The ability to challenge the strategy, the game plan, road map and action plans in order to evaluate the best solution in the given moment to bullet proof yester-‐ days strategy to be the best strategy of today.

Enabling people to be proactive and innovative • The ability as leader to listen to the people on the floor -‐ Don’t underestimate the wast amount of value from the front line people who are in touch with the real world every day. How can you engage them to be your best source of business and market intelligence? • The ability as leader to communicate and describe the future as you see it and through reality connect this to the meaning and purpose of how, what and when we are going to take action on this. Bring clarity, common sense, pragmatism, the value contribution and what it will bring to the business doing this.

• The ability as leader to create a collective deign and picture of the future. this within the team or the organization, depending on the challenge or task. The more we all connect to and see ourselves as part of the solution, the future and the outcome the more we increase the collective mindset and ability to be proactive and burn for the same strategy forward. • The ability as a leader to create and have a plan. How do we get there and how do we get things done? No goal...no direction, no direction no progress and no progress then only set-‐back. Make and have a plan, and one that can be changed, one that is agile and flexible mirroring reality, not just the best of your opinion. A fact based plan will work.

Empowered and visible Leadership • The ability to take the agreed strategy and make it happen through team and people involvement. Initiate the transition, delegate and empower the team and people to take responsibility and ownership for their role, mandate and task(s). You need to be crystal clear, precise and convincing in your leadership.


• The ability as a leader to believe in yourself and in your core values of leading the way you do and the decisions you make. Stand strong and you will reflect this on others. Trust the process and trust your gut feeling of the "WHY" and express this to people around you. Make other believe in what you believe... • The ability as leader to "Do the right thing" when necessary. If the strategy, road map or action plan dont work or or need revision then take action to collect the team, re-‐design, re-‐plan, re-‐organize and re-‐act to the present situation...be pro-‐ active and decisive. • The ability to have trust and faith in your team and people. Show that they are the right ones to bring the business and strategy forward. They are equals in sense of value contribution and expertise, with out them you are just a suit with a smart title.

Recommendation As a proactive leader I experience some important personal and social features that will strengthen your ability to be proactive and to take action on what you believe is the best way forward, even when there is a risk for your A.. being on the line.. Your ability to increase and strengthen your impact on people for them to understand, believe in you and most importantly follow you. Self Belief to be proactive and make difficult and daring decisions: • Is it possible? • Am I capable? • Im I worth it?

Intra Personal insight and competence of believing in you and that you can do it: • Self appreciation -‐ Do you appreciate who you are and your core values? • Self Esteem -‐ Do you remember all the great things you have achieved, people of

who you have had a positive impact and the difference you make everyday? • Self Worth

Inter Personal Insight and competence -‐ Having an impact on people: • Handling relations -‐ Interact, reach out, collaborate, engage • Appreciation of others -‐ appreciate, do favors, give time, listen and be present • Consciousness of others -‐ Together each achieve more, all are human and we all want to be important, valued and respected. We all contribute with value and as a collective that make who we are and what we perform. Closing the gap of being on top of your game -‐ Being proactive Be in touch with reality of the real world, the geopolitical agenda, the market place and most importantly the valuable and insightful employees, colleagues, clients and stakeholders.


In doubt ask questions and ask for advice and ideas. Listen to the grape wine and be observant and alert. Use your time out there on the shop floor with your team and less at your desk and all the way to often-‐useless meetings. Be visible. Involve and engage developing the best solutions for now and for tomorrow.. Think continuous improvement in the entire value chain -‐ think of the power of coherence, diversity and co-‐creating. Go out being a great leader and deliver the value-‐based vision of how you want to impact the world, people and organizations in a powerful way. Questions for reflection? • What will be the best way for you in a secure way to build, grow and evolve your proactive leadership potential? • Who or what can be your support, advisor, coach and sparring partner in growing this within you? • What will be the greatest gift of all accomplishing this competence and behavior? • When will you start working on this and who will you tell to make it happen? -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐o0o-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Do you want receive future posts by Christian Dinesen, then write him an e-‐mail: [email protected] or follow him on Linkedin About Christian Dinesen


As an Executive Coach, Trusted Advisor, O-‐L&D Performance Trainer and Head of Institute at The Danish Institute of Coaching, Christian Dinesen have worked with leading organizations in the private and public sector since 2002. He brings you an extensive international business acumen and leadership experience in which he with passion is developing and strengthening Performance Leadership and Operational Excellence in international environments. He is driving, developing and strengthening People, Talent and Executive Development and Performance. His strong L&D and Leadership Toolbox combined with a solid international business acumen from living and working in various countries.

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐o0o-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Please don’t hesitate to make contact to know more about working with Christian Dinesen for events, development activities or internal training and coaching.

christian dinesen - proactive leadership - your impact on success factors

Leadership & Management

proactive leadership

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