It is now time to say goodbye and wrap up eight weeks of conversations on heart centred governing leadership on Radio Toni.

And what a huge eight weeks it has been!  When Toni and I decided to commit to our weekly shows, we were not really sure where our conversations would go.  

Of course, we had set clear goals on the knowledge we wanted to share and the outcomes we wanted to impart on our listeners each week, but what we didn’t count on was the depth of the journey we would end up undertaking or the breadth of content we would cover.

We discussed governance, what it is, how it works and how every organisation regardless of how big or small could benefit from having great mechanisms in place to develop, define, approve and hold lines between key roles and functions undertaken within an organisation, and how having those lines documented creates a common understanding by everyone.

We also talked about how managing risk is an integral part of a governance framework and that the more effective organisations manage to risk the more comfort decision-makers have in making some of those tough decisions.

Of course, sometimes it is those tough decisions that are hard for some leaders – especially when the decisions adversely affect the wellbeing of others or themselves. 

This can sometimes result in conversations not being had and true feelings being pushed down down down.  This avoidant behaviour then affects everyone, the person carrying the angst of those unsaid words and those around them sensing that something isn’t quite right but can’t quite put their finger on what it is. 

Those unsaid words are an example of a misalignment that can result in unconstructive behaviours by the leader (including non-action).  

The leader has this internal push-pull struggle going on between what the leaders head is telling them, what their heart knows is true and what their gut is intuitively sensing.  That incongruence isn’t just felt/sensed by everyone – it also, over time erodes a very important element that we humans need to interface safely with each other and that is TRUST.  One of those things in thing in life that is a lot of work to build and so very easy to lose.

Unfortunately, distrust tends to be triggered by expectations around values and behaviours.  We find in quite a lot of cases, its organisations that don’t have clear lines defined on what they value and how they expect everyone to behave and treat each other that trip up the most.  Although sometimes values and behaviours are defined, however, the leaders don’t reflect or behave aligned to those desired behaviours and employees, who think it is safer to go along to get along, reflect back the leader’s poor behaviours, with no-one holding and maintaining the defined behaviours set.

This an example where leaders have tools that they aren’t effectively applying and governing.  

Great heart centred governing leaders have the right tools and embed them to deliver effective outcomes to support their organisation delivering defined goals. Those tools include policies, processes and protocols that enable the right lines to be applied between roles as well as leaders possessing personal attributes that enable them to undertake decision-making in a heart centred way – while still recognising that they need to have mechanisms that support them in holding strong lines.

In our opinion, these are the foundational governing elements that create ethical transparent decision making in the workplace, and these come together to form a system that enables organisations and their people who work within them to achieve their desired goals.  

If you are interested in knowing more about how your aligned true self can step forward as a great heart centred governing leader, enrol in one of our upcoming Webinars: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=19520024&appointmentType=15536122

If you have any questions about any of the concepts discussed during the show or in this blog, we are happy to help. You can email us on support@governancecollective.com, or message me on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-coletta.