Guest post from Brandon Black and Shayne Hughes:
Beinga truly great and inspiring leader, who is both effective and respected, is no easy task. Though the job certainly comes with
a measure of prestige, every seasoned leader will tell you — it also comes with
endless hard work, harsh criticism, and significant stress.
fuels you to push forward when the
pressure is on?
If
you’re like the majority of the Western world, you’re probably motivated by
greater and greater personal financial success, the yardstick most leaders use to
assess their value. Year after year, you work longer hours, pushing yourself to
even-higher heights — the next promotion, broader recognition, or another
impressive leap in income — only to discover that the “high” of reaching that
next level disappears in mere minutes or days.
success is not what we care most about.
Each
of us has a powerful need to positively
affect the people and world around us. This need and inspiration is called
our “noble goal.” In its simplest form, our noble goal is our personal response
to the question: What context, atmosphere, or environment do I want to create
for myself and others?
When we remain in the narrow, scarcity mindset of self-focus and self-promotion,
we lose our care for others and the broader perspective. When our motivation is
exclusively centered on elevating our own “success,” we create an environment
of distrust, competition, animosity, and separation.
when we connect to a noble goal, it’s clarity inspires us and guides us toward what
we really care to bring about in the world, in all domains of our lives – our families, our workplace, our communities,
and our society. It is our North Star, and it has the power to guide both our
long-term direction as well as our moment-by-moment choices.
At Encore Capital Group, a debt collection company, CEO Brandon Black and his
employees decided that “restoring dignity and creating a path toward financial
independence” for their customers was a core tenet of their noble goal. To
breathe life into that goal, they created a Consumer Bill of Rights that began
shaping the essential why in how they
interacted with their customers and the very way they thought about their business.
“People at Encore were passionate about The Consumer Bill of Rights,” says
Black. “It gave employees a sense of pride about our company. I never saw that
level of enthusiasm for quarterly results or a new strategy.”
embracing a shared noble goal ultimately delivered positive business returns.
As Encore’s team approached their daily work through this new lens, morale
increased and collections continued to grow.
Here are 3 reasons why:
1. A noble goal inspires you to blaze
new trails
Focusing intently on a larger purpose helps inspire you to explore new ideas or
try new approaches. It gives you the courage to take risks you might not
otherwise dare to.
When Black and his team created the Consumer Bill of Rights, it felt scary and
risky to break the mold in an industry known for less than warm and friendly
debt collection practices. But ultimately, employees felt inspired and
empowered to act from a space of caring. They began humanizing their customers.
Instead of acting like adversaries, Encore employees became customer allies, listening
to their stories and helping customers rise out of the financial burden (and
personal shame) of excessive debt.
you begin to prioritize caring and empathy over your own personal discomfort, your
mental faculties focus on what really matters and how to do it to the utmost of
your ability.
2. You look for ways to
unleash other people’s potential, not just your own
Early in his role of CEO, Black admits he competed to be the smartest person in
the room, to be the one in the spotlight. He thought that was how you led people
– how one gained recognition and success. But after identifying his own noble
goal, Black developed a new way to lead.
“I learned to value transparency, empathy, and vulnerability as much as
business intellect,” said Black. “Today, I’m able to be present with my
colleagues, family, and friends; see different possibilities; and create a
collective agenda instead of one dominated by my opinions. I believe Encore’s
runaway success was directly tied to this shift in management philosophy and
culture. I wish I had learned this lesson way back when I started leading
people!”
When leaders center on a noble goal, the positive shift is contagious. The
collective energy of the team also shifts from self-preservation to focusing on
growth, connecting to one another, and co-creating something larger. Every
person who steps up creates positive ripples throughout the organization – and,
the more senior you are, the more
impactful your behavior.
3. You’re able to face criticism with confidence and courage
When the collections industry later came under fire, Encore felt confident
they had nothing to hide about how they operate. It didn’t mean they were
perfect, but their noble goal helped rouse a solid sense of courage because
failing, being judged, or feeling hurt seemed less threatening. They felt
secure enough to say to their detractors, “Come take a look and tell us what
you find.”
If
there were flaws in their system, they wanted
to learn about them because it accelerated their ability to fulfill their
mission. Criticism never feels good—because it threatens our ego’s desire to be
competent, perfect and successful. But when that feedback can help you and your
team achieve your noble goal more effectively, the sting of a critique is
lessened.
Good news: It’s never
too late to embark on this important work.
So,
what’s your noble goal?
Below
the surface, every leader brims with this incredible generosity, creativity and
motivation. You are wholly capable of putting aside your ego’s ambitions to
reach for a higher calling. You no longer have to build your life and career at
the expense of others or at the expense of genuine personal fulfillment.
desire to serve a noble goal is in your DNA, and the energy you will feel when
you act on this instinct will elevate
your focus, increase your enthusiasm, and amplify the impact of your leadership
in profound and powerful ways.
Capital Group in 2013. He holds an MBA
from the University of Richmond and a bachelor’s of business administration
from The College of William and Mary. He
is co-author, with Shayne Hughes, of EGOFREE LEADERSHIP: Ending The UnconsciousHabits That Hijack Your Business.
of Learning as Leadership, a San Francisco-based management consultancy, where
he specializes in creating corporate cultures of open communication and
collaboration.
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