I often get feedback from people when they are surprised to hear me say that some of the best leaders I know are introverts or people who are not as socially outgoing (one does not necessarily equal the other, by the way!) as leaders who have bigger personalities. This surprise is based upon the mistaken belief that personality equals leadership. In fact, I have known a lot of people who can fill a room, but in reality they just fill the hearts of their followers with dread as soon as they walk in. This gets me thinking out loud that team members do not need leaders who are bigger than life, they just need ones to care about theirs!
One of the rookie mistakes that
just about every newly hired or promoted team leader makes and believe me I
have made just about all of them, is that they believe they have to take on
some kind of leadership persona. They feel that effective leadership now
requires some kind of image management process where they act or even speak
differently than they normally do or did. They believe that the workplace is
now some kind of theater-in-the-round where they are playing a leadership character
versus building solid character traits. The problem is that such manufactured mannerisms
come across as inauthentic at best and condescending at worst. Trust me, our work
environments would not be quite the dumpster fire too many are if leaders would
focus less on building their leadership personas and focus more on being an exceptional
person.
So, if you happen to have a
naturally expansive personality, or even if you do not, that is fine. All I am
asking is that we change the paradigm. Focus on proving yourself to your
followers versus the other way around or expecting them to be impressed by you.
There are many ways to do this but here are a few actionable strategies.
Do Something Public – Now
on the surface, this strategy reads contradictory at first but, again, it is a
matter how where the focus goes. During team meetings, tell their story,
not yours. One of the biggest compliments I ever received is from a team member
who told me they appreciated the fact I told their story. I would often share
testimonials, accomplishments, and shout outs that team members received. This
was just one lesson learned on the journey to be a better leader. It taught me
that true leadership is about who you lift-up, not who you overshadow.
Do Something in Private – Complete
some act of kindness or encouragement for someone on your team. Tell no one
else about it including them if possible. Refresh their work-space, bring in a
catered lunch for your team, complete a report or brief assignment on their behalf,
or write a long overdue note of appreciation. In fact, the more anonymous the
better. Just doing something positive for someone else without any expectation
of gratitude or notoriety is the purest form of giving.
Do Something by Design – Here’s
a little homework, in the next two weeks, do something specific and actionable
that will be of assistance to a team member or colleague. According to
leadership guru and author John Maxwell, leaders who detract from their teams,
usually do so out of carelessness or care lessness, rather than any planned
malice. On the other hand, leaders who add value to their followers do so with
great intent with a specific outcome in mind. This should be some act
that is incredibly personalized and customized to the team member. Something that
demonstrates you are paying attention and know them well enough to the point
that what you do will have significant meaning to them. The very reason that why
I share some of the best leaders I know are introverts is due to their ability
to focus on what matters most in and for others. They pay attention to
the small things that produce huge results in both their work and
relationships.
Do Something by Default – We all
have default settings, what are yours? When there is an issue at work, is it
your first reaction to blame a team member or ask a team member
what happened? Is your default setting to assume the worst of someone or believe
in their best? Do you treat team members as employees or as the leaders they
are too? Can your default setting be to ask a team member to demonstrate their
knowledge as opposed to sharing yours? One of the best things we can do as
leaders is to periodically check our default settings. Just like for our computers,
our default settings need to be amended from time to time to adjust to new
people and situations.
Do Something Easy – Granted,
a lot of what I have presented is pretty dramatic but never underestimate the
power of the easy stuff and the simple things! Spending a few extra minutes to
wish your team good morning (or good evening if you lead a global team!) before
you start your day in your physical or virtual office will go a long way. Being
open to interruptions can produce great opportunities to interact and mentor.
Sending quick “good job” emails that outline in detail what was so good
about it can be both affirming and instructional.
Do Something Hard – Okay,
let’s assume you are reading this and disagree with everything I have written to
this point. You may be thinking, “Bill, I am just a bigger than life kind of
person. I have a big personality and I cannot or will not throttle down.” All
right sport, I will take you at your word. You’re telling me you are some kind
of bad a_ _ leader? I will call your leadership prowess and raise
you a gut check to see if you really want to lead or you just want the title. Go
ahead, take your shot and do something difficult for a team member! When
you do something big on behalf of someone else that will be inconvenient for
you, difficult for you, or something that no one else but you can do,
then you really become bigger than life at least in their eyes! Perhaps
it is a skip-level promotion, maybe it's extending PTO so they can take care of a family member or advocating
on their behalf for a role even if it means they will leave your team. If you
have the leadership chops, then don’t talk about it, be all about it.
Okay, now maybe I am being the
dramatic one but that does not mean I am wrong. In the Five Levels of
Leadership, John Maxwell shares leaders who have achieved Level 5 status have
done so because of who they are versus their titles or even their many
accomplishments. Their character and generous nature are such that people are
drawn to them. The difference is that such leaders are bigger than life in the
eyes of others and not their own! It is my
belief you can be that kind of person. In fact, I am begging you to be
because the world needs that kind of leadership now more than ever.
As always if I can help you and
the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite
you to contact me.
Yours in leadership,
Bill Faulkner
Independent Coach, Speaker,
and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Certified DISC Profile System
Consultant and Gallup Strengths Coach
Certified Designing Your Life
Coach
Email
= bill@outloudinc.com
Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com
For more information on the
John Maxwell Team, please visit
http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/
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