As a leader, do you realize that every action you take and every interaction you have leaves a lasting impact on others? You can have the best of intentions, but if your impact isn’t aligned with the intention, then your leadership may not be as effective as it could be. Why? Because in the end, what matters is not
who you think you are, but the experience that other people have with you. Your impact leaves a lasting mark.
Detail the kind of impact you want to have. Most leaders have never detailed their personal creed, but doing so can be incredibly powerful. Therefore, get clear about who you think you are. Who are you and what do you stand for? What do you value? What is your personal creed or stance in the roles that are most important to you in your life? How do you want to be known in your company and industry?
Once you have those questions answered, ask the most important question of all: “How do the things I just detailed show up when I’m frustrated or when things aren’t going well? Who am I then?” It’s easy to be all of those lovely things when everything is going well. But what about when things aren’t going well? How do you want to show up during the hard times? How do you want to beknown when things are tough? How do you want people to experience you in the midst of adversity? Most leaders lose credibility when things are bad because they haven’t thought about who they are in those situations and the kind of
impact they’ll have.
Find out how others view your impact. There are two ways to get information about your impact: You can ask for feedback either indirectly or directly. An example of an indirect approach is an online and anonymous survey using a tool such as SurveyMonkey. While it’s simple to do, the results are not always specific.
An example of a direct approach is talking with someone you trust face-to-face and asking specific questions so you can get key insights. The secret to making direct questions work is to phrase them properly. If you ask someone, “Can you give me feedback on my leadership style?” you won’t get the
information you need. That’s a difficult question for most people to answer because it’s not focuse enough, and no one wants to hurt another person’s feelings. Additionally, if they’re not prepared for the question, they can feel like they’re being put on the spot. Therefore, ask a more focused question such as, “During today’s meeting, I think I may have sounded defensive when I told Chris that the idea would never work. How did it sound to you? What was your experience of being in that meeting?”
Notice that you’re not asking for an evaluation. You’re pointing out a specific incident or behavior and asking the person about their personal experience during that moment—the impact you had. Of course, this doesn’t guarantee that the person is going to tell you the truth, but it does create a condition where they’re more likely to be open.
Change your impact, not yourself. If the results of the feedback you receive don’t align with your personal perceptions about yourself, it’s time to make some changes—not to you, but to your impact. As long as the new approach you try supports your values and what you deem as important, then you’re acting with integrity and in alignment with your goals.
Source: Alesia Latson is a
speaker, trainer, coach and founder of Latson Leadership Group, a consulting
firm specializing in management and leadership development. With more than 20
years of experience, Latson helps organizations and leaders expand their
capacity to produce results while enhancing employee engagement.
Once you have those questions answered, ask the most important question of all: “How do the things I just detailed show up when I’m frustrated or when things aren’t going well? Who am I then?” It’s easy to be all of those lovely things when everything is going well. But what about when things aren’t going well? How do you want to show up during the hard times? How do you want to beknown when things are tough? How do you want people to experience you in the midst of adversity? Most leaders lose credibility when things are bad because they haven’t thought about who they are in those situations and the kind of
impact they’ll have.
Find out how others view your impact. There are two ways to get information about your impact: You can ask for feedback either indirectly or directly. An example of an indirect approach is an online and anonymous survey using a tool such as SurveyMonkey. While it’s simple to do, the results are not always specific.
An example of a direct approach is talking with someone you trust face-to-face and asking specific questions so you can get key insights. The secret to making direct questions work is to phrase them properly. If you ask someone, “Can you give me feedback on my leadership style?” you won’t get the
information you need. That’s a difficult question for most people to answer because it’s not focuse enough, and no one wants to hurt another person’s feelings. Additionally, if they’re not prepared for the question, they can feel like they’re being put on the spot. Therefore, ask a more focused question such as, “During today’s meeting, I think I may have sounded defensive when I told Chris that the idea would never work. How did it sound to you? What was your experience of being in that meeting?”
Notice that you’re not asking for an evaluation. You’re pointing out a specific incident or behavior and asking the person about their personal experience during that moment—the impact you had. Of course, this doesn’t guarantee that the person is going to tell you the truth, but it does create a condition where they’re more likely to be open.
Change your impact, not yourself. If the results of the feedback you receive don’t align with your personal perceptions about yourself, it’s time to make some changes—not to you, but to your impact. As long as the new approach you try supports your values and what you deem as important, then you’re acting with integrity and in alignment with your goals.
Source: Alesia Latson is a
speaker, trainer, coach and founder of Latson Leadership Group, a consulting
firm specializing in management and leadership development. With more than 20
years of experience, Latson helps organizations and leaders expand their
capacity to produce results while enhancing employee engagement.