Evolve as a Leader

Posted on by Byron Darden

“Leadership is autobiographical. If I don’t know your life story, I don’t know a thing about you as a leader.” -Noel Tichy

Your Autobiography is your only way to author your own leadership. When you fail to take the initiative to write it, your audience will write it themselves. Most likely, vital facts will be left out, and you will be framed based on someone else’s view of you…unabridged.

This is a lesson learned I share with principals in public school systems across the United States. I implore them to write their own story and share it generously with others as often as necessary to keep the story straight. As simple a question as, Why do you do what you do? It can spark the engine that drives the message of who you are to explain what you do and why it is significant to you. These are the stories that inspire our teams to follow our leadership vision. These images paint a clear picture of what others can expect from you. These are the expectations you’ve set for yourself that give rise to how others will take them up as their own.

TELL ME YOUR STORY

Lead with Integrity

Posted on by Byron Darden

The most significant factor that improves employee engagement is trust in leaders. 77% of employees rank this ahead of relationships, culture, belief in the organization, and opportunities for career growth.

What I notice getting in the way of some leaders gaining that trust is their discomfort with sharing themselves personally. Fear of exposure, judgment, and having what they share used against them somehow brings down a wall for these individuals. Just about anywhere in the world where I find myself coaching leaders, I encounter those who resist getting personal with whom they lead. Yes, there is a perceived danger. Vulnerability equals weakness is the sentiment with which I’m most familiar.

“Vulnerability is our most accurate way to measure courage,” according to Brene’ Brown. She shares, “we can measure how brave you are by how vulnerable you’re willing to be.” This leads me to ask, how likely are you to follow a leader who demonstrates little bravery and is unwilling to take risks? How successful can you imagine one can be without much at stake? How likely are you to trust a leader you do not know?

Creating trust with your team takes time. Even when you have achieved a reputation, trust is built between each individual or organization.

Here are ways to build trust with your employees:

  1. Remember that all team members are a cohesive unit.
  2. Create work environments that are welcoming, friendly and inclusive.
  3. Encourage and support each other.
  4. Lead with the interests of the team equal to the topic at hand.
  5. Be accountable for your conduct and performance.
  6. Act as a mentor and a leader.
  7. Continue to be a life learner.
  8. Celebrate successes.
  9. Be consistent.
  10. Create a work experience that brings out the best in yourself and your teams.
BUILD TRUST

Deepen Your Understanding

Posted on by Byron Darden

“Integrity is choosing your thoughts and actions based on values rather than personal gains.”                                                                         – Chris Karcher

A values-based leader guides with intention, embodying what they believe in their work and relationships. They are invested in their mission and this is reflected in their values.  They lead by example with integrity, and authenticity.

Becoming a value-based leader sets you apart from the rest. These traits can be learned and cultivated, starting first with examining your own story and then living that story as your truth.

I believe in the power of equity in the workplace from leadership to the front line.  Our mission is to develop those in professionally and socially marginalized communities to gain the skills and competitive edge to climb the leadership ladder in business, community and family in this new world paradigm that values their work, diverse nature, and multiple perspectives, on all levels and all around the globe.

Book a call with me, and we will explore ways to unearth the values that make you unique as a leader. You can use these values to inspire your team to excellence. While waiting for your appointment, check out the growing library of leadership articles at www.byrondarden.com/blog, where we challenge leadership norms.

BOOK A CALL

The Executive VOICE

Posted on by Byron Darden

A great leader of a company or movement has the ability to galvanize their followers, bring meaning and vision to their mission, and unite their team into a cohesive unit. Their words and actions are credible, provide clarity, inspire, and influence. They set the wheels in motion and create a level of trust that encourages employees to feel as though they are part of something special.

More than just a presence, The Executive VOICE is a crucial component of a trusted leader. It encompasses what they say, how they say it, and their supporting actions.

FIND YOUR VOICE

Defining Your Voice

Posted on by Byron Darden

The Executive VOICE is a framework that contains essential elements of a personal brand in content, body, and utterance. In addition, there are brand elements that encompass what it means to be a success. These have been developed over years of trial and error, formal and informal education, experts in numerous fields, and a lifetime of experience breathing years into my life.

VOICE stands for:

  • Values, which speak to a leader’s sound character
  • Openness, or the ability to embrace possibility
  • Intentionality, which means being deliberate in words, thoughts, and actions
  • Consistency, demonstrated by knowing what to expect and reliance on follow-through
  • Energy involves the ability to move work forward and get things done
USE YOUR VOICE

Share Your Voice with the World

Posted on by Byron Darden

Let’s dive into each component of VOICE and what makes it so critical to an executive’s success.

What I’ve discovered about effective leadership is this.

  • Values: Character is considered an essential trait of a leader. When we know and understand one’s character, we have a greater sense of what they stand for, what moves them, and why they do what they do. It is intoxicating to be in the presence of a leader who is clear about who they are and what is necessary to accomplish goals and then gets it done! Demonstrating character makes it easier to gain the trust and respect of those they lead.
  • Openness: Leaders embrace possibility. Debbie Downer and the Devil’s Advocate are not welcome characteristics of someone who can inspire hope and assurance of getting through challenging issues that arise routinely. A leader breathes life into ideas, resulting in them taking action to move an initiative forward.
  • Intentionality: Being deliberate regarding your actions, words, and thoughts, informing those actions and words, so they have an intended impact. This level of consciousness in leadership allows you to hit the mark time after time.
  • Consistency is the name of the game in business. Consistency breeds its own. A Royal Family of consistency will set the stage for long-term impact and resiliency. Think of it as a powerful legacy-building tool.
  • Energy: You are measured by what you get done well! Otherwise, you are simply performative and lacking transformative leadership ability. Having a higher consciousness and heightening the consciousness of others to recognize and act for necessary change is the platinum rule; Find out what makes people tick and lead from there!
SHARE YOUR VOICE

Interpreting Your Voice

Posted on by Byron Darden

As with any character trait, there will be those with a different perception that misinterpret intentions. It is no different with the Executive VOICE.


Let me explain:

  • A leader’s character defines who they are and what they stand for. The other side is that they can be held to these values by a strict code. This makes it difficult for them to change and adapt. They can also be judged by their values. Feeling strongly about something, they risk alienating others.
  • A leader’s openness to embrace possibility may lead others to accuse them of being an idealist. Employees might think their ideas or deadlines are unrealistic when they are challenged.
  • Leaders may be deliberate in their thinking and actions and be accused of being inauthentic. A natural mistrust in leaders can undermine their ability to act.
  • In developing a personal brand, a leader runs the risk of dehumanizing themselves. Great leaders keep their sense of empathy while staying authentic to their values.
  • A leader’s “get-it-done” attitude can be misinterpreted as setting relentless and unrealistic team expectations.
BOOK A CALL

Clear Communication is Key

Posted on by Byron Darden

I recently worked with a manager in a large global firm in developing their equity partnership skills. Early in our coaching relationship, I noticed a lack of partnership when setting up each professional development session. I found myself routinely exchanging numerous emails to get a session scheduled. Sometimes weeks would pass before we could settle on a firm date.

I discovered that the manager seemed to drag out the time between sessions by offering little detail or simply incomplete details. This required me to send numerous emails asking clarifying questions that rarely seemed to be answered the first time. It got to the point where I felt I was more responsible for their leadership development than they were willing to commit to for themselves. It was only a feeling, mind you.

The next time I received a cryptic email lacking the necessary information to book the next session, I drew from past behaviors instead of sending a response with numerous questions. I brought them to the manager’s attention as they applied the same challenges and goals we set to grow their leadership acumen. The manager acknowledged my point and provided the most detailed and complete correspondence, bringing back-and-forth emails to an abrupt end.

Lesson Learned: When developing your leadership capability, look at how your challenges and successes align with the growing edge goals you set for yourself to develop. We lead as we are and how we behave.

LET’S TALK

Effective Leadership Styles

Posted on by Byron Darden

There are two main branches of leadership – transactional and transformational. Transactional leaders use a system of rewards and punishments to ensure they achieve a goal. As long as the followers’ basic needs are met, they are compliant.

Transformational leaders inspire growth, promote loyalty, and instill confidence in their teams. Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Martin Luther King, Jr. were well-known examples of transformational leaders. They stood out from the crowd and led companies and movements.

Those that work for transformational leaders show a 78.1% performance increase, and over half say their skills have improved under transformational leadership. Statistics also show that the number of true transformational leaders hovers at less than 10%. No wonder we gravitate towards those who even show some of their character traits.

A transformational leader models the ideal traits of the Executive VOICE.

  • Model the Way – a transformational leader acts in the same way they want their group to act. They can explain where they want to take the organization and how the success relies on each individual. Through inspiration and enthusiasm, a transformational leader can influence motivation in others.
  • Encourage the Heart – a transformational leader encourages and supports followers by keeping lines of communication open. They are engaged with their followers creating a sense of connection. They understand how personal life interacts with professional work, and teams are encouraged to use their life experiences to enhance their work.
  • Inspire Shared Vision – while a leader may be responsible for the overall vision, their strength lies in engaging their followers by helping them experience the same motivation and passion for achieving those goals. Transformational leaders bring meaning to work, inspiring a vested interest while challenging enough to keep their interest.
  • Enable Others to Act – when focused on long-term success, a transformational leader allows flexibility in how the teams get there. They empower their followers and trust them to rise to the occasion. Not everyone approaches a task the same way. Some offer a sense of urgency and thrive in completing the task. Others take a little longer and focus on the process. The result is often the same.
  • Challenge the Process – a transformational leader will not only think outside the box, they may also ignore the box altogether, pushing out the walls to make the box bigger and roomier. They challenge business as usual and encourage creativity. Other character traits include comfort with ambiguity and complexity.
CHALLENGE YOUR THINKING