Leader-ing: Leadership in Action
During a recent mentoring session, my mentee and I explored what it truly means to take action as a leader. Rather than viewing leadership as a static role, we discussed it in terms of 'leader-ing'—a verb that captures leadership as a dynamic, adaptive process. Embracing this perspective means recognizing that effective leadership involves providing continuous support, engaging in creative problem-solving, and actively fostering team growth to build a collaborative and positive environment.
The concept of leader-ing describes a dynamic, action-oriented approach to leadership that prioritizes adaptability, creativity, and team development within fast-changing organizational environments. This paradigm shifts leadership from a static position or solely a noun, toward a continuous verb—emphasizing fluid support, active creation, and ongoing personal and professional growth for both leaders and their teams.
Dynamic Leadership and Team Development
Dynamic leaders create conditions for psychological safety, enabling each team member to take initiative and contribute creatively, which leads to higher engagement, better outcomes, and sustained organizational success. Team members must have the freedom and safety to thrive while achieving their personal goals in support of organizational objectives. Our goal is to provide the necessary tools for team members to be in a 'creative mind' workflow that optimizes their skills, training, experience, and passion. Being in a creative mindset reduces overwhelm and provides the energy to adopt a 'both-and' approach, in which team members are not only filled with urgency but also empowered to take action.
Humanistic and Collaborative Culture
From a humanistic paradigm, the journey of self-exploration is about becoming your best self, and it is my personal passion and drive to support others on their path to achieving their highest potential. Operationalized, this involves nurturing the growth of exceptional teams that are passionate about client care, attentive to their own personal and professional development, and who demonstrate a deep commitment to the organization and the leadership guiding the path forward.
Organizational Impact
Leader-ing is essential for developing exceptional teams, cultivating trust, and retaining top talent in rapidly evolving environments. Research and leadership literature emphasize that organizations led by dynamic leaders experience greater resilience, innovation, and employee engagement.
This 'win-win' philosophy fosters a healthy organizational culture that prioritizes staff development, resulting in a more passionate and committed team capable of delivering optimal quality care to our patients. An employee-centered organization fuels client-centric practice. The ability of organizational leadership to promote a sense of trust and loyalty will be critical to the development of exceptional teams and the retention of top performers. The dynamic approach to leader-ing will be essential to maintaining or improving the service and outcome excellence of your organization.
Reference
Giordano, N. (2019). How Leader(ing) Not Leader(ship) Will Define The 21st Century (https://nancygiordano.com/essays/how-leader-ing-not-leadership-will-define-the-21st-century).