Tag Lead

How to Truly Earn a Leadership Position

Steve Keating Leave a comment

Have you ever wondered how some people “found” their way into a leadership position? Some people “earn” the position simply by being around for a long time. Some are pals with someone higher up in the company. Some are suck ups who will say or do anything to gain a little power. 

But some truly earn the right to lead. Truly earning a leadership position requires a combination of skills, qualities, and actions that demonstrate your ability to effectively lead and inspire others. If your goal is to lead others in such a way as to make a positive difference in their lives then here are a few development areas to consider. 

  • Self-Development:
    • Continuous Learning: Invest in your personal and professional development. Seek new skills, knowledge, and certifications relevant to your field. This shows your commitment to growth and improvement.
    • Self-Awareness: Understand your strengths, weaknesses, values, and leadership style. Being self-aware allows you to leverage your strengths and work on areas that need improvement.
  • Demonstrate Leadership Qualities:
    • Communication: Develop strong communication skills, both verbal and written. A good leader can convey ideas clearly, listen actively, and foster open dialogue.
    • Decision-Making: Show your ability to make informed and timely decisions. Be sure to consider both short-term and long-term impacts.
    • Problem-Solving: Demonstrate your aptitude for analyzing complex situations, identifying root causes, and proposing effective solutions.
    • Emotional Intelligence: Display empathy, understanding, and the ability to manage emotions. Both your own and those of others.
    • Resilience: Leaders often face challenges and setbacks. Demonstrating resilience and a positive attitude in the face of adversity is crucial.
  • Show Initiative and Responsibility:
    • Proactive Attitude: Take the initiative to go above and beyond your current role. Identify opportunities for improvement and take action.
    • Accountability: Hold yourself accountable for your actions and decisions. Admit mistakes and learn from them rather than placing blame on others.
  • Build Relationships:
    • Networking: Cultivate a strong professional network both within and outside your organization. Networking can expose you to new opportunities and provide valuable insights.
    • Mentorship and Collaboration: Seek guidance from experienced leaders and collaborate effectively with colleagues. Being a team player and supporting others can make you a respected figure within your organization.
  • Lead by Example:
    • Work Ethic: Exhibit a strong work ethic and dedication to your role. Be punctual, reliable, and willing to put in extra effort when needed.
    • Integrity: Uphold high ethical standards in your interactions and decisions. Consistently act with honesty and transparency.
  • Take on Leadership Roles:
    • Volunteer for Projects: Seek out opportunities to lead projects or teams. Even if they are outside your immediate responsibilities. This demonstrates your willingness to take on additional responsibilities.
    • Demonstrate Results: Deliver measurable results in your current role and any leadership roles you take on. Tangible achievements showcase your ability to drive success.
  • Seek Feedback and Improve:
    • Feedback: Actively solicit feedback from colleagues, supervisors, and mentors. Use this feedback to identify areas for improvement and adjust your approach.
    • Adaptability: Be open to change and willing to adapt your leadership style based on feedback and evolving circumstances.
  • Express Interest and Ambition:
    • Express Your Intentions: Let your supervisors or higher-ups know about your interest in taking on leadership roles. This demonstrates your ambition and commitment to the organization’s success.
  • Continuous Improvement:
    • Reflect and Learn: Regularly reflect on your leadership journey, identifying areas where you’ve grown and areas that still need development. Be committed to continuous improvement.

Truly earning a leadership position is a gradual process. It requires consistent effort, dedication, and a willingness to learn from your experiences. It’s about demonstrating your ability to lead effectively, inspire others, and contribute positively to your organization’s goals. It’s a process that never ends because even after you’ve been promoted to a leadership position you must continually earn the right to stay there.

Want more of LeadToday? I’ve changed things up on my Twitter feed for subscribers. I recently began publishing two or three videos each week focusing on an element of Authentic Leadership. I’ll post these videos each Tuesday and Thursday morning. Sometimes a bonus video pops up at other times during the week. They will be about 10 minutes long so we can get into the topic in a more meaningful way. The investment for subscribers in still only $4.99 a month. That’s for at least 80 MINUTES of quality video content on leadership a month.

If you’re interested in taking a look, head on over to my Twitter profile page. If you’re not a follower yet just hit the follow button. It will change to a subscribe button and once you hit that you’re on your way. You can cancel at any time you’ve decided you have nothing left to learn about leading the people who you count on for your success.

Here’s the link to my Twitter… https://twitter.com/leadtoday

How to Improve Your Executive Presence

Steve Keating Leave a comment

I have, unfortunately, actually seen people promoted into leadership positions because they “looked like a leader.” When I have asked what about those people’s look qualified them for a leadership position I was told, “that’s hard to define but look at them, they are obviously a leader.” 

So that’s obviously, at least to me, completely ridiculous. There is no leadership “look.” Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. They come in all colors and ages. They come from incredibly diverse backgrounds and levels of education. You can no more tell if someone will be a good leader by looking at them than you can judge a book by it’s cover. 

But….there are solid reasons for making at least some effort to “look the part” of a leader. There are people you notice almost immediately when you walk into a room and there are people who seem to almost disappear in a room. Those you notice right away are said to possess a certain “presence.” Or in the case of leadership, an executive presence. 

Improving your executive presence can be crucial when you need to project confidence, credibility, and leadership moxie. If you’re interested in projecting a more professional presence, be it in a leadership role or not, here are some things to keep in mind. 

  • Understand your strengths, weaknesses, values, and communication style. This self-awareness will allow you to align your behaviors and actions with your authentic self. I have always been honest with myself about my strengths and weaknesses. I’ve not always chosen to work on my weaknesses, instead I’ve tried to play to my strengths. But I’ve never tried to hide those weaknesses, especially from myself. If you’re going to lead, you had better be honest with yourself about what you can and can’t do. That’s vital because if you can’t be honest with yourself you won’t be honest with anyone. 
  • Effective communication is essential for executive presence. Improve both your verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Things like articulating ideas clearly, active listening, and maintaining eye contact matter.  I sold the Dale Carnegie Public Speaking course for years. I can tell you nothing, absolutely nothing, projects a more powerful executive presence than being an effective communicator in front of a group. And anyone can improve their public speaking skills.
  • Dress appropriately for your industry and the occasion, ensuring that your appearance reflects competence and professionalism. Dress codes have certainly changed and loosened over time but they have not completely gone away. When in doubt, “overdress” for the occasion. I’d much rather have someone sneering at me saying “who are you trying to impress” than have people looking at me wondering if I slept in my clothes. 
  • Confidence is a key element of executive presence. Build your confidence by acknowledging your accomplishments, seeking continuous learning, and challenging yourself. Practice positive self-talk and maintain a confident posture.
  • Strong interpersonal skills are crucial for building relationships and influencing others. Develop your ability to connect with people, actively listen, empathize, and adapt your communication style to different individuals and situations. But, and this is a big but, always be yourself. Adapt your communication style but don’t try to “fake” your way to executive presence. You will be found out!
  • Executives are expected to make well-informed decisions. Hone your critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills.  Use those skills to demonstrate your ability to make sound judgments and strategic decisions.
  • Build relationships with colleagues, industry peers, mentors, and leaders. A robust network provides support, guidance, and opportunities for growth, while also expanding your visibility and influence.
  • Seek feedback from trusted mentors, colleagues, or coaches who can provide constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement. Actively work on refining your skills and areas of development.

Executive presence is a journey that requires ongoing effort and self-reflection. By focusing on these areas and continuously striving for growth, you can enhance your executive presence and make a lasting impact in your professional career.

The Profound Significance of Humility

Steve Keating 2 Comments

In a world often defined by self-promotion and self-centeredness, humility remains a timeless virtue that holds immeasurable importance. True humility is a remarkable strength that allows individuals to thrive. It fosters genuine connections. It helps people contribute meaningfully to their organizations and society. 

Years ago when I was working with the Dale Carnegie Organization I had a client who wanted Humility Training for their organization. That was not part of our curriculum at the time but we constantly added new topics so I asked around if any of my colleagues had that topic in their arsenal of courses. None did. But several said they could write a workshop on the topic because they were personally very humble people. 

It occurred to me that saying you were very humble somewhat disqualified you from teaching a class on humility. I could have written a workshop on humility myself but I didn’t think it would provide the kind of value the customer was looking for or deserved. So I declined the business. I couldn’t even offer a recommendation for a training company that could do an effective job with that topic. 

But I have never forgotten the request and I’ve never forgotten the absolutely profound significance of humility in every day relationships. Humility is vital to Authentic Leadership as well. 

Humility provides a fertile ground for personal growth and development. By recognizing that we have much to learn, we open ourselves up to new ideas and perspectives. There are a host of problems when dealing with “know it alls” but one of the big ones is that they are closed off to new ideas. Because they already know it all they have no way of learning how much they don’t know. 

Humility means accepting that we are not infallible and that we can benefit from the knowledge and experiences of others. This mindset encourages continuous learning and fuels our curiosity, enabling us to evolve as individuals. Humility also allows us to reflect on our mistakes and failures with grace, enabling us to grow from them rather than being consumed by pride or defensiveness.

Humility is a powerful catalyst for building and nurturing healthy relationships. When we approach others with humility, we show them respect and appreciation for their unique qualities and contributions. By valuing their perspectives and actively listening to them, we create an environment of trust and empathy. 

Humility allows us to let go of the need to be right all the time, fostering effective communication and conflict resolution. It enables us to set aside our egos, promoting collaboration and cooperation rather than competition. Through humble interactions, we develop stronger connections and create a sense of unity in our relationships.

At its core, humility encourages empathy and compassion. By recognizing our own imperfections, we become more understanding and tolerant of others’ flaws. Humility helps us see beyond ourselves and appreciate the struggles and triumphs of those around us. It allows us to offer genuine support and encouragement, as we understand that everyone is on their own unique journey. Through humble acts of kindness and compassion, we can uplift others and make a positive impact on their lives.

When we approach our days with humility, we embrace a sense of curiosity, recognizing that we don’t have all the answers. We become more open to diverse viewpoints and experiences. Humility encourages us to use our talents responsibly, making a positive impact on the lives of others. 

Humility facilitates personal growth.  It strengthens relationships, promotes empathy and compassion, and cultivates a balanced perspective. By practicing humility, we create a ripple effect of positive change. It impacts not only our own lives but also the lives of those around us. 

I have written a thousand times that we can care for people without leading them. But we cannot lead people without caring for them. I believe caring for others is a direct descendant of humility. You don’t really need a class on humility. I’ve learned in the decades since I was first asked about a class on humility that humility isn’t a skill to be learned. It’s is a mindset to be cultivated. When you grow yourself into a more humble person you unleash the transformative power of humility for yourself and everyone around you.

Unleash your humility today. 

Developing Future Leaders

Steve Keating 4 Comments

One of the surest ways to “future proof” your organization is to make developing your future leaders a daily activity. Every day! Not when you “find” time, not when you “make” time and not tomorrow. Today and everyday.

If you’re looking at developing future leaders as an expense, even a necessary one, then frankly, you’re looking at it wrong. The development of future leaders is an investment, it’s the one investment that is sure to provide a high rate of return. For your organization, for you, and for your future leaders. 

If you’re serious about creating the next generation of leaders in your organization then here’s a path you may want to consider. 

  1. Identify potential leaders. Not all people are cut out to be leaders, so it’s important to identify those who have the potential to be successful in leadership roles. Some qualities to look for include:
  • Strong communication skills
  • The ability to motivate and inspire others
  • A clear vision for the future
  • The ability to think strategically and make decisions
  • The ability to work well under pressure
  • The ability to build relationships and collaborate with others
  1. Create a leadership development program. Once you’ve identified potential leaders, you need to create a program that will help them develop the skills and knowledge they need to be successful. This program should include a variety of elements, such as:
  • Formal training courses
  • On-the-job training
  • Mentorship programs
  • Networking opportunities
  • Coaching and feedback
  1. Provide opportunities for growth. One of the best ways to develop future leaders is to give them opportunities to grow and develop their skills. This could include:
  • Assigning them to challenging projects
  • Giving them more responsibility
  • Promoting them to new positions
  • Sending them to conferences or training programs
  1. Provide opportunities. There is little point to developing future leaders if you’re not providing them opportunities to truly try out their new skills. Let your future leaders lead today! This could involve leading projects, teams, or even departments. By giving your people the chance to lead now, you can help them develop the skills and experience they need to be successful in future leadership roles.
  1. Provide feedback. Feedback is essential for helping leaders develop and improve. Make sure to provide regular feedback to your future leaders, both positive and negative. This will help them identify their strengths and weaknesses, and make the necessary changes to improve their performance.

This path could lead to the successful development of your future leaders but there is one key element to keep in mind. Make certain your future leaders and being led and not managed. It is vital that they see leadership in action. If the person your future leader is reporting to is a poor leader or a leader due only to their position within the organization, the potential of your future leader is unlikely to be achieved. 

Leaders help create the next generation of leaders. Don’t expect today’s poor leader to develop tomorrow’s Authentic Leader. It doesn’t work that way. When you have your future leaders reporting to today’s excellent leaders you’ll have the chance for excellent leadership in your organization for years to come. 

Overcoming the Frustration Challenge

Steve Keating 1 Comment

It’s a fact that sometimes people are promoted into leadership positions when they have, shall we say, some shortcomings. At least some perceived shortcomings. 

How you react under those circumstances says a lot more about you than it says about the person in the leadership position. It is common for a person being “led” by someone they feel is unqualified to hold a leadership position to “resist” that person. 

Resisting the person means at best they become a disengaged employee. At worst they become actively disengaged. 

A disengaged employee is someone who does the bare minimum required to keep their job. They make the determination that doing more than the bare minimum isn’t going to be rewarded. So they put forth a “why bother” level of effort. 

An actively disengaged employee is actually putting forth more effort. The problem is that much of that effort is focusing on being a disruption to the the organization. And a disruption to their “leader” in particular. 

I have been very fortunate to nearly always work for leaders who actually led. Yes, some were more effective than others but I learned good stuff from all of them. They each, in their own way, made me better. 

But my first “leader” right out of college might have taught me the most. Unfortunately, I learned it years after he was no longer leading me. It didn’t take very long in my first job out of college to realize that my “leader” wasn’t the smartest guy in the room. In fact, to my absolute surprise I figured out quickly that he was illiterate. He could not read or write. 

Yet he was the boss of a team of people with Electrical Engineering degrees. I was 22 years old and I had no idea what to make of this situation. Most people I told found it hard to believe that someone at his level could be illiterate. But he was. 

I found it more than challenging to take any kind of direction from this guy. I assumed that his inability to read and write made him an idiot. Then I decided, for reasons I still don’t completely understand, to make his life a living hell. I must say I was pretty good at it. 

So good in fact that it didn’t take long to find myself sitting in a conference room with an HR Rep, my boss and his boss. They told us to “work it out” and get back to work. But the way I worked it out was to leave the company and head for greener pastures. 

Over the years I thought about that boss and what I had learned from that experience. The big thing I learned was that I was a terrible team member. I might have been the best engineer on the team but I was the worst team member. I disrupted everyone with my shenanigans which were all focused on proving how much smarter I was than the boss. 

One of the other big things I learned from that experience was that just because I failed to see the strengths of my boss it didn’t mean others couldn’t see them. He had worked his way up through the company and earned the respect of the owners. They were very loyal to him. He understood their goals and worked tirelessly to help them achieve each one. He was a good “people person,” even if I didn’t realize that until it was much too late. 

It would be years before I understood one of my roles in an organization was to make the people around me better. That included the people above me in the organization. It was never going to be my place to expose any weaknesses of the people above me. My role was to identify any gaps they may have and fill those gaps with my own experience and skills. And that was regardless of whether or not I received any credit for it. It was also my role whether or not they knew I was doing it. 

It would be several more years before I would realize that in the most successful organizations everyone has that same role. That role is to find and fill the gaps of the people around and above you. That role is also in addition to everything else in your job description, not instead of. The role is not to expose gaps for the sole purpose of complaining about them. 

If you’re currently working for a leader who frustrates you the first thing you need to realize is that being frustrated is a choice. You can choose to be frustrated or you can choose to be fascinated. I’d recommend you be fascinated and curious about how a seemingly unqualified person achieved a leadership position in the first place. By working to understand that person you may discover the strengths that earned them that position. 

It’s when you identify a person’s strengths that it becomes much more rewarding to fill their gaps. Filling the gaps of the people around you also makes you a much more valuable employee…and a great team member.

Do not allow anyone with shortcomings in your organization to frustrate you. You can’t control their actions or their weaknesses. So control what you can and that’s your attitude and the level of effort you’ll put forth to be the very best version of yourself. 

And one last thing…before you even think about criticizing someone else for their shortcomings you’d better be darn sure you don’t have any of your own.

Human Speed Bumps 

Steve Keating 2 Comments

Authentic Leadership can be complicated. It’s about people and every person you lead will have the own experiences, challenges and motivations. There is no “one size fits all” leadership approach. That’s what makes it so much harder (and rewarding) than managing. We manage things, stuff like budgets, buildings and equipment. None of those things are capable of adding emotions into the mix. Maybe one day a computer will tell you that you’ve hurt it’s feelings by yelling at it but that’s not a problem today. 

It most certainly can be a leadership issue when dealing with people. 

As complicated as Authentic Leadership can be, ineffective, unauthentic leadership is even more complicated. That’s because lesser leaders mess up leadership all the time. It’s easy to do but some lesser leaders seem to go out of their way to make it harder than it needs to be.

One of the biggest mistakes lesser leaders, poor leaders, leaders in name only, or whatever you want to call them make is they treat the people they are supposed to be leading like human speed bumps. 

They throw them under the bus at the first sign of trouble. 

These lesser leaders commonly use words like “fault” “blame” and “screw up.” They have their scapegoats all lined up before a mistake or failure happens. As they get older their index finger becomes crooked from so often pointing it at others. 

Authentic Leaders know that when a team member underperforms there are only two options. The first is that the team member is in the wrong role. The second is that they, the leader, did not give the team member the tools and training needed to be successful. Either way, it’s at least partially on the leader. 

Some of you will strongly disagree with that previous paragraph. You’ll say that you’re not responsible for growing your people. You’re not responsible for their poor attitudes. You’re not responsible for their lack of motivation. You’re not responsible that they can’t understand your directions. 

What you’re really saying when you’re saying those things is that you’re not responsible for anything. You’re saying that you are not an Authentic Leader. When you say those things often enough, people, especially the people you’re responsible for leading, will begin to believe it. 

Throwing your people under the bus is a massive failure of leadership. Not only will you have lost the commitment of the individual you’ve dumped on, the remainder of your team will just be waiting for their turn under the bus. 

You’ll have done that! You WILL be responsible for that, whether you’re willing to accept that responsibility or not. 

Authentic Leaders give most of the credit for success to the people they lead. They also accept a disproportionate amount of the responsibility for any shortcomings that may happen. They earn the commitment of their people by doing that. They minimize the chance of future shortcomings by doing that. They grow their people by modeling successful attitudes and actions. And they never, never, ever, use them as human speed bumps.

How to Lead and How Not to Lead – Part of a periodic series

Steve Keating 1 Comment

So let’s start with the how not to lead. 

In order for your people to follow you they will need to trust you. Trust is a two-way street so if you’re wondering how NOT to lead the first step is to demonstrate that you absolutely do not, under any circumstances, trust your people. They will find it impossible to trust you when it’s obvious you don’t trust them. You will be responsible for turning their work situation into a nightmare. You can bet your last dollar they will do likewise for you. 

To demonstrate that you do not trust them you’ll want to first convince yourself that no one can do as good a job as you. That will be second nature for too many people in leadership positions but some people will only be convinced of that the first time one of their people makes a mistake. 

Once you’re certain that you do pretty much everything better than anyone else you can move up to delegating tasks to the people likely to screw them up. Be sure to delegate only crap jobs that you don’t like to do. There’s no sense in delegating a task because it may help them grow as team members or people in general. 

Once you’ve assigned them a task be certain to manage every single step in the process required to complete the task. Constant nonstop micro-managing will ensure even your worst team members will turn in good results. As “everyone” knows, people love to be micro-managed so manage the heck out of everything and everyone. 

This method of “leading” will also help eliminate questions in the future. Rather than attempting to accomplish anything on their own and needing a question answered along the way, your people will simply wait and do nothing. That should make for far fewer messes for you to clean up. 

Plus, if you were ever “charged” in a court of law with being a leader there would be absolutely no evidence to convict you. 

But let’s assume for a minute that you’re reading this blog because you actually do want to lead more effectively. 

Let’s see what that would look like. 

First, remind yourself that you don’t know it all. Remind yourself that there may be more than one way to accomplish the same task. Remind yourself that your way may in fact not be the best way. Once you become an experienced Authentic Leader you won’t have to remind yourself of these things anymore. They will have been proven to you again and again. 

Then you can delegate whatever tasks you think will help your people grow. It may be that you’re sure they can handle it or it may be something that will “stretch” the limits of their comfort zones. Either way the goal should be to meet the required objective while helping people grow. It might be easier if you did the job yourself but you know that Authentic Leaders take a longer term view of people development. They realize that the time they use to help people learn a new job or task is an investment, not an expense. 

Now you can turn them lose and give them the autonomy that demonstrates you trust them. You can offer them support, some training or other assistance when required. But if they don’t ask for assistance then allow them to do their thing. If you’ve followed a well defined delegation process they will be fine. You will be fine. Even if they accomplished the task in a different fashion than you would have. If the task was completed ethically, on time, within the budgetary guidelines and the objective was met then your leadership efforts have been successful. 

If for some reason the task wasn’t completed as required then you have the opportunity for additional coaching to improve their results next time. Before you do any coaching you need to determine where the delegation went off the rails. Was it something your team member did or didn’t do? Perhaps it was some detail you forgot to discuss with them? Authentic Leaders never assume the fault is the responsibility of the people they lead. They look first at themselves to determine if and how they might improve as well. 

So there you have it. Are you more on the leading side or the not so much side? If you’re on the “not” side then you have some work to do…but only if you truly want to lead. 

On a different subject… Everyone can use a “nudge” towards success. I’m trying something new on Twitter. It’s called “Super Followers.” For $5 a month, that’s 17 cents a day, people can follow a part of my Twitter stream that is for subscribers only. It features short videos of me discussing leadership topics, sales tips and ideas for better overall relationships. I’m assuming there will be far fewer Super Followers than the million or so people who regularly follow me on Twitter. That will give me the opportunity to answer questions more throughly than I can on regular Twitter. Most of the answers will come in the evening cause we all have day jobs, right? Think of it as ”mentoring on demand!”

My goal with SuperFollowers is to build a better connection, one where I can help more and have a greater impact. I’m hoping it gives me a chance to mentor to a wider audience. It’s still new, we’ll see how it works. It’s a $5 dollar investment that may be the extra “push” you need to get to where you want to be. I’d be honored to be able to help get you there. 

You can find more information by clicking the Super Follow button on my Twitter profile page IN THE TWITTER APP. http://twitter.com/leadtoday Give it a try if you’re so inclined, and if you are, be sure to let me know how I’m doing and how I can be of even more help.