Leadership and the... Gaussian Curve

There are many challenges a leader faces, not to mention the responsibilities he or she must shoulder... but there is no greater challenge than the "Gaussian Curve."
In reality, it is the greatest challenge for anyone, but for a leader it is even more so as he also has to deal with the Gaussian curve of his collaborators/followers... which complicates things quite a bit: but he cannot avoid it.

Beyond the results...

I've published two books and written several e-books; I've written four plays, one of which was performed at the Vicenza theater; I've been involved in various professional endeavors; I've coached thousands of people and taught hundreds of training courses; and much more...

What do all these things have in common?

They are all linked to the so-called Gaussian curve, which claims millions and millions of "victims" around the world every day!

I'll explain it to you, but first allow me a brief digression.

We have two major problems: the first is that we're desperately tied to results, seeing only those and evaluating everything based on them; the second is that our average mental and emotional vision extends only a few inches into the future.

There is no further to go than that, and if we put the two things together, what comes out is the reason why so many projects fail.



Tenendo ben presente questo aspetto, entriamo nel merito.

What do my initiatives listed above have in common with the theme of this article?
In all of them, with no exceptions, I went through the stages you can see in the following image.
Horizontally you have the axis of the Time, while vertically that of the Stress.

The "obligatory" path

When you start something, you start with Enthusiasm; after which, the climb becomes steeper and, at that point, moving forward becomes a Act of Faith; as you proceed you feel the Fatigue and it is the phase in which the greatest amount of energy is consumed, especially emotional and mental (physical energy, already for a while) up to the point where the Doubt to really be able to get to the end.

Gritting your teeth you get to the top of the curve where the Crisis which we have already started to hear for a while now reaches its peak.
At that point, as with any self-respecting crisis, we have to make a choice: give up everything or pray to who knows what saint (or a more secular alternative...) to give us the strength to move forward, given that we've already invested so much in it.

If we give up, it's over; if we go on, after a while, since we wanted to proceed with all our strength, we put all our strength into play. Resoluteness, something that comes from within us more on an emotional than mental level to push us forward. At that point, having already passed the halfway point, we see the finish line a little closer and this allows a Conviction ever more solid in being able to get to the end.

We reach a certain point in the journey where Anxiety and especially Stress ease and we can look forward no longer with just Conviction, but with Anticipation: in practice, we are mentally already at the end of the journey, the energies begin to circulate more fluidly thanks to a much less aggressive stress, giving us the Momentum necessary to cross the finish line.

How to relate to the Gaussian Curve

Many initiatives are "aborted" when they reach the point of Maximum CrisisBut this is precisely where a determined leader with a clear vision makes the difference. Usually, he or she is the one who launches a project or initiative, while his or her collaborators/followers... follow along. And when they aren't paid, but depend on the project's success to see a return on their efforts, things can get ugly for the leader.

It is, however, always here that the leader makes the difference by working not
not only on the project itself, but on his own team,
keeping in mind the various phases of the Gaussian curve that
it can be said to be unavoidable, even if with some minimal distinctions
between one and another.

When you are aware of the steps that follow in advance, it is easier - or less difficult - to manage the different moments and keep your team's moods on track.

It is important to remember that leadership is not so much measured
on the basis of the results achieved, but on the basis
of the attitude, especially mental, of the leader.



When there are hitches, the collaborators/followers they look at the leader and his reaction, not the problem itself, and if they see that this reaction is disproportionate or, even worse, the leader himself turns his attention to the problem instead of reassuring his team and showing at least a semblance of control, the project dies in due time.

A Gaussian curve looks like a mountain.
In reality, pursuing a goal with the steps described above has nothing to do with climbing a mountain because the goal is not the summit, but returning. "downstream" on the other side.

However, climbing a mountain can also follow the same phases, with the difference that the summit represents the final, not the central, part of the curve.

The 9 Phases of the Gaussian Curve for Leadership

Briefly, I list the approach that the leader must have for each of the phases mentioned above, keeping one important thing in mind:

Reaching the finish line is the team's goal; the leader's goal is to ensure the team gets there.

1. Enthusiasm - It's normal that at the beginning, without a real awareness of what awaits us, enthusiasm is at its maximum... of course!
The duration of this phase is very variable as it depends on the state of mind with which the team - and the leadership - begins the journey.: there is not much to add.

2. Act of faith - Difficulties, whether foreseen or not, are starting to make themselves felt. The leader expects it, the collaborators/followers are still fresh enough to not make a drama out of it, and therefore, everything is still solvable with a little motivation. and in encouraging the team to "believe" in what they are doing.

3. Fatigue - It is the "steepest" point of the curve and, therefore, the one where the fatigue is really felt.
This too is quite predictable, but the effort required burns much more energy, especially mental, in the people involved.
However, the validity of the project is not yet questioned and, therefore, The leader can still count on his credibility and his fervor to move forward.

4. Doubt -This is where the leader's real problems begin. Much has been spent to get this far, and there's still no sign of "land" on the horizon.
Faith inexorably transforms into Doubt, in the team, and not even the leader is completely immune to it, but he cannot let it show because everything would collapse: the team must be sure that the leader knows what he is doing! Being close to the top of the curve, the transition to the next phase is very quick...

5. Maximum Crisis - It's not necessarily the most difficult phase, which paradoxically may even have already been overcome, but it is the one in which tiredness and distrust are most felt.
As with all crises, a choice must be made: in or out, continue or give up.
However, if you decide to continue, there MUST be a clear change in strategy and attitude credible enough to persuade the team to persevere.
And this is the moment when the team as a whole makes a qualitative leap, especially on a relational level.

6. Determination - Once the worst is over, the descent begins... at least on a psychological level, which is what interests us, since the difficulties tend to increase, on the contrary, but it's the spirit that is different.
With the Resoluteness it is recoveredEnthusiasm, which however is not the same as the one in the initial phase: Now there is an awareness that wasn't there before and it is this that gives strength to the resolutions.
This is the phase in which the leader must give his best in order to make the descent, and therefore the approach to the objective, effective and disruptive.

7. Conviction - When there is Resolve, commitment increases and this always produces some results.
In turn, however small these results may be, the result is increased and strengthened accordingly. Conviction to be able to get to the end.
This step is fundamental because it contrasts with the Fatigue, which is located specularly on the other side: where previously there was the maximum physical and mental effort in "climbing", with the Conviction you travel with the wind in your sails, in "descent".

8. Preview - It's no longer a question of "if", but of "When".
All doubts have been completely dispelled, the emotional level is extremely high and it is therefore the state in which we mentally "anticipate" the goal, we savor the success, we imagine how different and more fulfilling our life/work will be.
In fact, the leader can now step back and let the team do the rest.: a way to help people grow and take on their individual responsibilities.

9. Momentum - We're talking about total automatism.
Subject to some recommendations, the team is able to manage the situation independently.

Conclusion

The objectives themselves are important for the sole purpose of consolidating some position (which varies depending on the areas in which they are pursued), but in themselves they have a value only in relation to the growth which allow us to do by working on them.

The person who reaches Stage 9 is no longer the
same person as Phase 1.

This is the meaning of goals.