Leadership has often been governed by the aspect of control. Good leaders elevate their personal brand through influence. Control is an illusion that elusive for people seeking dominance over a situation. Influence requires education, empathy and motivation.
My leadership brand is focused on pushing people to achieve goals they did not think were possible – both as an individual and a group. This drive emanates from my passion to break through the norms and desire to work with only the best. The way I characterize the best people and you know this as well…to work with people that are interested and interesting.
The people that are happy with average invest their passions in other aspects of their lives. I have been using the term “transactional” more than I should over the past two years, but ultimately it relates back to the concept of being happy with average and the acceptance of mediocrity. Leaders and people of influence need to exude their personal brands to squelch mediocrity and drive people to achieve extraordinary things. I’ve learned over the years that when you have really good people, you don’t have to coddle them. When you change the culture through your personal brand and leadership style – influence can surpass your own expectations. By expecting your friends, peers, direct report to do great things, you can get them to do great things – it is all in the attitude and perceptions of your brand.
Managers I have spoken with in multiple organizations over the past several years bear witness to the proliferation of mediocrity. Managers are so polite that mediocre people feel comfortable sticking around – something that I call a country club atmosphere. This is not about being abusive in your management style, but to shape your personal and leadership brand based on influence.
Answer some of these questions:
- What does your personal brand stand for as a leader?
- Do you recognize that every interaction you have either builds or erodes your personal brand?
- Are you skeptical of your own ideas?
- Do you surround yourself with skeptical people to push your own thinking?
- Can you simultaneously look at the big picture and also sweat the details?
- What behaviors do you need to add to your personal brand arsenal to become an influential leader?
Push yourself with passion and focus and watch your personal brand flourish as a leader. In most of life’s endeavors, characteristics like passion, persistence and self-discipline are much more important than “just checking the box”. Learn to loathe mediocrity by pushing yourself with a no limits mindset.
All of those questions you pose for people to ask themselves are great. The one that particularly resonates with me is "Do you recognize that every interaction you have either builds or erodes your personal brand?"
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm not always successful, remembering this point forces me to always produce the best quality of work that I can manage. Given the fact that there are so many different people that I work with all of the time, I sometimes don't have the luxury of numerous interactions to slowly build my brand with each person. Because those few interactions I have can make or break their perception of me as a value-add, bringing my A game is always so incredibly important.