THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - S

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - S

What shall we discuss today about leadership?

Which words, beginning with S will describe the actions taken in your day?

Will you speak with each team member when you arrive into the office? Will you share your project problem and work on seeking a solution together?

Or, will you share a story about a success a client has had due to the service delivered by your staff?

And will you identify the specific behaviours demonstrated by the team to help them appreciate and value the structure and standards they identified and agreed upon.

Will you seek feedback about the strengths you’re purposely borrowing and practising in your aim to be a more effective leader when you’re under pressure and feeling stressed?

And how will you approach your strategy planning day? Which stakeholders will you engage to help share the agenda.

OK, I’ll stop now! What does your day look like?

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - R

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - R

Image: B2b Interactive Marketing

I have an affinity with leadership words beginning with R.

My mouth and fingers flow with R words, and the most frequently used are:

Respect,

Relationships, and

Response.

An equation I use in my leadership workshops include two of these three words:

Respect + Trust = Relationship

Respect in leadership is an agreement established about how people engage. This is based on spoken and unspoken rules. The more we adhere to these agreed rules the greater the opportunity a relationship will be established. Trust occurs with consistency of adherence to the rules

For example, you may be asked “I’d appreciate you respect my privacy” or when someone is using headphones at their desk, we know that they are working and don’t want to be interrupted.

Respect shows up in leading inclusive workplaces and it’s an ingredient of creating relationships. It’s not possible to have a relationship with someone, if you don’t respect each other.

Relationships are natural, we’re social beings which means, people need people. Yet, people are different and complex. So, it takes some effort to establish and maintain a relationship.

Response is always about a choice We always have a choice in how we respond to what is thrown in our direction. We can be a glass half empty or a glass half full type of person and of course you know the difference in these responses.

We can have a thought, an emotional reaction, a neural reaction and then we have a minuscule amount of time to choose how we respond. Your leadership can have a magnificent impact if you use this time wisely.

Leaders who respect others and respond thoughtfully will build effective relationships.

So, you can see that I am passionate about my R words. I’d love to hear yours.

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - Q

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP - Q

The leaders which impress me the most, talk the least. They listen to the responses from people, to the questions they’ve asked.

Yep, effective leaders ask smart questions.

I’ve accumulated peoples’ questions over the years; I’m fascinated by questions which people ask. When I’m coaching, I enjoy experimenting with questions to help people uncover information and challenge their views.

Quest! What a great word. I think of pioneers in industry, and start-ups today who adventure into the unknown, taking great risks in the quest to discover and explore possibilities. Leading people around corners, into the unknown is a quest. Taking risks is low on many peoples’ strength portraits, so selling people on the quest, the ability to nudge people to explore with you, to navigate uncertainties and the complexities of projects and people takes leadership to the next level.

And then there is quiet. Too often we fill the silence or the void with unnecessary words. For many being quiet is uncomfortable. Being quiet allow us to think, it gives us time to empty our thoughts and it allows us to have time out. Being quiet encourages self-reflection, a practise of personal leadership to examine the effectiveness of our action, words and emotional intelligence.

Susan Cain’s book, Quiet, made a huge impact when it entered the market. For us extroverts, it encouraged us see life through an introvert’s lens. In the modern workplace, where open plan is the norm, we have forgotten the importance of quiet spaces and the need to cater for different personalities.

What are your Q words in your leadership vernacular?