Reaching the pinnacle of excellence is not an end game. It’s a journey we begin with the hope of becoming better today than we were yesterday. It’s how we build our relationships with one another. It’s how we improve our approach, processes, and procedures. It’s also how we look at the choices we make that refreshes our memory to choose more wisely over time.

Hi, I’m Byron Darden and I welcome you to yet another edition of Leading with Purpose On Purpose. A dear friend of mine often reminds me how fortunate we all are to wake up each morning allowing us another day to get it right. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by the late Bob Saget, an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host of the Today show who said, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life. And if that doesn’t work out for you, tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life.” This quote reflects that the past is gone, unchangeable, and inaccessible, leaving this present moment the most significant moment in our lives when we get to choose how much better we will be than we were a moment ago. It is this belief that allows us the opportunity to strive for what could be even more beneficial when we choose to lift whatever it is, to higher levels of excellence.

Excellence is not a quality we settle for. It is what great leaders continue to seek in working toward the pinnacle. Whether it is the pinnacle of your own leadership or the pinnacle of developing new leaders as Jack Welch, former CEO of GE believed, is one of the most important jobs of a leader.

My Leadership challenge to you; when it comes to leading others and developing other leaders, is to focus on something you do really well and strive to do it better.

Like climbing a mountain, the path to the top is neither straight nor free of obstacles.  It takes hard work, the ability to change and adapt, and the right mindset.  There are measurable markers along the way.

According to John Maxwell, in his book by the same name, there are five basic levels of leadership:

1. Position – A person has been asked to manage a team.  This person might be considered a boss. They have the title and the subordinates. They can enforce rules and regulations. Yet, they may not have developed the leadership skills that cause them to be effective.
2. Permission – This person begins to develop trust and respect from their team.  This is the start of leadership, where you build relationships and connections and start to develop influence.
3. Production – This leader builds a cohesive team that gets things done.  They produce results for the organization while handling challenging situations.  At this point, true leaders start to emerge.
4. People Development – This leader nurtures and mentors their team members, developing them into future leaders through observation, feedback loops and coaching.
5. Pinnacle – Leaders at this level have mastered skills at the lower levels and are crucial figures in the entire organization’s success and even the industry.  They create opportunities for others and leave a legacy.  “Pinnacle leaders stand out from everyone else. They are a cut above, and they seem to bring success with them wherever they go.”

The pinnacle of leadership presence is the most successful point. Who you are and what it represents commands the respect of others.  You have the opportunity for fulfillment as you successfully establish a vision, live as an example that inspires others, and serve to achieve goals.

Reaching the pinnacle level requires much more than an MBA and hard skills; it involves taking risks and setting yourself apart through any number of ways.

Progressing from “position to pinnacle” is no easy task.  Even born leaders need to become fully aware of their mindset and actions.  Looking honestly at where you are and where you wish to be often uncovers traits to improve.  Instead of looking at an activity beyond your job description, consider how performing the task could benefit your perception.  Turn a mundane task into an opportunity to showcase your talents.

• Think about how you respond and are perceived by your leaders.  When you are asked to make a presentation, use the opportunity to practice your platform skills instead of reading and flipping through a mundane PowerPoint presentation.
• When your team is assigned a project, structure the tasks in an inspiring way rather than just telling your team what to do.
• Act as a coach instead of just the boss.
• Be your authentic self with your team; demonstrate your vulnerable side through stories with a teachable point of view.

Reaching the leadership pinnacle is not just about your actions, it is also about your mindset. How you see situations based on your core values, consciously or subconsciously, affects the outcome. Many leaders use what Roger Schwartz calls a “unilateral control” mindset, trying to achieve goals by trying to control the situation. 

When you use this type of thinking, you assume you are correct, and those who disagree with you are incorrect.  When they disagree with your approach or decisions, they may not understand the variables. Problems are inevitable because of the actions of others. Not yours! 

There are perceived benefits in unilateral thinking, including the fact that you often win while acting rationally and keeping unpleasant feelings out of the conversation.  These may come at a risk to the process.  You risk alienating team members and creating an environment where there is less enthusiasm for the project.  You may not hear valuable feedback your team has to offer.

A better approach is called Mutual Learning, whereby you are curious, transparent, accountable, make informed choices, and use compassion.  Leaders work with their teams to achieve results by listening to and incorporating feedback.

Leadership Presence is the factor that sets a great leader apart from their peers.  According to a study by the think-tank Coqual, executive presence accounts for 26% of what it takes to get promoted into leadership positions.  Furthermore, 67% of senior executives feel that executive presence is a top factor when evaluating high-potential employees for advancement.

Two candidates working at the same company with MBAs from top schools, equal years of experience, and an impressive track record of results.  The difference comes down to leadership presence. 

• Which candidate takes command of the room or a meeting just by showing up?
• Which candidate listens, learns, and then makes informed, thoughtful, confident choices?
• Which candidate has earned the respect of their colleagues and the public?
• Which candidate strives to better themselves?

Everything else being equal, the platform skills make a difference.

When choosing someone for a leadership position, the words confident, decisive, and commanding come to mind.  When you want to exude these qualities, here’s one bit of insight:

Consider the avoidance of following up a statement with the word “but…” It negates whatever was said prior and tends to create a sensation of withdrawal and a sense of dread. No matter what the grammar rules may lead us to believe that the word is absolutely appropriate in some settings, the impact of the word can feel like a punch in the gut for the listener.