Are You Leading or Just Have the Title?

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Hey Full Potential Zoners!

Are you really leading, or are you just in a leadership position?

60% of leaders admit they're missing leadership skills.

(Source: DDI)

That's more than half of us in leadership roles questioning our own effectiveness.

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Are we making the impact we want?

Or are we just occupying a position?

It's not about being in charge.

It's about making a real difference.

Today we are going to help leaders using:

‘What Leadership Is and Is Not'. 

Let’s dive in!

Ineffective Leadership:

• Ignoring feedback.

  • Prevents leaders from improving and stunts organizational growth.

• Showing favoritism.

  • Demoralizes team members who feel undervalued, leading to reduced engagement.

• Showing inflexibility.

  • Hinders the organization’s ability to adapt and innovate.

• Dismissing new ideas.

  • Misses opportunities for improvement and innovation, risking competitive edge.

• Dodging responsibility.

  • Erodes trust and lowers accountability within the team.

• Missing clear direction.

  • Leads to confusion about priorities and goals, resulting in inefficiency.

• Prioritizing personal gain.

  • Undermines collaboration and loyalty among team members.

• Chasing titles over impact.

  • Leads to superficial achievements that don’t support long-term success.

• Failing to communicate effectively.

  • Causes misunderstandings and misalignments, compromising team cohesion.

Effective Leadership:

• Showing understanding and empathy.

  • Builds a supportive and inclusive workplace where employees feel valued.

• Maintaining an optimistic stance.

  • Inspires positivity and motivation, helping teams overcome challenges.

• Offering guidance and support.

  • Empowers teams to develop skills and achieve success in their roles.

• Being genuine and transparent.

  • Fosters trust and open communication, making team members feel secure.

• Setting an example for others.

  • Inspires teams to strive for high standards through personal example.

• Upholding ethical principles.

  • Maintains organizational integrity, attracting and retaining clients and employees.

• Encouraging others to excel.

  • Fosters an environment of continuous improvement and high achievement.

• Building reliability and trust.

  • Strengthens team dynamics and is crucial for collaborative success.

• Staying actively involved.

  • Demonstrates commitment to team goals and well-being, motivating engagement.

Effective Communication

In a recent project I was helping a company with, their team faced significant delays due to misunderstandings about the project's scope and individual responsibilities.

Confusion reigned as emails and messages were misinterpreted, leading to frustration among team members and impacting their progress.

Recognizing the need for clarity, I noticed they needed to change their strategy of how they handled communication.

I organized a series of brief daily stand-up meetings where each team member could clarify their current tasks and voice any uncertainties or challenges they were facing.

I also introduced a shared document that clearly outlined project timelines, individual responsibilities, and channels for feedback.

These changes made a significant difference.

The daily meetings provided a platform for immediate clarification and adjustment, preventing small issues from becoming bigger problems.

The shared document acted as a constant source of truth that everyone could refer to, reducing miscommunications.

As a result, the project was back on track, with a noticeable improvement in team morale and productivity.

Actionable Tips:

Hold regular brief meetings (emphasis on “brief”):

• These keep everyone aligned and provide a forum for addressing questions promptly.

Create clear documentation:

• Ensure that roles, responsibilities, and timelines are documented and easily accessible to all team members.

Encourage open feedback:

• Foster an environment where team members feel comfortable providing and receiving constructive feedback.

Use clear and concise language:

• Avoid jargon and be as clear as possible to ensure everyone understands the messages the same way.

Here's how you can make it real over the next 4 days:

Day 1: Self-Assessment

• Choose one of the Effective Leadership/What a Leader Is skills that you want to focus on this week.

• Write down instances from the past week where your chosen leadership skill played a role in your interactions.

• Note both successes and areas for improvement.

  • ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "I want to improve my [chosen leadership skill]. Help me list common scenarios in a work setting where this skill is crucial. I’d also like tips on how to assess my performance in these scenarios.”

Day 2: Seek Feedback

• Choose a trusted colleague or mentor and ask them for specific feedback on the leadership skill you are focusing on.

• Ask for examples of when you’ve demonstrated this skill effectively and when you could have improved.

  • ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "I’m focusing on enhancing my [chosen leadership skill] and need to collect feedback. What are some effective ways to ask for feedback on specific leadership qualities without sounding defensive or insincere?"

Day 3: Practice Actively

• Today, consciously implement the skill in your interactions.

• For example, if you're focusing on communication, make an effort to clarify your messages, confirm understanding, or listen more actively.

• Keep a mental or physical note of each instance you practice this skill.

  • ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "Today, I plan to actively practice my [chosen leadership skill] in every interaction. Suggest practical exercises or methods I can use throughout the day to consciously enhance this skill."

Day 4: Reflect and Plan

• End the challenge by reflecting on what you’ve learned about your leadership abilities over the past few days.

• Review the notes and feedback you've gathered.

• Set specific, actionable goals for how you can continue to develop and apply this skill in your leadership practice.

  • ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "I’ve been working on my [chosen leadership skill] and want to analyze my progress and plan future steps. Guide me through creating a reflection on my experiences and drafting an action plan for continued improvement."

The core of effective leadership lies in the integrity you bring to every decision and interaction.

Your consistent example sets a profound standard that can transform the culture and success of your team.

As a leader, your commitment to excellence in every aspect of your role models the behavior you expect from others.

This commitment is contagious and can elevate the entire team’s performance, driving collective success.

Until next week and with lots of love,

Justin

This Week’s Growth Recommendations

Book To Read:  

"Dare to Lead" by Brené Brown (see it here)

TED Talk to Watch

"How Great Leaders Inspire Action" by Simon Sinek (see it here)

I have built and sold 4 successful companies and I have over 20 years of executive experience.

I have grown my LinkedIn audience to 211,000+ followers in 9 months.

I create all my infographics for myself and for many others.

Let me share my secrets and help you:

• Grow on LinkedIn

• Design infographics for you

• Increase sales

• Create positive cultures

• Streamline operations

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• Develop leadership skills

• And much, much more

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