How to build more engaged, happier teams with a simple leadership framework

In leadership, we often overcomplicate. This is what makes leadership hard and potentially ineffective. So what can you do to turn your leadership into a more effective and gratifying venture? I’ve been thinking about this a lot as I’ve been supporting team leaders at all levels through my coaching programs over the years, and I’ve come up with a framework that applies to all leaders. It is called:

New-Paradigm Leadership (NPL)™

Why “New-Paradigm?” Because paradigms determine everything we think and do; and therefore our results. Paradigms are composed of beliefs systems, thought patterns, behavioral patterns, values, etc. Organizational cultures are built on paradigms; they literally consist of paradigms.

So if we want to change or elevate an organizational culture, we have to start with the paradigms supporting it.

But this framework goes way beyond tackling paradigms; it provides the concepts and tools to build more engaged and happier teams, and to transform your department and potentially your entire organization (as your leadership results are rippling out) by elevating the underlying business consciousness.

Let me introduce the framework’s four overarching components:

1.       Mind:

Your Mind impacts all you do. It determines your vision and how big it can get; your drive and enthusiasm, and how consistent you are with it; what you can achieve.

Your mindset also impacts your team’s mindset and what they can accomplish together, the results they can create. Once you shift your own mind and master what I call a “self-empowering mindset,” it becomes much easier to shift that of your team, especially when you come from a place of authentic, value-driven leadership and compassionate sharing,… and when you have the other puzzle pieces under your belt, the second of which being…

2.       Message:

This is about all the ways you communicate with others, including those they cannot see or hear. Because whether you speak or not, messages are always transmitted.

So in this area, you will learn how to communicate effectively through your words, your appearance, your body, your energy,… in short, through who you are and how you show up, while applying specific language that is more conducive to achieving the desired results (such as team engagement, inclusion, etc.).

Truly mastering your Message allows you to leverage your full communication power & spectrum to get your message across.

3.       Trust:

Trust is the glue that bonds teams together and allows creativity to flow as high trust levels encourage team members to share their ideas. This makes teams both more productive and more innovative.

Building trust in all directions is also critical for you to advance and potentially accelerate your career. Any minute you invest in trust-building pays off hugely, and with the right tools and guidance, trust can be built much faster than most leaders think.

4.       Heart:

Yes, you are reading this right: I mean Heart, and in this framework, it stands for two important concepts: for the people of your organization… because people are the Heart of any organization; and for what I call “heartset…”  because we humans connect through the strong electromagnetic field of our hearts.

You may think Heart has no place in business. – Fact is, the role of the Heart is greatly underrated.

As we look at the Heart’s many powers, value-driven leaders can find courage for their innovative approaches in their hearts. You Heart allows you to be bold, despite any resistance you may encounter.

You Heart is also your source for intuition and assist you with the trickiest or toughest decisions… if you just take the time to listen.

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Of course, these four puzzle pieces contain a myriad of concepts, tools, techniques and implementation opportunities for any scenario. Going into all the details would go beyond the scope of this article. i'd be happy to expand on them in a call. Reach out anytime through the Contact page of this website.