6 Ways to Become an Authentic Leader

Think back for a minute about the best leader you ever had. What was it that made them memorable? How did they differ from leaders you had before, or from those you’ve had since? If someone immediately comes to mind, chances are it’s because they were an authentic leader.

“Authenticity is the alignment of head, mouth, heart and feet – thinking, saying, feeling and doing the same thing – consistently. This builds trust, and followers love leaders they can trust.” – Dr. Lance Secretan

Too often people are thrust into a leadership role by virtue of their tenure or performance and are not given the benefit of learning how they, as a leader, can be most effective. In the absence of learning how they can apply their true selves to the role, they become the leader they’ve observed in others (effective or not) or that they think they should be.

So how do you become an authentic leader? Here are 6 tips.

Know yourself. Develop a deep understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, how you lead, and how you respond to situations and people around you. Know your communication style so you can adapt it as needed to better connect with others. Where are you most comfortable in the four dimensions of leadership – leading with vision, leading to deliver, leading with drive or leading through people?

Know your people. Take the time to learn their strengths and development areas. Listen empathically to their ideas, concerns, feedback. How do they like to be rewarded? What are their personal and career goals? Find out their communication style preferences.

Be honest. Always. Tell the truth, even when you’d rather not. Allow yourself to be vulnerable – share mistakes and what you learned from them. Give honest, productive feedback on a regular basis. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.

Develop a shared vision. Employees are more likely to help with the journey if they were involved in selecting the destination. Seek out their input.

Walk the talk. Do what you say you’re going to do. Be available and approachable and encourage open discussion to deal with differences and share ideas. Be fair. Listen.

“Check in” daily. What are the 3 - 5 words that best describe the qualities you use as a leader and as the leader you want to be? Several times a day, every day, stop and ask yourself if your behaviors, actions and decisions are congruent with those words.

The more authentic you are as a leader, the more influence and trust you will have with your people, and the greater impact you will have in your organization.

Lead on,

Rebecca

The Importance of Leaders Developing Leaders

Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, who is well-known for his hands-on approach to leadership development, once said: “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”

Yet far too often the development of leaders is “trial by fire” – painful lessons that have a ripple effect on the people and organizations they lead. With many senior leaders now getting ready to retire or move on to “sunset” careers, these gaps in effective leadership development will become even more evident.

According to a CareerBuilder survey, 31% of companies with more than 1,000 employees reported that they don’t have a succession planning program. Half of senior management and 52% of vice presidents said they do not have a successor. Clearly, there’s a need to put more focus on leadership development. And who better to do that than senior leaders themselves?

In Chief Executive Magazine’s report earlier this year on the 40 Best Companies for Leaders in 2013, the companies that ranked at the top not only had well-defined leadership development programs, their chief executives were directly involved in structuring and/or delivering the training either as mentors or teachers. Proctor & Gamble, who ranked #1, has “developed a rigorous and disciplined approach to leadership development at every level of the company.” This includes senior management spending a significant amount of their time recruiting, teaching and coaching.

At GE, who ranked #2, “developing leaders is integral to their company culture and long-term success.” In addition to a formal leadership development curriculum, on-the-job mentoring and stretch assignments, GE launched the Leader in Residence program in 2010, which involves senior leaders in the development of younger leaders.

IBM at #3 attributes its ability to last more than a century to adherence to core values, embracing change and having an institutionalized succession plan.

The top ranking companies in Chief Executives “list of 40” achieved their ranking on the basis of criteria that included having a formal leadership process in place and a high level of CEO time commitment to implementing the process.

Are you leveraging your senior leaders to develop emerging leaders and thereby position your organization for sustainability? If so, I’d love to hear your comments below about success stories and lessons learned.

Lead on,

Rebecca

Recognizing the Strengths of Extraverts

Do a search on “introverts” or “introversion” and you will find a bevy of recent articles extolling the qualities and strengths of introverts. And rightly so.  Since western society tends to place more value on extraverted qualities than on introverted qualities, it’s high time that the latter got their due.   

But let’s not forget that high-performing teams need a mix of both introverted qualities AND extraverted qualities as well as complementary skills, talents and experience. 

To that end, here are some of the strengths of people who have a higher tendency toward extraversion.

Extraverts:

Readily adapt to new situations. Individuals with more extraverted tendencies are not put off by change, in fact, they embrace it. Their natural optimism helps them focus on the “silver lining” in the new situation or environment and, in their enthusiasm, they often bring others along with them.

Are quick thinkers. Those with more extraverted tendencies are about ACTION, and they don’t need much advance thinking to spring into action when a situation calls for it. If a meeting leader doesn’t show up, those with more extraverted tendencies are going to get things rolling. If a quick decision is needed and most, but not all, of the facts are in, the Extravert will feel comfortable making it without waiting for lengthy deliberation.

Face conflict head on. Rather than shy away from conflict, individuals who are higher in extraversion will deal with it directly. Again, their focus is on action, and the sooner the conflict is dealt with and resolved, the sooner they can move on toward the goal. To Extraverts, conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. It may, in fact, ultimately provide a better result than if opposing views had been left dormant.

Are excellent networkers. Individuals who lean more toward extraversion are at ease with new people, in groups and in crowds. They are energized by social interaction and will often approach newcomers at an event or on a team to welcome them and make them feel comfortable.  This social energy draws others to them, and enables them to easily develop broad networks of contacts and friends.

Motivate. Their visible enthusiasm and positive outlook also help Extraverts persuade other people, in roles as leaders, coaches and motivators.

On any given team or in any organization there are times when quick ACTION is called for and times when stepping back and THINKING before acting is more appropriate. Having individuals on your team that demonstrate a mix of these abilities is key to achieving success.

Lead on,

Rebecca

Leveraging the Strengths of Introverts

Browse through listings on any job board site and you are bound to find a number of postings that include “outgoing” as one of the desired qualities.  Some even include it in the job title, as in the following listing from a major staffing firm: JOB TITLE: Outgoing Accounting Clerk For A Growing Retailer.

Other examples include such phrases as: “outgoing and customer-focused,” “outgoing and career-oriented,” “outgoing and energetic,” “outgoing, passionate and quick-thinking,” It’s no wonder that those who wouldn’t describe themselves as “outgoing,” might feel a bit put off.

In a culture where speaking up, thinking on your feet and projecting social energy are highly valued, those who prefer a more introspective way of approaching the world, introverts, often feel less valued. And yet, as Susan Cain points out in her book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, without introverts we would not have the theory of gravity, the theory of relativity, Peter Pan, The Cat in the Hat, Charlie Brown, Google, Harry Potter and a variety of other innovations we’ve come to know and love.

The concept of introversion vs. extraversion is credited to Carl Jung, who defined introversion as characterized by an inward orientation and extraversion as characterized by an external orientation. Unfortunately, this has been translated over the years into common stereotypes that label introverts as quiet, shy and anti-social and extraverts as loud, outgoing and gregarious. The distinction, however, is really more about where an individual derives his or her energy. Introverts re-energize through self-reflection and solitude. They are not necessarily shy or anti-social, they just tend to feel drained by too much social interaction. Extraverts, on the other hand, re-energize through social interactions, and tend to feel less energetic with too much quiet time.

Introversion and extraversion are not either/or qualities. We all have elements of both and given the situation we may prefer to lean more strongly on one than on the other.  Let’s make no mistake about it, introversion qualities bring a great deal of value to a given situation, a relationship, a team and an organization.  Let’s look at 5 qualities that are key strengths of introversion.

Introverts:

Listen first, talk second. Whereas when people with strong extraverted qualities talk with others who have strong extroverted qualities, the discussions are often a rapid volley of ideas and statements with little time for processing, introverts tend to listen first, process, then talk. They help prevent those “gems of ideas” from getting lost in the fray.

Build deep, lasting relationships. While we tend to think of extraversion as a key requirement for salespeople, studies prove otherwise. People with strong introverted qualities have powers of observation and innate listening skills that help them devise well-formulated customer solutions, which lead to long-term relationships. These strengths also contribute to their success on teams and as leaders.

Are effective leaders of extraverts. A recent study by Harvard Business School found that on teams displaying mainly extraverted qualities, an extraverted leader can be a liability if everyone is contributing ideas and the leader is too busy participating to listen, act upon them, or facilitate the group to make room for everyone to contribute ideas. An introverted leader, however, is more likely to lead the team in a manner where everyone has an opportunity to think first, offer their input and then process the ideas. This can lead to higher quality contribution where people feel heard and valued for their ideas.  The end result of this can lead to cutting edge innovation.

Influence, quietly.  “When individuals with strong introverted tendencies need to be influencers, they focus on careful thought and depth. There isn’t much fanfare or much noise. In their quiet, humble way, introverted influencers make sure that the people they are hoping to impact have the space to get the message. Yet they are frequently overlooked and underestimated by organizations and colleagues who buy in to the idea that talking reigns supreme.”  Jennifer Kahnweiler, Ph.D., in her book, Quiet Influence, The Introvert’s Guide to Making a Difference.

Bring a different perspective.  Any team is stronger when it includes members with different talents and skill sets, varied backgrounds and diverse personalities.  Ensuring that your team comprises a variety of perspectives will improve performance and success.  Make sure that adequate space is made for all individuals to reflect on topics prior to the discussion, and once the discussion begins, make sure that everyone has the space to offer their insights and perspective.

As the old adage says, “If both of us think exactly alike, one of us is unnecessary.”

Lead on,

Rebecca