THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - K

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - K

We’re progressing through the leadership alphabet – selecting words from our vocabulary which we use to express our leadership.

K is today’s focus. And I’ll be brief.

In the context of leadership, I share my knowledge when I mentor, train, facilitate, coach and when I volunteer. I’ve acquired a sizable amount of knowledge from my corporate career, my volunteer career, operating my own consultancy practice and from all my studies, constant curiosity and investment in myself.

Knowledge is a gift. Share it widely.

What’s your K word? It’s a tough letter!

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - J

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - J

The many journals which I’ve used to record my thoughts, ideas, reflections etc …

We’ve arrived at one of the tough letters. The letter J.

We’re playing The Language of Leadership and I’m asking you to share your words which you use to express leadership. Each day we travel the alphabet and it’s J, today.

I was initially stumped with the letter ‘J’ and then it hit me as I was putting the final touches to the running sheet of a team leadership workshop. I ask leaders to journal their thoughts about being a leader.

Journaling is a reflective practice which helps leaders empty their mind of their thoughts of what they’ve achieved during the day and how they feel about a situation which occurred and how they reacted and responded.

Journaling sets us up for a positive day as it fine tunes our mindset. It’s an exercise to ground us, to be mindful and get us into the present. Too often, our C suite swinging leaders are doing what they do well, steering the organisation into the future, however they leave their selves and people in the past.

I regularly recommend journaling, however, I don’t always practise what I preach! And then when I do, it’s amazing to have the clarity needed to make decisions and to focus solidly on an important piece of project work. It’s also great to build by resilience. It helps put my day’s activities, thoughts and feelings into perspective.

A little J offering is judging. Most of us judge a person or situation way too quickly. We don’t mine enough data to make a sound judgement. Today, pause before you talk, respond or make a decision.  

This morning I was up way too early, getting in my mornings work before the house erupted. My daughter Jenn needed a parent to take her to a divisional level of athletics. Given I work for myself, I have mastered Juggling my day, every day. I often struggle with the juggle, however I continue to practise the skill of juggling, knowing what to prioritise, identifying what’s really important and in particular what to drop e.g. say “No” too.

How many balls can you juggle?

Juggling two priorities is manageable, and adding a third becomes a skill. (Can you see the person juggling the many balls in one hand?) It takes practice to be a leader of people, a parent, a committee member, a carer etc … this is what you’re juggling. I admire those that know their values and confidently allow these values to navigate and drive these choices and make juggling look so easy!

Finally, I want to add a final J word. I don’t tend to hear myself using the word, however I believe it’s a sign of an authentic leader. I admire people who avoid using jargon.

What about you? What do you admire in leaders …. Beginning with J?!

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - I

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - I

The letter ‘I’ leads the language of leadership in my vocabulary.

I actually define leadership using three words beginning with ‘I’. I am so drawn to these fabulously powerful words which resonate so well with leadership.

However, everyday I give myself 15 seconds to complete a quick brain dump and these are the ‘I’ words:

·       Initiative

·       Innovation

·       Introvert

·       Involvement 

·       Influence

·       Impact

·       Inspire

·       Inclusion

What about you – what’s your go-to ‘I’ word which reflects your leadership. Or, what about the leadership you admire in others? And better still, if you ask others what they hear you say, what would they tell you?

Narrowing it to three words, I have selected: Influence, Inspire & Impact.

This forms an organic leadership system.

If we effectively communicate with people, we influence them, and we’re likely to inspire them to follow and do what we’re expecting – generally it’s about making or having an impact on the customer, community or environment.

I am always asking people, who do they want to influence? And, why do they want to influence them? And then we discuss communication methods which would have a greater opportunity to influence specific stakeholders. We purposely mine for data to understand the differences in these people: how one person would prefer to know in advance the information you want them to receive and respond to and those who want the information in bullet point form on a powerpoint at the meeting. This indeed is skilled influencing and people respect you when you speak in their language.

When there is respect, the door is open to inspire people.  This is heightened when leaders are consistently consistent. They keep repeating the same behaviour: acknowledging everyone by their name, listening, responding on time, helping out and backing people who take risks. Consistency breeds a safe work-space.

When everyone is on board, following the flow of the leadership, we start to see an impact. We start to see the change.

Our impact on others can be powerful. We can positively and negatively have an impact on others. It’s all about the choice of our behaviour.

So, how do you feel about the impact you have on others? Do you know the impact you are having?

What are your ‘I’ leadership words? C’mon, join us as we explore our language of leadership.