What is Your Brand of Leadership?

If someone asked you what kind of leader do you represent, would you be able to answer? Could you describe what you stand for and what is most important to your leadership goals? It is so important to take stock of what type of leader you actually are and whether or not this is the kind of leadership you want to display. So how does a leader begin the inward process of defining their unique brand of leadership? Here are a few ways to begin the process.

  • Find a quote: What words ring true to your leadership goals? There is nothing better than using a meaningful quote to become your leadership manta. For me

How Can Leaders Create Collaborative Teams?

A leader’s success is oftentimes based on the performance and inner workings of their team. Building a strong team can be challenging even when the vision is clear and understood by team members. When I work with leaders and their teams, one thing that can really derail a successful outcome is poor collaboration and the breakdown of relationships. If team members don’t have strong rapport with one another, communication and trust dissolve. What are some key ways to cultivate trust, communication, rapport and collaboration?

 

  1. Trust is the foundation of any functional team. According to Patrick Lencioni in his famous book, “The Five Dysfunctions of Teams”,without trust there is little chance of achieving

How Can Confidence Increase Generosity For Leadership?

In a recent NY Times article, Susan Credle, Chief Creative Officer of the advertising agency, Leo Burnett USA, shared an interesting connection between confidence and generosity. It was Susan’s belief that the more confident a leader is, the more generous they tend to be. Think about that for a minute. Can you reflect on those leaders in your work environments who have been the most generous to you in giving of their time and recognizing our value? Without exception, I would bet that each of those individuals was confident and wanted to help others on their team grow and be successful. When leaders have good self-esteem and believe in their worth, they are more apt to give others credit and recognition. So how can leadership create a culture of… Continue reading

Three Leadership Lessons on Values

When it comes to successful leadership, nothing is more important than aligning personal and professional values. What do you stand for and what core values does your organization represent? What happens when our personal values conflict with the values of our work environments? Many of us deal with this inconsistency daily and end up feeling like “we don’t belong” or “we don’t fit it.” It is very stressful and de-motivating to have a different vision of the way we perform on our teams from the way we are inner driven. So what’s a leader to do?

 

The first lesson in managing our own core values is figuring out who we are and what is most important… Continue reading

The Power of Storytelling

When I coach leaders in how to become stronger communicators, I always ask them to share stories of who influenced them or greatly impacted their careers. We go around the room and each leader has a powerful anecdote to express with details of an important person and their behaviors and actions. It is fascinating to listen to these profound interactions and how grateful the leaders are for connecting with some of the people in their past work and personal lives. These encounters helped develop leadership skills and competencies in these individuals, which propelled them into a successful journey. Amazing! By sharing their stories, others are able to learn and grow and potentially integrate new behaviors into their own workplace situations. So why is storytelling so powerful? Is it possibly the… Continue reading