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It’s no longer a question of simply getting your team to do what you need them to do. To be the leader that your team needs you to be, ask yourself daily: “Who ‘must’ I be as their leader?”
Whether your team consists of one or one thousand individuals, or if you’re looking at yourself as the leader in your own life, the question remains the same.
Your strength, vitality and effectiveness as a leader comes from ‘who’ you are, which is then reflected in ‘what’ you do. The ‘what’ you do is then reflected in the results you and your team create.
To put it another way, your inner core beliefs, thoughts, and emotions are reflected through your outer core actions which directly produces the results you attain.
If your team isn’t performing, look in the mirror and ask yourself tough questions.
Don’t fool yourself. Your people see right through you; they see your inner core even if you don’t.
Example. Client Mathew noticed that one half of his staff called in sick on his first day back to work after each vacation. This puzzled him, yet he was too busy to analyze this odd behavior.
Then, he was stunned with the 360 Feedback Survey results that painted a clear picture of his miserable ‘first day after vacation’ behavior.
He slammed drawers, was impatient, dissatisfied, even raised his voice in disappointment at what his team hadn’t accomplished during his absence.
Mathew’s inner core displeasure with having to return to work was on full display. He was in no way the leader that his team needed him to be, that he ‘must’ be to attain his desired results.
Your inner essence is reflected outwardly each moment of the day. To learn more about who you are at your inner core, ask yourself some hard-hitting questions.
• What is my essence as a leader?
• What are my core values as a leader, as a human?
• Am I the role model of the passion, commitment, and behavior I demand?
• How committed am I? What am I willing to do for this commitment?
• Has my level of commitment skyrocketed or waned over the years?
• Why would someone want to follow me? Would I want to follow me?
• What’s truly important to me? What is truly important to my team?
• What strengths do I underutilize?
• Do I underutilize my people’s strengths through focusing on their weaknesses?
• Do I take measures to disrupt myself? My team?
• What thoughts and emotions come into play as I move through the day? Excitement, curiosity, gratitude, dread, fear or anger?
• What do I want my legacy to be?
Only 20 percent of American leaders work with leadership or executive coaches. If you work with one, these questions will not be a surprise to you.
If not, be your own strong advocate. Take time to answer these questions and to see how the results you are or are not attaining reflect directly back to your assumptions, beliefs, thoughts and emotions, your inner core.
Be the leader you must be for yourself first, and then for your team. Reap the benefits.
Master Executive & Leadership Coach Ann Golden Eglé, MCC, has steered highly-successful individuals to greater results since 1998. President of Golden Visions & Associates, LLC, Ann can be reached at 541-385-8887 or subscribe to her newsletter at www.GVAsuccess.com
