Lighthouse or lightning bolt? Which leader are you?
Workplaces can feel a bit like a salad bowl, thrown together personalities that must somehow mix together without getting lost amongst the leaves. Understanding how people think in the workplace – recognising differing thought styles that make up our workforce, discovering what makes people tick, the twists and quirks that make us so irresistibly human, and indeed, our differences, is something that can be leveraged rather than resisted.? A leader can either be a lighthouse or a lightning bolt. They can guide a team through rough, uncharted waters, or send shockwaves through the most carefully laid foundations. And with six international offices and over 250 employees, the question on everyones mind – how can diverse, fast-growing workforces like SiGMA find that sweet spot??
Gone are the days when one size fit all: new generations are in and the briefcases are out. And with this, the balance hangs ever so precariously. Managing workloads without compromising on efficiency and understanding and adapting to the peculiarities of new generations are questions that have long troubled many good managers.
Can we embrace a new digital age bursting with over-stimulation and daily dopamine fixes without succumbing to burn out? How can you decide when the valuable yet undesirable employee is too damaging to keep? And what of the generations making us all feel older?
Fresh off two days of intensive leadership training, key members from SiGMAs management teams reflect on the power and responsibility of leadership in shaping the future of the workplace.
Understanding the human behind the role
Todays leaders must become chameleons, an iridescent rainbow of styles that can shift to bring out the best in everyone. Understanding the subtle movements words can trigger is not just about writing great copy. A tense conversation can turn to empowering dialogue – its all in the small print.
Shirley Xerxen Pulis heads one of the largest departments at SiGMA, a multicultural news team of journalists and reporters spread lavishly across some of the key markets SiGMA operates in. To lead with empathy and sensitivity is not just advisable but a necessity. Her mantra? Seek CAREfrontation not confrontation – a term brilliantly coined by workshop leader Nathan Farrugia and his team. She speaks of the importance of letting go of adrenaline-fuelled fight or flight thinking and finding that state of flow.
Be mindful when giving feedback, tread carefully through cultural nuance, and cultivate an awareness of individuality, she concludes.
COO Heathcliff Farrugia takes a more analytical approach. Understanding how our mind functions, how decisions are taken, helps us better understand how our teams function. The right approach, be it emotional support or data-driven guidance can unlock a higher performance, and maximise engagement and performance – tapping into a powerful mental state
A strong advocate for stretching your skillset and dangling your feet outside the comfort zone now and again, the conversation dips into Mihaly Csikszentmihalyis Flow State theory. It is here in the prefrontal cortex, where self-monitoring and self-doubt quiets down, allowing creativity and decision making the space to flourish. Individuals operate at their optimum level when they are in this state. A state of deep immersion, focus, and good flow is achieved through clear goals and instant feedback.
COO for SiGMA 바카라, Justin Karl Tonna is also of the opinion that helping our team members take on tasks that push them and grow their abilities – and which they also enjoy doing – can see them shine.
How to find the perfect balance between challenge and skill? There lies the rub. For Justin, beliefs drive behaviour – lifting people up – but also holding them back. Showing rather than telling can snip the strings of self doubt to help them move forward in their work and career. The reward is in watching them overcome obstacles and grow in their role, he affirms.
Empowering not enabling
How different generations view success, feedback, and even leadership itself is complex. For Millennials, the day we thought would never come is already here – were stepping into the kind of leadership roles that used to come with questionable ties and beige stockings. The workforce we expected to meet never arrived though. Despite being ungenerously defined as a coddled, snowflake generation, Gen Zs are throwing out the rulebook and redefining workplace norms – leaving leaders scrambling to become fluent in this new and unfamiliar language.
Emily Micallef, SiGMAs CEO, makes no bones about which side of the fence she stands. She is unequivocal in her advice to her team – empower, not enable. She is enthusiastic about her desire to generate a squad of adventurous go-getters that revel in breaking the mold and asking the right questions.
A little risk is also a good thing. She passionately believes the less travelled roads can drive healthy competition and rip out apathy by its roots. We dont give out medals just for showing up, she pithily observes.
But the word she mentions most of all, is: proud. Because SiGMA is proud of its people. They are our lifeblood, the wheels that drive us forward, she says. SiGMA has a long history of empowering its staff, and their stories speak volumes: from the cleaner who rose to head one of SiGMAs biggest departments to the intern who after sitting at many desks, eventually chose that of COO. She is emphatic – no matter who you are, or what your background, theres always a place for talented, hard-working people.
SiGMAs international work force has also cultivated a tight knit, family feeling in the office. Building a support system, finding friendship in the office have all been instrumental in weaving the teams multicultural strands together. We recognise the great responsibility, she says, that comes with being an international organisation.
Too often, people are hired purely on experience, when character can play a big part in their success or failure. As head of the HR department in Limassol, Indre Miliauskaite, knows the challenges that come with leadership well. While many fear stirring the pot, Indre has learnt that taking clear, decisive steps, no matter how drastic they may seem, is the way forward. The best performer does not always mean the best fit for the company or its culture. Removing the best performer who has been a bad apple gives the opportunity for the rest of the team to step up, she explains. Experience shows that high performance companies benefit much more in the long run.
One thing is certain – choosing the right people for our teams is paramount. Understanding different tendencies can help, allowing us to look at our team dynamics from a different perspective. At the end of the day, one mans toxic environment is anothers paradise.
Like Emily, she is convinced of the benefits of imposing a little well timed pressure. She ends with one sage piece of advice: Challenge your teams, and give them opportunities – give them chances to learn individually, and as a team. Lead by example – we cannot expect something from our teams that we are not.
As the ink starts to run dry, and I look back at my discussions with some SiGMA leaders, I find myself mulling over their perspectives.
Ultimately, I think Heraclitus had it right: no man ever steps in the same river twice. And so too with leadership: offices are places of constant change and flux, industries in perpetual motion and transformation and you are not the same leader you were last year. How can we embrace this change and remain adaptable?
We must ask ourselves the gritty questions. The squeaky wheel gets the grease – are there smooth runners chugging along unheard? Have we given the flight risks enough reasons to stay? What should we start doing and what should we stop? Do our teams know what success looks like for their role – and do we align on what that looks like? Do our teams recognise their superpowers? If the ship goes down and youre not on board – do they know what to do? Is the carrot or the stick more valuable?
Ready to lead the charge? Join the SiGMA Squad
The SiGMA Group currently employs over 200 staff across 6 offices, located in: Attard, Limassol, Belgrade, Sao Paulo, Manila, and Noida. From Foundation expeditions to 8 main events annually, explore new opportunities through the SiGMA website and discover more about the organisations global impact. Curious to learn more about our journey? Visit the Who We are section on our website for the full SiGMA story. The next chapter starts with you.
