Leading from the Inside Out

We’ve all seen it, and perhaps you’ve even experienced it. People being moved into leadership roles on the basis of their seniority or performance, and then being given very little development or support to make the transition successfully. In the absence of guidance on how they can be most effective and authentic, these new leaders typically default to role playing a leader they’ve had in the past, or creating the “leader” they think they should be. This doesn’t always bode well for the new leader or for their team. So when in doubt follow your internal compass and lead from the inside out.

It will come as no surprise that I’m a great advocate of leadership development, and continuous learning even for experienced leaders.  Loyalty to the company and outstanding performance are admirable, but do not adequately prepare you for the demands of leadership – setting and communicating a vision, inspiring and energizing others, providing direction, building trust, coaching and developing others, developing win-win partnerships, and so much more.  As these skills are developed over time (and hopefully with some formal training) there are some basics that I think every new leader should start with, and every experienced leader should periodically review. These are tips for becoming an authentic leader which means truly being able to integrate your head and your heart and lead from within.

Know yourself. Develop a deep understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, how you lead, how you behave under stress, 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? Recognize that, and learn how to dial up your behaviors in the other domains as needed for the situation.

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

Develop and communicate a shared vision. Employees are more likely to help with the journey if they were involved in selecting the destination. Seek out their input. Clarify direction and communicate progress, regularly.

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.

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.

Do a Self “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 align with those qualities.

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.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” —John Quincy Adams

If you’d like to learn more about Lumina Leader, please contact me at info-us@luminalearning.com or 888.827.8855.

Leading from Within,

Rebecca

Communicating with Authenticity and Integrity: What We Can Learn from Brian Williams

NBC suspended news anchor Brian Williams this week after accusations arose of him falsely reporting multiple, significant, first-hand encounters in Iraq, Israel and New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. It appears NBC hopes that implementing this six-month suspension will allow the controversy to blow over.  What remains to be seen is whether or not Williams will be able to recover his reputation as further details surface on his mistaken accounts of these major news events.

These days, network newscasters are considered celebrities and experts.  We allow them into our homes every night and assume that what they tell us is fact.  We expect them to check their sources and report with the utmost accuracy.  Trust is a difficult thing to garner and once it is lost, recovering it can be difficult.

“It is hard to imagine why Williams would falsely report events from his perch in one of broadcast journalism’s most coveted jobs in exchange for slightly louder applause,” said Washington Post opinion writer Kathleen Parker.

Brian Williams made a mistake.  He apologized and will likely have to do more of that in the future but, right now, he is holding his breath in hopes that he will be granted the opportunity to leave this debacle behind him and return to NBC Nightly News. So what do we learn from Williams and where do we go from here?

Key opinion influencers, role models and respected leaders in the media and business world must maintain a code of ethics and possess a level of integrity and authenticity of the highest level. When they stray from this practice, there are repercussions, for leadership, for the organization and even for the fans they have let down. How do they regain respect and how do their viewers, colleagues and organizations rebound?

Have you or anyone in your company communicated key information inaccurately? What was the outcome and how was the situation addressed? Many people offer leaders their trust assuming they are worthy of the honor based on their role or title. Trust and credibility should be treated like fine crystal. Once broken, it is very difficult to rebuild. 

Authenticity is necessary for a leader to be able to have influence over others. It doesn’t take long for people to catch on when leaders are not authentic or do not follow through with their promises. People have a desire for their leaders to be real and relatable.  Simply put, a leader is not leading if no one is following.   

One of the most difficult roads for organizations to maneuver is the period after an M&A.  Far too often the employees who remain feel the organization lied to them or at the very least that the company was not being honest and candid. The new organization is now tasked with rebuilding trust where it was lost while their people are wondering who will go and who will stay when the dust settles. So the seed of doubt is now rooted in a bed of distrust. Savvy leadership would focus on rebuilding the morale of the organization during this time, while establishing new corporate values and rules of engagement in an effort to make a smooth transition. It’s often not a quick and easy process but the sooner the employees have vision and experience of the new world the sooner trust can be established and the more effective the outcome.

Will Brian Williams receive a second chance? That has yet to be determined. Six months from now there will be a new controversy to occupy our blog posts and social media rants. Throughout history great leaders have made mistakes, yes leaders are human. Unfortunately in life most of us do not get a second chance in situations like this.  Leaders must be authentic or prepare themselves for what could be an indefinite suspension from influence. When you compromise integrity and trust, recovery can be a very hard, long road.

Dallas Morning News