Transforming Leadership: Developing Leader's Eyes to Identify and Solve Problems

Bonus Episode #80: What if you could transform your leadership style by simply changing the way you see problems? On this special bonus episode of the Finance Leader Podcast, I, Stephen McLean, bring the concept of "leader's eyes" to life, an invaluable lesson I learned during my service in the United States Army. Through an engaging story from my military days, I unravel how the knack for identifying and rectifying small issues before they snowball can revolutionize the way you manage your team. This isn't just about spotting problems—it's about fostering an environment ripe for proactive leadership, continuous improvement, and unyielding teamwork.

You'll discover practical strategies for developing these "leader's eyes," focusing on proactive leadership, the power of coaching, and the magic of maintaining a positive attitude. By encouraging your team to take initiative and collaborate, you can create a culture where improvement is constant and every member feels empowered to contribute their best. This episode promises to equip you with the tools to make a meaningful impact on your organization. Dive into this journey of leadership evolution and learn how to truly lead with your eyes wide open. Visit financeleaderacademy.com for more insights and resources to bolster your leadership journey.

Episode outline:

1. Proactive leadership,
2. Coach your team members, and
3. Positive attitude.

Please connect with me on:

1. Instagram: stephen.mclain
2. Twitter: smclainiii
3. Facebook: stephenmclainconsultant
4. LinkedIn: stephenjmclainiii

For more resources, please visit Finance Leader Academy:  financeleaderacademy.com. 

Transcript

Stephen McLain: 0:00

Hi, this is Stephen McLea of the Finance Leader Podcast. This is bonus episode number 80. Good day and good week to everyone. I hope you are all doing well and I am here to talk leadership once again. We are leaders, no matter your title or role, and leadership does not take a break and does not falter. Leaders lead in the tough times, not just the good times. It's the tough times when leadership is required most. Your team is looking for you to make a difference, to have answers, to give direction when no direction seems apparent, or even possible, to provide hope and determination when faced with difficult moments.

Stephen McLain: 0:44

This week I want to share a tool I was taught when serving in the United States Army. It's called having leader's eyes. When we have leader's eyes, we become proactive in solving problems before they become bigger. We look for ways to improve our team, we review our processes, we coach our team members to become better and we don't take our leadership responsibilities lightly. I'll share an example from the Army about leaders' eyes. As young officers, we were taught to look for issues and problems, no matter how small, and then make corrections on the spot to resolve them immediately. Small problems become larger issues later if we don't fix them right away. So here's a great example.

Stephen McLain: 1:29

Every army unit has a motor pool where we store our military vehicles. When we are not using them in training or performing our duties, when we walk in the motor pool, we look for issues to be corrected, even when we are not specifically tasked to do so. We are always a leader. We are always looking with leader's eyes for ways to solve problems. Let's say, we are actively looking for issues as we are walking in the motor pool and we notice a flat tire or an oil leak, we take immediate action to correct the problem. We assign resources to fix the problem. Then we continue on in our leadership responsibilities. So we use leaders' eyes to look over what we are responsible for. We assess the situation, then we take immediate action to solve the problem. We don't wait for our boss to fix it or tell us to fix it. We fix it immediately.

Stephen McLain: 2:22

I want to briefly discuss a few points when it comes to developing leaders' eyes. Number one proactive leadership. As a leader, we are constantly leading and looking for ways to solve problems. We never stop looking to solve problems, no matter how small, because small problems can become bigger problems later. Leaders are expected to lead from the front. We are out front with our teams, getting the mission done every single day.

Stephen McLain: 2:48

Number two coach your team members. Never miss out on an opportunity to positively rally your team members to become better and to improve what they are working on. We want every team member to continually improve their work portfolio. We want no complacency, no waiting on being told to do something. Taking initiative will be paramount in how to improve team effectiveness. And number three bring an infectious positive attitude in everything you do.

Stephen McLain: 3:19

As you are solving problems and coaching your team. Be positive about it. Treat people with dignity. Please don't be disrespectful, rude or condescending. Talk with motivation. Speak in a way that inspires and encourages others to perform better. Promote teamwork and helping others as a team culture cornerstone. I want to encourage everyone who is listening to this to develop leader's eyes, to remind ourselves that as leaders, we never stop leading. We coach our team and we solve problems. What can you do as a leader to use leader's eyes to identify and solve problems on your team and in your organization? Now have a great rest of your week. Thank you for listening to the Finance Leader Podcast. Please check out financeleaderacademycom, where you can find some great resources. Thank you.