As a licenced affiliate and certified coach of The Frisina Group’s ‘Center for Influential Leadership’ I am honoured to present the following excerpt from their April 2019 guest newsletter from the Director of The Frisina Group, Robert W. Frisina:
A Leader’s Legacy
We can’t begin to think of having a legacy until we truly grasp the difference between leading and managing. While many of us can clearly explain the difference between the two, the fact is that many of us go about daily business simply managing things, without making the attempt to lead or influence others. In these uncertain times it is time to choose to resolve, if you have not already done so, to become an influential leader. Regardless of your status or titled position of authority, make the effort to be influential in the lives others around you in your workplace. Mark Twain said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” If you believe you were born to lead others, commit to doing it in an influential way.
The first step in any new direction is typically changing the way we think. The internal changes you can make to become an influential leader are self-examination, sincerity, and soliciting feedback. It is critical for you, as a leader, to be self-aware as it is the key to unlocking your leadership potential. So, what does it truly mean to be an influential leader in your workplace, and how do you accomplish that goal.
Simply stated, self-examination is the fastest route to becoming self-aware. Yet, a great many leaders do not take a look inside, possibly afraid of what they might discover. The irony is that these same leaders are masters at conducting root-cause analyses on the failures within their organizations. However, such examinations often do not lead to improvement or change in processes. They can diagnose failure or non-performance without being able to translate that diagnosis into a solution. Still other leaders choose to cope with organizational problems rather than evaluate and then solve them. Neither of these two options will improve your leadership influence or organizational performance.
What is true of organizations is also true of individuals. That truth is reason enough to signal a need for self-examination. Add to this fact the interpersonal conflicts or behavioural clashes that leaders face on a daily basis, and you have all the indicators that something is wrong and that “something” must be addressed. Do not mistake behavioural conflicts for personality or style issues, because they are different. Behaviour is a matter of choice, while personality is an inherent trait. Self-examination is the key to making the right behaviour choice to recognizing poor habits. It is the action predicated on the ability of being self-aware. Becoming self-aware is the starting point for becoming an influential leader. We cannot become influential until we become aware of the impact our behaviour has on others in our workplaces.
Start putting all these ideas into action and watch your workplace transform into the thriving productive place you have always wanted it to be. Leadership is about performance improvement from the top to the bottom of the organization and performance is the only thing that matters. High level performance results from doing the right things at the right time. Your behaviour must change to meet these demands. The success of your organization depends on it and so does your legacy. That’s worth thinking about today.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.