Quiet Leadership

When we think of leadership, we often think of the commanding visionary who takes charge in a time of crisis, leading his/her team to victory when all hope seems lost.

However, there’s another form of leadership that may ultimately achieve higher, more long-lasting performance. We call this style “Quiet Leadership.”

Quiet leaders lead by example, and bring out the behavior they want in others by modeling it themselves, rather than telling others what to do.

Quiet leaders also tend to take the coaching role, asking guiding questions that elicit each person’s unique genius, as opposed to offering advice. This is a wonderful way to empower your team, by teasing out their inner brilliance and helping them see how capable they are.

This style of leadership creates a culture of contribution and collaboration. Rather than giving everyone a figurehead to appease, quiet leaders empower their teams to make decisions, share ideas, and show initiative, while providing ongoing support and mentorship.

The best part of quiet leadership is that it doesn’t require a dire crisis to avert. You do not have to wait until everything hits the fan and the whole enterprise is on fire. Rather, you can start supporting and uplifting your team today.

You do not have to be a CEO, or member of upper management to be an influential quiet leader. You can apply this style as a parent, neighbor, or even as a caring friend.

Quiet leaders might not ever be the epic hero at the center of a harrowing tale, and they are often the most respected & adored, and their endeavors tend to stand the tests of time.

Coaching Tip: 3 Secrets of Impactful Leadership

3 Secrets of Impactful Leadership

As you are leading and impacting others, are you getting the results we want? If yes, do you know what you are doing to get those results so you can keep getting them again and again? And if no, do we know what you are doing that is disempowering others, so that you can change your approach to achieve your desired results and empower others in the process?

So, what does it take to be an impactful leader? Being a leader is not about your title, the power of your position, or how many followers you have. It comes down to three critical steps.

1. Know where you are coming from – Know what you believe in and what your values are so that you can make decisions and lead your team in the direction that supports your vision.

2. Adopt a leadership mindset that positively affects your behaviors, your outcomes and therefore your impact. When you have a leadership mindset, you take responsibility for your team and your results.

3. Empower your team members to be their best. Identify the strengths and talents of your team so you can empower them to achieve the desired goal.

After all, isn’t that what we’re all after? Reaching a common goal while making a positive impact?

As a leader, you are not only influencing others, you are impacting them – for better or worse. In his book, The Majesty of Calmness (1898), William George Jordan, American editor and essayist said that we cannot circumvent this responsibility by saying it is unconscious, because “every moment of life [we are] changing…the whole world.” We all have the ability to uplift or dishearten others.  By adopting a leadership mindset, we can ensure that to the best of our ability and intentions, we impacting others in a positive way.

Your impact stems directly from your mindset as a leader, because your mindset affects your behaviors, which then affects your results. So what is your mindset?

The term “mindset” means a mental attitude or inclination. Our attitude determines our behavior, and our behavior produces specific results. If you are getting effective results from those you are leading, you are having a positive impact on them, and therefore yourself. And vice versa.

Are we getting the results or having the impact we want, or are we experiencing unwanted results and outcomes? By looking at the relationship between our mindset, our behavior, and our impact, we can integrate all three components to generate the results we really want.

Your behavior is representative of your mindset. As a leader, you want to maintain a leadership mindset. If your perspective is filled with negativity or limiting beliefs, then you have a mindset that will negatively affect others, and will not give you the results you desire. If your mindset however, is on abundance, strengths and positivity, which are qualities of a leadership mindset, then you will positively influence others and achieve your desired results.

We often engage in behaviors without considering that we have a choice in whether or not to engage in them. If our circumstances are not going the way we desire, we may feel and act like a victim. If you make different choices about your behavior and change your actions, your results will change. You can stop being a victim of your circumstances.

It is important to note that changing your behavior is not sustainable unless you change your negative mindset to a leadership mindset. A great example of this is what happens when people do assessments. If they just change their behaviors but they do not change their mindset around their natural styles,  qualities and skills, they rebound to old ways of doing things  because they haven’t changed the underlying problem – they haven’t changed the mindset that drives them towards results they do not want.

Changing your behavior without changing your mindset is not sustainable. Changing your mindset, however, creates sustainable behavioral change.

Observe your impact on others, observe your actions as you carry them out, and observe your mindset as it fills your thoughts and shapes your attitudes. When you notice negative, limiting thoughts, make a choice and shift your perspective to an abundant leadership mindset.

Reminder: Your mindset/Belief Systems drives your thoughts, your thoughts drive your emotions, your emotions drive your behaviors and your behaviors drive your results.. You “GET” to start with your mindset..

To your success and happiness,
Corinne McElroy CPCC ORSC
Leadership Coach

 

What does it take to be a Leader?

What does It take to Be a Leader?

Leadership is one of those words that carry a wide range of connotations. By “leadership,” most people picture someone who holds a formal title in a corporate, organization, government, church, educational or military setting – titles such as a president, director, department manager, provost, team leader, minister, project manager, pope, and so on. Is leadership confined to these contexts?  No, it is so much more.

In reality, leadership occurs everywhere. If there is life, leadership is taking place. Everyone is a leader. That’s because leadership is really a mindset much more than a title. In fact, a title does not guarantee true leadership even though those with powerful titles often have an enormous impact on the world (regardless of whether the impact is desirable or destructive).

The mindset at the heart of leadership involves two dynamics – impact and responsibility. Impact is the effect that each person has on other people – their families, communities, the environment, and the world. When people are aware of their impact on others, and work toward having a positive influence on others, they are engaging in positive or desirable leadership. When people ignore their impact, work toward getting their objectives accomplished regardless of the impact on others, or are interested only in being self-serving, they are engaging in negative or destructive leadership.

Responsibility is a leader’s willingness to notice the impact they have and to respond in a way that is conscientious and appropriate. Even though everyone is responsible for their impact, not everyone takes responsibility for it. People commonly deny responsibility by denying their impact or by blaming others. It is much easier to deny or blame, than it is to take responsibility.

Imagine a world where everyone consistently pays attention to their impact, takes responsibility for it, and chooses a response that is conscientious and appropriate. That alone would change the world. It would exponentially reduce destruction and death. It would counteract conflict. It would alleviate unnecessary pain.

Imagine a world in which you consistently pay attention to your impact, take responsibility for it, and choose a response that is conscientious and appropriate. What difference would this make in your life and the lives of the people you influence? Yes – you are a leader.

So, what does it take to be a leader? Being a leader is not about your title, the power of your position, or how many followers you have. It comes down to two dynamics: impact and responsibility. Be a leader that values desirable outcomes.

Questions to ask yourself each day:

What positive impact did I have today on the people that crossed my path? At my job? For the environment (great leaders are also great stewards) and for my community?

Did I help anyone identify and achieve their vision today- even in a small way?

To your success and happiness,
Corinne McElroy CPCC, ORSC
Leadership Performance Coach

The Impact of Assumptions on Leadership

The Impact of Assumptions on Leadership

We all make assumptions. We naturally fill in gaps in what we think and perceive so that we can make sense out of our world and our experiences.

Sometimes the assumptions we make are accurate; sometimes they are inaccurate. Sometimes assumptions are productive; sometimes they are counter-productive. Sometimes assumptions build community; sometimes they destroy. Sometimes they save us time; sometimes they waste time. The assumptions you make can build bridges or destroy them. They can make peace or start a war.

Picture someone whom you know pretty well. What is one assumption you make about that person? Where does your assumption come from? Why do you have that assumption? How does that assumption influence your behavior toward this person? Have you ever asked the person to confirm or refute your assumption? What would happen if you shared your assumption with this person?

As a leader, you have an obligation to notice you are making assumptions and then to check them out, particularly when you make an assumption that is negative in nature. Negative assumptions are particularly risky to hold on to. They create resistance and resentment. They fuel blame and anger. They get in the way of productivity and positivity.

The first step is to notice the presence of an assumption. Once you notice that you are making an assumption, consider communicating it. The purpose of communicating it is to have it confirmed or denied. This creates open communication, honesty, and an opportunity to clear the air or rectify a misunderstanding.

There are different ways to communicate an assumption. One way, perhaps the simplest, is to say it directly – tell the other person that you are carrying an assumption, and that you want to share it with him or her to determine if it is accurate or not. It may sound risky – and sometimes it is – and an unspoken negative assumption is much more dangerous than one that is spoken. When an assumption is brought out, an opportunity for healing, growth, productivity, and relationship-building is created.

If you are carrying a positive assumption, you have more latitude to decide if you want it to be unspoken, even unspoken positive assumptions can sometimes get in the way.

Whenever you make assumptions, you have an impact on your experience and the experience of others. Generally, it is best to notice your assumptions and communicate them to others.

To your success and happiness,
Corinne McElroy CPCC, ORSC
Edge Of Change

 

Are You in a Habit of Action or Inaction?

Action is fascinating because action is habitual.  You can be in the habit of action or the habit of inaction – both having dramatically different results.  The more you create the habit of action, the more action you take.  And the more you create the habit of inaction, the harder it is to get started.

Which habit are you in? What holds you back?  All it takes is that first step.  Then another step.

No one EVER said it has to be the right step because you can adjust along the way.  It just has to be a step,  and all the rest will work itself out.

What is the moral of this story? Do not wait until your perfect plans are made and your fears are gone.

The perfect time is now.   Take the first step, then make the other steps a habit.

To your success and happiness
Corinne McElroy