Picking Up Where We Left Off…
If you’ve read Part 1 of this article, fabulous! If not, I encourage you to pick up the first four key factors in Leadership Voice here. In short, Leadership Voice is about how you lead people, on your team and outside of your team. The way you lead should be authentically you, as well as fitting the culture of your company and the needs of your direct reports. We will continue this article by wrapping up three further important aspects of your Leadership Voice and how to continue to develop it over the course of your career.
Defining Your Purpose
Defining your purpose as a leader is critical to establishing a clear and effective leadership voice. Your purpose is the guiding force that motivates you and inspires others to follow your lead. To define your purpose, start by reflecting on your values, strengths, and passions. Consider the impact you want to make and how you can use your skills and talents to achieve your goals. Your purpose should align with your personal and professional aspirations and should be something that speaks to your heart.
Purpose does not need to be lofty or goal-oriented. I know several leaders whose purpose is simply to serve their team and help the individuals become the best versions of themselves. It’s a simple idea but profound, and it harkens back to the previous discussion on leadership type, specifically servant leaders. Other examples include improving the culture within organizations to be inclusive, or ensuring that your office has a positive attitude delivering great client service. Whatever it is, know your own strengths and values to create that positive, dynamic atmosphere.
Communicating Your Vision
Once you have defined your purpose, it is important to communicate it clearly and consistently to others. Your leadership voice should convey your vision, values, and principles in a way that inspires and motivates others to buy into your ideas. Your voice should be authentic, confident, and passionate, and it should reflect your unique perspective and personality.
Vision isn’t for the Vice President or Director only. It is something that managers often miss: the idea that their vision is important to a team. It’s one thing to know what your company’s goals are, or what the culture identifies as important, but how does that translate to the day to day? As a manager, it’s your responsibility to create that vision of what you want your team to achieve not only in the long run but every day. This doesn’t mean that they will all hold your same values. It does mean that you can weave the uniqueness of your team’s culture into your vision and incorporate it into the larger company ideals.
Overcoming Leadership Obstacles
However, the obstacles to leadership voice can hinder the effectiveness of the leader in achieving the desired outcome. While they are varied, and may depend on the individual, there are a couple that are foundational to “get right,”
One of the significant obstacles to effective leadership voice is the lack of self-awareness. Self-awareness involves the ability to recognize and manage one’s emotions, strengths, and weaknesses, and how they affect others. A leader who lacks self-awareness may have a negative leadership voice, fail to inspire and motivate the team, and may have communication gaps. Lack of self-awareness can blind you to the weight of your words and the actions of your team. Developing self-awareness requires honest feedback as well as humility.
Another obstacle that can interfere with effective leadership voice is a communication breakdown. A leader’s message may get lost in translation, misunderstandings can occur, and team members may fail to understand the leader’s vision. It is therefore essential for leaders to observe and develop self-awareness, communicate clearly, and frequently seek feedback to overcome the obstacles which lead to failing teams. Challenges will arise and it’s how we as leaders deal with the challenges, especially in communicating, that define our voice.
How to Keep Improving Your Leadership Voice
Finally, how do you keep developing your leadership style? The style you define for yourself in the beginning will not be what it is when you eventually retire. As a young leader, I strove to emulate my director’s voice – she was, at that time, the only role model I had for corporate, professional leadership. At one point, after causing an employee to cry during a performance review, I realized I did not want to be my director. I needed to be myself. On my next leadership assignment, I consciously strove to be authentic and clear, leveraging my own strengths. It was a joy to finally start on a path to finding my voice.
And it is that: a journey. I encourage you to focus on your strengths, work to overcome your prejudices and gather many honest and loving people along the way to course correct. As I noted in the beginning, the only way to find your voice is to use it. Develop it by using it and take the criticism, good and bad, that comes. Learn from the excellent leader as well as the not-so-excellent leader. Be strong in your convictions and yielding in your knowledge. We become better leaders by working with others, by listening, and by doing. I recommend a coach or consultant along the way to help guide, especially if you don’t have that support network where you are.
In the end, self-reflection and self-assessment are the keys to unlock the doing. It’s up to you to find your unique leadership voice and guide your team to their best selves. Leadership is service, and in service, it’s pure joy. You can do it.
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
Winston Churchill
Is this an area that you’re passionate about and want to change for yourself? Conversation and coaching can support you in your change. Feel free to drop me a line to find out how! You can use my contact form here.
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