We all have a built-in “compass” that offers values for decision-making. Just as a mechanical compass shows Magnetic North, an internal compass shows Magnetic North values. These values should be considered whenever security executives have crucial choices to make.
Effective leaders rely upon this internal compass to guide their choices in everyday life, which increases trust among their followers. These leaders have an awareness of a personal Magnetic North to keep them on the right path.
There are five crucial leadership choices in alignment with Magnetic North.
The mood you choose to display when you arrive each morning to meet and greet your security staff and followers is the first observable behavior noticed. Leaders often underestimate the significance of these moments, but staff tend to take a “reading” from the leader’s mood and internalize it. It’s quite natural for people to make assumptions about a department’s health and future based on the climate created by the mood of the leader. On any given day, the prospect of smooth sailing or impending doom is implied by the facial expressions of a leader. The mood of the leader becomes the mood of the group and ripples throughout an organization like electricity; the mood of the group never exceeds the mood of the leader.
For this reason, a leader must be a good actor, at least to the point of projecting hope and optimism. It doesn’t mean you can’t have a bad day, but if you expect your colleagues to work with hope and optimism like the future is bright, you must display that emotion when you walk through the door.