THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - D

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - D

Today is D day. I have many Ds to share and I have selected three to add to our Language of Leadership.

Join me as I play The Language of Leadership:

Diversity – it’s great to have diversity in your team. This doesn’t mean ensuring that there’s a balance of gender, generation, ability and disability – that’s a given.

How I see diversity is a diversity of motivation. If everyone you lead are motivated to help people, then you will struggle with the paramount need to meet to accomplish new projects or ensure that the diligence of the project analysis is completed.

 If you could build your own team, seek out what is important to people. Ensure you select those who see the world differently to you; ensure you can give trust to these diverse members to individually contribute their various skills, views, concerns and strengths.

 Direction – in a world where collaboration, co-operation and co-creation is expected, we’re seeing a lack of direction when people are looking around for someone to take the lead.

 Direction doesn’t need to be applied in an authoritarian style, but in a manner which people understand and can make sense of; how it connects to the purpose of their role and business.

 Discussion is more than a dialogue. In our time poor management of our day, we allow dialogue to fill it e.g. meetings. A discussion should have a desired outcome stated up front. For example, I need to understand what your expectation is of my involvement in this meeting.

I use a model to help people decide about the communication process they need to use dependent on the situation, context and audience. Too often we use the wrong process and we wonder why we don’t achieve what we’re expecting!

Did you catch my A, B & C blogs? You can locate these in the Thoughts section of my website.

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - C

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP

Which C words come to mind?

The Language of Leadership

Conversations, Climate, Conflict & Confidence

There are so many C’s in my Leadership Language: conversations, climate, conflict and confidence are at the tip of my tongue!

What are the C’s in your leadership vernacular?

I’m playing a game to facilitate ideas, thoughts and beliefs on leadership. And, I’m curious to hear what people hear themselves saying about leadership or how others describe their leadership.

I’m sure many will say communication – it’s a gorgeous broad term and I carve it into so many components.  To begin with, I believe leadership is all about Conversations.

Conversations bring people together; they formulate relationships and craft futures. Conversations come in various forms; they can be brief (feedback) and endure for hours (meetings, mentoring, coaching).

The more time you spend having conversations with people, the more opportunity you have to gain respect which then creates trust. For some, conversations come naturally whilst others it’s a challenge. My tip do your research on people and be curious to explore what you’ve discovered – ask great questions as the conversation is all about getting to understand the people.

Climate is the vibe I feel when I walk into a workplace. It’s the gut feeling I have when I have conversations with people. It tells me more than the culture as it’s the unspoken words – it’s the litmus test for the words on the wall in the reception area. A mission and vision statement might try and sell me what an organisation does whereas the climate will tell me if the people feel happy and respected where they work. Take the temperature of your office today!

Conflict tells us what is important to people. Leaders need the capability to know when to intervene and help people move out of conflict or better still, know people so well that they know what drives them to conflict – the triggers, the situations and the behaviours.

We all experience threats to our self-worth, it’s characteristic of the cause of conflict. And this threat can be real or perceived. Managing conflict is a critical capability (double C!) to lead teams to success.

Confidence is what I hope all people can grow in their lives. Leaders need confidence to successfully do their role and leaders need to foster confidence in their people. Confidence is like climate – you can’t quite put your finger on it. I am reminded by family friends of how shy I was when I was younger, and it took effort and energy to focus on manipulating this confidence. I still work on it and sometimes I am too confident – so it’s always an area I am shaping and developing.

What C’s have I missed? What C’s are important in your life; in your role of leadership?

Have you read my two recent posts - catch up on the A’'s & B’'s of Leadership? You’ll find these under the THOUGHTS section of my website.

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - B

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP

THE LETTER B

When you talk about leadership, what are your go to words?

What is your ‘language of leadership’?

In a series of blogs this month, I am exploring how I see leadership and invite you to consider your choice of words and terms which describe your style of leadership.

Using the order of the English alphabet, I will share my selection of words daily and my reasoning for these choices.

Today the letter is B!

B is for behaviour, brand and best. There is no right or wrong in the selection of the words; the goal is to broaden your thinking about your practice of leadership.

Join me in my game, ‘the language of leadership’ and offer your ‘B’ word.

My three B words are:

Behaviour – it’s what we do and say that encapsulates your drive, beliefs, intent and purpose. People look to you and seek consistency in your leadership – how you communicate with people, how you self-motivate and regulate and how you deal with conflict and crisis. For me, the focus on behaviour is critical to moving from a good leader to being a great leader.

Focusing on your behaviour starts with analysing how you see yourself – how you think and feel your behave in a variety of situations. Secondly, it’s about auditing your analysis, by being more self-aware – is what you think, a reality? And, how satisfied are you – what changes would you like to see in the outcome of the way you behave? Maybe you need to dial it up more or dial it down.

Finally, ask for feedback about your behaviour. Ask specific questions about what you want to address and ask more broadly to capture what’s not obvious to you. For example, is there something I do which annoys the team, that possibly contradicts what I ask and expect of you/them?

You need to build your brand.

Brand – when colleagues, the chiefs and your crew describe you, what do they say? When you’ve left the office, how do they describe your membership of the business and team. Curating your leadership brand is a strategy you can implement and possibly control if your reputation is important to you and your company.

To get you started, consider key descriptions of your style of leadership. Record these and be alert to when they show up. And, what are the situations which you live out these descriptions? If you are confident, then openly express that this is your brand. Talk yourself up and ensure you deliver.

Best – I’m a woman from the ‘80’s and we were always looking out for the best practice in service, design and delivery. My focus hasn’t changed – I am always wanting to improve my game and to update my knowledge of my leadership profession.

We also talk about ‘bringing your best self’ which is simply a pause and reflect action to clear your head and consider the voice in your head (who’s driving your bus today) and how you’re planning on behaving in your various roles. You do have a choice.

I’ve only heard myself say, they bring the worst out in me, a few times in my life and I know I’ve lost control and almost given up! What I prefer to hear is, ‘they bring the best out in me’. Find the people who help you be your best – they are the companions you want for life.

What’s your B word contribution? I’d love to hear your point of view.

And of course, tomorrow is the letter C. Join me and play the game ‘’The Language of Leadership’’.