Whether you’re conscious of it or not, you’re always a leader. The question is who, what, and where are you leading?
Are you doing it by default or with a clear intention?
Sometime back I met a very adorable 4-year-old girl. I sat next to her in the car on a drive up to Sonoma for dinner. I told her a joke that my grandfather used on me my entire life.
Grandpa: Guess what?
Me: What?
Grandpa: Butternut bread, that’s what!
It’s silly, but it always entertained my grandfather. Well, it did the same for little Kallie. She immediately began telling the joke her way with lots of different endings. Little did I know it was going to turn into this whole night-long thing. I was leading by default.
The point is that we’re always leading. Whether we’re throwing a party, forming a business, going on vacation with other people, or being a parent, leadership is always happening.
When you’re sharing information with your community you’re leading.
How they respond to verbal and nonverbal communication varies. To be successful with all people in your family, business, and community, you’ve got to learn to meet people on their ground and be open to them having a totally different reaction to life changes right now.
Especially while most of us are cooped up in the house in isolation, everyone is responding differently.
Are you there for your past, current, and future clients right now… being of service?
They need you now to step up and acknowledge what they’re feeling or wanting. Offering free and paid solutions are necessary for them to get what they need right now, so don’t go radio silent. Be even more generous with your time and support.
Why is it so important to meet people on their wavelength to be a masterful leader? Great leaders make adjustments to the person or people they’re involved with as they notice how people are responding to their facilitation or guidance.
If you’d ever thought you couldn’t teach somebody something because of one bad experience, try again! If you’ve ever given up on an employee, family member, or team member, wait! You may simply be able to change your style of leading with that particular person or group for a dramatically improved response. If you justify any breakdowns in leadership with, “I communicated this clearly. What happened?” It’s time to check in with yourself.
No matter how clearly you think you communicated, all communication is open to interpretation by another person. Always bring back responsibility of a breakdown in communication to yourself.
What do you need to shift? If not your words, it may be your tone, focus, or simply your overall intention.
Important questions to ask yourself when leading:
- Does the person or group I’m engaged with want my leadership?
- Are we all clear on the desired outcome?
- How can I appeal to all learning styles?
- What communication has worked and not worked in the past with them?
- Did we design our alliance together?
- How will we honor each other in the process?
- How will I communicate if I see something not working?
You’re leading even when you think you’re minding your own business. People observe you living your life and make choices based on what they experience.
They look at both what they like and don’t like about your life to improve their own lives. This doesn’t need to make you self-conscious; just be more committed to live a life that honors your values and makes you happy.
Mistakes happen… just own ’em.
How will you step up to lead during these times?