To all my followers over the years, I sincerely want to thank you for your support and engagement with my content. It fuels me to continue this work which lead me to form Media3L, the media component of The Drop In CEO brand. With that stake in the ground, I need to scale and I’m in search of creatives who want to share their insights on my platform. I will continue to create, but periodically I need to recharge or spend my energy in further growing this part of my business.
Full transparency, this is an uncompensated role at this time as we’re piloting growth of The Drop In CEO brand into more copy and potentially a digital magazine. There is a name for it, but keeping it close to the vest until the concept is fully vetted. Based on the response to the article, it may lead to guest appearances on the podcast or joining me on my weekly show; Deb Coviello-Live Talk Media.
Benefits of this offer is access to 9600 followers on LI and 1300 people on my mailing list and publication on my website indefinitely. As we grow, so does your access to my audience.
If you are interested , please DM on Linkedin or email me at [email protected].
I’m excited to meet you and grow this brand together!
Job Description: You must be a highly aware leader who is open to new ideas and responds to your gut when you know you need some help. The perfect client is one that sees the landscape changing and realizes that unless you course correct now, you will sink the ship and everyone in it. With this important responsibility, you must also be people centric; knowing that with any improvements, you must also improve the capability and capacity of your team. If you don’t move fast, they will sink the ship for you. Finally, you are keenly customer focused and everything you do is in service to them and everyone has their back whether it is quality, service or safety. Cost is secondary.
Additional Qualities: You’ve come to a cross road where you know you can only see the trees and that’s okay. You realize you need an external view to give you the perspective of the long term strategy needed to not only fix your concerns, but manage them sustainably. That takes a trusted partner whether you call them a Consultant, Advisor, Fractional Leader or a new category, a Drop In CEO who will partner with you during this time.
Desired Skills: An open mind, agility, strategic thinker, good listener, good communicator, steadfastness for the greater good and always seeking to improve themselves and the people in their care.
Fine print: This is not a pitch for services, but a humorous attempt to get you to think differently about yourself and how you lead. I do of course want to work with my ideal client and have those tremendous feelings of vibrating off their energy and achieving amazing results. But it’s also a message to CEO’s/Presidents/CxO’s to assess if you would be an ideal client for someone who might be able to support you during a challenging time.
How to apply: We are an equal opportunity employer of The Ideal Client and seek diversity in all aspects of your thinking, background, culture and leadership. We do not discern with physical attributes, but for those who are diverse in all other aspects. Reach out to us at [email protected] or DM me on Linkedin or my website; I’m here 24/7 and ready to take your call!
And until we meet and discuss how we can partner, I wish you well and much success in applying for your next opportunity!
I was 5 months pregnant with my 3rd child as I saw the world collapse in front of my eyes. I called the nanny who wanted to know if she should pick up the kids from school and I said yes and then I departed home to be with my family.
My husband was busy getting supplies from his company and sending them to NYC.
Fast forward to October 2023, my son was rounding up supplies from his military resources and arranging to get them to medics he knew in Israel.
These events; many in the past and more to come in the future are ones to reflect that the balance between peace and crisis is very delicate.
Today is a day of remembrance, but also a sign for the earth, our nation, your business, your families and yourself to realize that awareness of crisis & risk is a constant; yet awareness is not enough.
Taking these historical moments not as a warning of doom and gloom; these should be sources of inspiration for heightening our awareness of what is looming in our daily life and work and to seek paths of reducing risk.
Yet time and time again, I see leaders delay exploring the risks that they’re already aware of, but take no action. Worse yet, the ignore what they don’t know and then claim ignorance when they rear their ugly head.
Why is that?
I’d prefer to meet each one of you during a time of peace and prosperity and assess your systems & human dynamics risks in the organization to prevent history from repeating itself.
Remember, you are in control of the future with the awareness that action is needed now to prevent a crisis, not thrive in one.
Look at the image again and reflect on your perspective. Could it have been prevented? Maybe not. Could we have been better prepared? Probably and we did with unity of our country in the face of disaster.
When my husband and I were watching TV watching the world around us collapse, we were grateful we were safe. We averted our own crisis. While we don’t live scared, we live prepared for what the unknown comes our way.
If you are in a situation as the leader of an entity and are aware their are issues that could collapse your domain, what would it take to simply have an assessment and glean insights and the courage to take action to prevent a collapse?
I leave you with that parting thought not to scare you, but to remind you, you don’t have to do this alone.
It’s now 8:47 am and the world forever changed over the next few hours.
Let us all now take a moment of silence to remember those who are no longer with us.
Let us remember our pride as Americans.
Let us take these sorrowful memories and have the courage to live with awareness and action!
“Managing Up” became my tool of choice to connect with this C-Suite Leader and align on the challenges and the treatment going forward.
Once we aligned on a go-forward game plan, they came into my ecosystem again and quickly realized we lacked some fundamental ways of working and accessible resources to move the initiative forward.
Once they could observe first hand the conditions were not conducive to getting the desired result, their leadership came through to address the conditions.
The change in their energy and the clarity that came to the team on next steps forward were magical!
By addressing the conditions that were barriers of progress, we may have solved this issue and many others; ultimately getting to more efficient, effective and sustainable results.
When I saw the clarity in the team and an action that made sense, I was starting to feel peace of mind we would get to a better place.
I can only hope that with time and “Managing Up”, this leader will also see and feel “Peace of Mind”, where barriers are broken down and the team can operate at top performance. In doing so, the customers will gain back trust.
So why do leaders still use the old playbook? Maybe they know no other way? Maybe they trust it so much that if they push harder, it will still work? That’s insanity as we know it and only the highly aware leader will pursue a different way of working.
In recent weeks, several of you have come to me, sharing your challenges. I am grateful for those relationships and trust. But when I called “BS” on their thinking, I jolted them into realizing they were creating their own chaos and could not see a better way.
In one case, I told the person that they are the CEO even though not in title. It was on them to act and behave that way because others needed their leadership.
In other case, the person was making course corrections in their career. They were pursuing the same line of work when I showed them it was not for them. They focused on the past playbook to deliver in the future. Instead I said to focus on what they’re amazing at and differentiating than the rest. Only then, will they achieve peace of mind in pursuit of purposeful work.
For those who don’t trust yourself or think they don’t need a partner, I wish you well living “Groundhog day”.
For those who are highly aware leaders knowing the old playbook doesn’t work,let’s talk.
I sincerely care about you and I want to see you succeed. Until then, I wish you well!
I lead a team of 30+ amazing people. You might be leading a thousand or maybe even just two members.
What we all have in common is that we hold a lot of responsibility by being a leader. To be an effective one, you have to know your leadership style.
Having no leadership style is a lot like driving a car without a GPS… or side mirrors… and a steering wheel.
It will be very hard to navigate the road and reach your destination. Worse, you might even end up in a crash.
Leading people is no easy feat that’s why learning which style suits you, your work, and your team is super important.
Lucky for you, this guide will walk you through the different approaches that you should know as a C-Suite Employee so you can (hopefully) avoid being told “You’re not a very effective leader.”
Why Knowing Your Style Matters
You might be reading this article because you got promoted recently, or you’re months into your role but still haven’t figured out which style would best fit you.
Maybe you just want to learn these leadership styles because you want to be a leader one day.
Before we get to the nitty gritty parts of leadership, it’s important to know why your leadership style matters.
The more you understand your leadership style, the better equipped you are to handle challenges in a way that feels natural to you. It leads to:
Enhanced Team Dynamics – Your leadership style shapes your team’s culture and communication. Understanding your style helps you create an environment where your team can truly thrive and grow.
Improved Decision-Making – Knowing your default leadership style allows you to adapt your leadership to what the situation calls for, leading to more effective decision-making.
Increased Engagement and Retention – When leaders are in tune with their style, they can better cater to their employees’ needs. This can lead to employee satisfaction, and in turn, retention.
Alignment with Organizational Goals – Your leadership style influences how well your team’s efforts align with the broader goals of the organization.
Now that we have that covered, let’s see which one you are!
The 6 Leadership Styles Explained
1. Transformational Leadership
“I see the vision!” That’s one thing that one of my teammates always says when she comes up with a project.
She gets all excited and giddy about having a new thing to focus all her energy on.
I think that one sentence clearly sums up what transformational leadership means.
Being a transformational leader means you have to set a vision for your team and organization, and then leading the way towards how this vision can be achieved with smaller actions.
You have to unleash your inner “influencer” (and no, I’m not talking about going on to promote your favorite product to your team), and use your reach and power to inspire your team to move towards your goals.
I like to look at it not just as a method but as a mindset that pushes you to see beyond what is in front of you.
If you ask me what the formula for transformational leadership is, remember these three I’s:
Inspirational motivation – setting a vision that makes teams excited to be a part of
Intellectual stimulation – encouraging teams to think outside the box
Individualized consideration – investing in not just the professional but also the personal growth of your team
This leadership style is beneficial for C-Suite employees because it aligns the entire organization and rallies them around a purpose that propels the business forward.
Now, you also need to keep in mind that it’s not just about being idealistic because chances are, you’re going to drive them towards a false, unattainable goal.
Remember what the “A” stands for in “SMART Goals”?
Achievable.
The purpose that you are setting for your team should be realistic and not just idealistic. While you are expected to transform, inspire, and influence, your vision should also be balanced.
What you should ask yourself:
Do I enjoy challenging the norm and encouraging new, innovative ideas?
2. Servant Leadership
If I didn’t know better, I would say that the term “servant leadership” is so contradictory.
How can the servant be a leader? That doesn’t make sense if you look at the dictionary (or maybe even the history books).
That’s the great thing about servant leadership: it flips the traditional leadership model on its head. Here, your team’s growth and development always come first.
Why? Because a thriving team leads to a thriving company.
To do this effectively, you must learn to stand in their shoes to better understand what they are going through and how you can provide them with the guidance they need. It’s a type of leadership that positions the company as a place where people want to work, which can be a significant competitive advantage when attracting talent.
A servant leader who I personally admire is Herb Kelleher, Southwest Airlines CEO. He created a fun, family-like culture at the company by encouraging his employees to take themselves lightly but their work seriously. As a result, he was able to reduce employee turnover rates.
What you should ask yourself:
When I lead, do I focus on empowering others rather than just giving orders?
3. Autocratic Leadership
Autocratic leadership is the opposite of servant leadership.
Your keyword: centralized decision-making.
This leadership style can come in handy when you have to make a quick decision during a crisis or highly regulated situation. It provides clarity, efficiency, and direction, especially when there is little room for error.
A quick word of caution: it can be a double-edged sword because while it allows you to make decisions rapidly, it can also stifle creativity and reduce morale if used too frequently and in the wrong context.
I remember an old colleague of mine who leaned heavily on this style. His team operated in a high-stakes environment which had him calling all the shots. Because of wanting to get instantaneous results, he developed an “I’ll do it myself” attitude when it comes to decision-making which is good in some situations but not all.
His team got so used to his way of doing things, but over time, it stunted their innovation and growth.
As a leader, that’s what I’m doing my best to avoid because your team handles the work and will most likely influence what the end goal will be.
The thing about autocratic leadership is knowing when to use it. If you’re not careful, you can come off as inconsiderate and restrictive. If used in the wrong context, you can become your biggest enemy because going this route 100% of the time will cause you to get in the way of a breakthrough.
What you should ask yourself:
Am I at ease with taking control and expecting my team to follow my lead?
4. Democratic Leadership
I think the most common misconception about leadership is that it is always one-sided…
that leaders are always the ones calling the shots.
While it’s true to some extent, those who use a democratic approach will argue differently.
Much like in politics, with this leadership style, you let your team members get a vote before making a decision. You ask for the consensus as you recognize that there are other ideas outside of your own and that your team members know the situation better since they’re the ones who work closely with the gears that make the organization move.
The most important thing that you can do to make this model more effective? Get some Q-tips and clean your ears because active listening is its foundation.
It’s not just the “inside one ear, outside the other” type of listening, but the kind where you genuinely absorb and understand what is being said, and follow through with action.
I also like to think of this as “collective wisdom.”
This approach is where you foster a deep sense of involvement within your team in decision-making. You show your team members that their opinions matter and that their voices are heard.
This type of leadership also teaches us humility and allows us to not rely too much on our own understanding – that there might be better perspectives than our own.
This approach is focused on collaboration, transparency, and empowerment. It helps us develop an understanding that there are lots of situations where we will all flourish through collaboration and looking through different lenses.
What you should ask yourself:
Do I feel comfortable sharing power and involving my team in decision-making?
5. Laissez-Faire Leadership
When I hear Laissez-Faire Leadership, I think of autonomy. This leadership style is defined by a hands-off approach and giving teams the autonomy to manage their own work.
Laissez-faire leadership can be super effective in organizations with highly skilled, self-motivated teams.
This is the leadership style that I personally have. I like giving my employees the freedom to explore and do what’s best for their teams.
You need to exhibit a sense of trust towards your team members and their skills, otherwise, it wouldn’t work. This leadership style can encourage innovation and even lead to breakthroughs that might not surface under more restrictive leadership styles.
But, just like the others, this approach has its risks.
You have to set the foundation for this to work. Without a strong foundation and structure, teams may struggle with the general direction that they need to take.
Just recently, one of my managers hired someone with the highest salary that our company allows for that role. I was concerned about how this might limit the new hire’s potential for income growth, which isn’t so good from a long-term perspective.
I firmly believe that every ounce of autonomy that I give to them, comes with an equal amount of accountability.
I don’t want my employees to be in their roles and not be held accountable for their actions. Learning the responsibilities that come with their decisions helps them navigate challenges with purpose.
I make sure not to intervene with their day-to-day but I make myself available for consultation if needed. As their leader, you also have to know when to step in to ensure that the outcomes won’t cost your company.
What you should ask yourself:
Do I believe people do their best work when they have the freedom to make their own choices?
6. Situational Leadership
While there’s one-size-fits-all for clothes, this approach believes there isn’t with leadership.
Situational leadership adapts to meet your needs and the demands of the, you guessed it, situation.
Think of it like the yoga of leadership styles. It requires a lot of flexibility (but minus the downward dog poses).
It’s a style that sits on the belief that being a successful leader means being able to assess the situation and provide the appropriate guidance, direction, support, or delegation.
I remember reading an article about IBM’s former CEO, Lou Gerstner. He shifted the company’s culture from inward-looking to customer-focused by using a situational approach.
Gerstner was directive when implementing changes but more participative once the company was more stable.
He knew when to take the wheel and say, “We’re going this way!” and also when to ask, “What do you think about this direction?”
This approach is really helpful in environments where the ability to pivot and respond to change is crucial. Situational leadership allows for a tailored approach which means having an understanding of the unique needs of your team and the specific challenges they face.
What you should ask yourself:
Am I comfortable switching between being more hands-on or laid-back based on what’s needed?
Conclusion
Who you are as a leader not only helps get the job done but also allows you to create an environment grounded on resilience and accountability.
By embracing the full spectrum of these leadership styles, you can unlock your team’s potential and drive your company toward sustainable success.
To help you remember what each leadership style means, repeat after me:
Transformational Leadership – being a visionary balanced with reality
Servant Leadership – putting your team’s needs first
Autocratic Leadership – pushing for strong directives
Democratic Leadership – hearing your team out before making a decision
Laissez-Faire Leadership – giving teams autonomy while being available for support
Situational Leadership – leading according to what the situation calls for
Having to choose which leadership style would be most effective for your team is another layer to the already huge responsibility of being a leader. I trust that you know the situation better than I do, and I hope that this guide was able to help you choose a what-works-for-you and what-works-for-the-job type of leadership.
Malcolm Peace is the President of Tsetserra Growth Partners, where he helps small to midsize Texas businesses thrive. He specializes in supporting retiring business owners by revamping operations and crafting strong succession plans while preserving company culture.
You know I’m talking to you; you’re amazing at your leadership and have ascended the ranks and praised for your results. But now you’re in chaos; maybe even crisis and you wonder what has changed? I’ll tell you… the conditions, the unplanned for risks and even loss of a key leader are things you didn’t plan for, so who’s to blame? Quite frankly, I find it is the leader who persists with the same playbook with different conditions and expects the same result. Time to reflect on your own leadership or else it will be your demise.
Pro Tip:
Pause and reflect on your leadership style. Does it need to change? Do you need to adopt a new mindset that may require leaning on the help of others or bring in experts. Unless you move to being highly aware of yourself, then nothing will change your circumstances
Assess if you’ve been leading towards results or outcomes. Those that pursue results are destined to relive the cycle of missing the targets and then beating the teams into getting the results. That’s not leadership. When we lead with purpose and ask teams how can they achieve certain outcomes, you leverage the collective creativity of your team to solve bigger issues, not short sighted results that undisciplined leaders focus on.
Close the internal gaps within your teams and unleash their potential. When you focus on the human capacity, capability and confidence, they will achieve more. These are also leading indicators of future success. Look also at the interactions of team members or organizations and coach their ways of working and service level agreements. When you close gaps in the human dimension, you set the stage for sustainably reaching your results.
These are simple to say, but without the right mindset and behaviors, leaders are unable to change the cycle of going into chaos because they’re playbook is incomplete or they need a new one. I’m curious if you agree or have alternative views. I’ve had people say sometimes external factors “force” leaders to behave in certain ways. I get that, but I wonder then are these the organizations we as leaders should be working in? I’m not saying we should quite tough organizations, but then leaders need to have the courage to focus on changing the culture and show true leadership or else seek a different environment where they can use the same ole playbook and claim success.
The greater outcome is to reflect upon our leadership and ask if we were truly meant to lead. If yes, do you have the courage to try a new playbook?
If you’re curious or would like to dialog around this, let’s talk.
I’m forever in service to you and wish you much success-Deb
Raise of hands, how may of you have waken up at 2:00, 3:00 or 4:00 am wide away give into the fact you’re not going back to bed?!
I call these “Infinity Days” and in essence creating the “25 hour” day. With my additional hours and clarity of mind, I cherish these days vs. feeling doomed due to lack of sleep. Thus has been my good fortune this last week and wanted to share how I’ve leveraged the treasured Gift of Time!
Full transparency here, I’m going through a major well being journey and between the change in my diet, supplements and well-being focused, I think my body chemistry is evolving for the better. With these changes has come deeper sleep; thus needing less. When I wake, I’m “buzzy” and I can’t create enough lists to keep up with what I wanted to do. Until recently, I never fully committed to my well-being, but I knew it was foundational. Once committed, the side effects of alertness and clarity came with. My advise to you is clear the clutter, focus on what is important to you, trust the process and realize abundant energy.
It goes without saying, I’ve organized every draw & closet that I seamlessly ignored for years. I’m in full baking mode; leaning into my creative endeavors and a need to nourish all who comes across my doorstep. I’ve even endeavored in some home decorating, moving from simple surroundings to creative embellishments. While the home is springing to life again, it’s the purposeful work that is really taking off.
Up until now, there was projects I needed to complete, but I’d often procrastinate to the last minute. With a few extra hours in the day, I now plan the work more methodically and enabled by the removal of clutter from my day. Disciplined in email management, cautious to not overbook, delay what is not important and only focus on value added work has been life changing. The gift of time has allowed me to enter into each day without stress.
Another thing that has come that I’d been long awaiting: the return of my voracious need to create through Speaking, Writing and Podcasting. I’m creating strategies to network with more people to create opportunities to speak more, write more and even start a new Podcast Series called: “Chambers Across America: Elevating the American Dream”. Stay tuned for this new endeavor.
I’d like to now share how I lean into an “Infinity Day” and a few ideas for you to create the same experience.
Caution: I’m not advocating for you to set your alarm to 2:00 am to create an “Infinity Day”. I’m advocating for you to recognize these days where you have the gift of time and how to maximize it!
Clear your calendar of all unnecessary events or activities.
Only do deep email management 1 time per day. The rest of your day should only be to scan and file for when you have the time do to the deep work.
Where passive participation is required in a virtual meeting; stay engaged, but consider doing something that requires no attention and check a personal chore off your list
Be sure to balance your “to do” list with career / business and personal tasks. You want to end your day with joy knowing you invested in yourself as much if not more than your work.
Take planned breaks. If you have the gift of time and are knocking it out of the ballpark, taking 5-10 minutes to re-energize will allow yourself to keep up the productive pace.
Eat & Drink well. The body is a well-oiled machine and needs nourishment as well as for your brain to maintain clarity.
The gift of an “Infinity Day” is not to be taken lightly. It’s a gift and it’s up to you how to leverage it to fulfill yourself and to also give back to others.
Wishing you well and hope you have a pleasant and productive day!-Deb
It is! The State of Chaos within your organization often has a lot to do with misalignment of priorities: are you pursuing short term results or long term peace of mind? Meeting a deadline elicits high-fives around the room, but is your infrastructure sustainable?
Through our work together, you will see the bigger picture ROI, and calm your mind in the process. Sound like a lofty promise? Read on so I can share with you how this is possible…
The common theme I see all the time is that chaos ensues when we don’t have the courage to go after the root cause of what is keeping you up at night. The result is rallying the troops to focus on the effort and at the end of the day after beating the teams until you can claim victory. The result is never sustainable because leaders don’t have the discipline to focus on the issue earlier and to seek peace of mind through sustainable processes, capable resources and continual leadership development.
I dropped in recently into a situation where the leadership was hell bent on getting an immediate result. Then upon the “hurry scurry” of making things happen, the leadership changed direction and expanded the scope and suggesting we get back to examining the process. That should have been the primary focus in parallel with stopping the bleeding of the current situation, but instead, pressure was their guiding principle and blinded them to the greater opportunity and causing havoc in the process.
After a bit of wasted time and effort, the team is back on track in hopes of getting to the root cause and sustainably creating a process that not only results, but long term trusted results… or peace of mind.
I keep using this principle of “peace of mind” over and over again in my writings. I do so because I don’t think most leaders have ever experienced this. When they don’t know what it feels like, they use the same playbook over and over again and artificially gain satisfaction, but often will lose sleep at night. This is not a good result for their health both for them and their team.
I propose leaders do the following going forward:
Provide guidance on what the outcome should be and trust the teams to do the work; don’t micro manager, but guide the ship
Focus on the real barriers of team dynamics, misaligned organizational goals and in general barrier removal vs. the task at hand.
Paint a picture of what the future looks like and also what peace of mind could be. If you can show them the picture or how it will feel, you will Lift up your team to achieve even better results than you envisioned. This is the missing peace I find in most leaders and I hope you can heed this advice.
I’ve been there, done that and I’ve seen a lot of wasted effort and leadership maturity that is needed. If you enjoyed this piece and want to discuss your situation, I’m all ears, heart and mind invested in your story. Until we meet, I wish you well and much success -Deb
In 2023, I recorded 52 solo episodes on The Drop In CEO™ Podcast for leaders that just want to have a seat at the table, but lack a support system on how to do that. I’ve not yet started writing the book, but I sense there is a strong need for it. I was once told, I needed an MBA on top of my engineering degree form Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to get ahead. While raising three kids and managing a career, I couldn’t do the MBA, but obtained certifications in Quality Engineering, Lean and Six Sigma. While technically those looked good on my resume and gained a few cool skills along the way, none of them prepared me for C-Suite level responsibility. The school of “Hard Knocks” and very little mentorship; somehow I learned what did and did not work. Want to learn more? Read on…
Presence is more than physical attributes; it’s what you stand for…
I asked a trusted colleague what was I missing to have more impact when I presented at my senior leadership meeting. They said technically I was spot on, but I needed presence. I asked if that was a new wardrobe, updated hairstyle and a firm handshake? They said, it was about what I stood for. Every time I walk into a “room”, everyone knew what I stood for. It wasn’t until I started my own business, that I figured it was the topics I was most passionate about and would get up on a soapbox to share what I thought was right.
If you don’t know what your presence is, I suggest you start writing down all your unique idea, things others have praised you for and also what may be contrary to the status quo. Let those ideas simmer a while and then take a chance on yourself to start speaking those words. Look carefully at how people respond and know if you are saying something that matters. Caution however if it does not resonate, you may need help in your messaging or you may be in the wrong environment.
Messaging for impact and it’s not about having a great looking presentation…
Having a presentation that is technically perfect and delivered well won’t get the impact that you want. I know having done many that it’s often met with silence. You are no longer celebrated for having the best content, but for how you articulate the main message. The rest of your content is just back up. Learn how to look at a slide and the key takeaway. Start with that message and the risk or opportunity and your position. You can then enrich it with information on the slide. By doing so, you move from technical expert to influential leader. I’m very good at this work and offer coaching to others to have an impact and get a seat at the table.
Mindset matters and the words you use are key…
When we use words like I “can’t”, “I’ve not” or any other derivative of the “n’t”, you project a persona of backwards or present only thinking. When faced with a challenge, too often people think about the possibility of failure based on uncertainty. When we change our mindset to possibilities and project forward, you’re seen as that “can do” person to trust. Such phrases as “based on past experience, we could”, or we “must” or I “believe” or I “propose” are powerful words for influence. Once we recognize these small nuance in how you communicate, you’ll catch yourself and make the shift. Then watch how the world reacts to you!
I didn’t learn these via an MBA, but through asking well placed questions, reading, studying others who seem to have what I want, I soon gained confidence in how I present myself. If you want to learn more about “Secrets of the C-Suite”, I offer several ways to work with you. Also, some of these lessons may also be found in my 1st book The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track. This was meant for people already with a “seat at the table”, but once think of yourself in that role, people see you in that role.
I’m here for you so you struggle less and if I can be of service, I would be grateful for you to reach out. Until we meet, I wish you well-Deb
Society distills what we do down to agendas, action items and report outs; leaving very little to the human element. While we talk about change management, stakeholder engagement and team building are vehicles to help humans move through a project, they fall short of making a deep connection needed for sustainable results. I’m talking about the difference between Outcomes and Outputs for which we need to dig deeper and why we need to shift our focus achieve a Strategic Advantage in your work.
To illustrate this point, I had an opportunity to engage with a senior leader and get a particular result for my initiative; aka the output. I had my agenda and prepped what I wanted to achieve. Through our engagement, I got what I needed, but not before I realized there was something deeper that needed to be achieved. This leader was struggling with their messaging to move forward their strategic initiative. I realized they needed my superpower of deep listening to reframe what they said into something that was concise and messaged what needed to be said.
We took a moment to discover the disconnected thoughts and after they spoke at length, I played back what I heard and the enrichment that was needed to present a strong message. As soon as I delivered this to the leader, I immediately saw calm in their face and body. I was able to say what he’s been needing to say in a way that made sense. The outcome of this interaction was Peace of Mind for this individual. I also became a trusted partner for them in the future; for tasks unknown.
I could have stopped at the output of my agenda to get their support on my initiative. Instead, I carved out enough time to build a trusting relationship for which that outcome is far more important and may now be a strategic advantage for me for the next initiative or to support this leader.
The point is that we are rewarded daily for results, transactions and executing on an agenda. This behavior is short sighted and while necessary does not achieve sustainable results nor achieve outcomes that pay higher rewards. How do we balance the two and evolve our behavior and leadership? Ultimately, aren’t we in pursuit of Peace of Mind? The image on this article should be what we’re striving for through these insights both for ourselves and those we serve.
Actionable Tips for Strategic Advantage and Achieve Peace of Mind
Start with the outcome you want to achieve. Could it be to build a relationship, establish trust, or finding ways to build a long term partnership. This is the ultimate focus of your efforts and success criteria
Continue with your tactical agenda, but be open to not completing it in favor of achieving your Outcomes
Change your mindset on what does success look like. No one will remember you for the action item you completed. You will be memorable the relationships you establish and outcomes you achieve. Think about it.
I hope you found this article helpful. If you have a situation that is unique that you want a better outcome, I’m happy to talk you through it in a complimentary 15 minute conversation to help you to achieve a better outcome!
