Last newsletter, I teed up the idea of Leadership Brand.
Our unique Leadership Brand is the HEART of how we lead. It provides you with the life blood that fuels how you live and impact the world.
Leadership Brand answers the question: Who are you as a leader? It’s made from the answers to three important questions:
🤔Who AM I?
🤔What do I DO like no one else can?
🤔What is the IMPACT I have on others, teams, organizations, and the world?
You may be thinking, “Great questions, and I’m getting work done just fine without having to answer these questions. What’s the point? “
You’ve heard the adage: If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. It’s true in the world of work too!
Here’s the point: Life is hard! (No SH*T!) And it gets even harder when you’re working and facing challenges that threaten to push you to behaviors, beliefs, and values that aren’t truly your own.
When we know and own our Leadership Brand, we know our value and impact despite all those insidious challenges that come with navigating the work world. (More on why this is especially important for diversity, equity, and inclusion in our next newsletter.)
Without a clear Leadership Brand, instead of always shaping the work world in a positive way, the work world shapes us, and not always in the best way. (And you don’t even realize it’s happening!)
One last note to those of you who clear your throat and say from your chest, “I’ve got a clear Leadership Brand honed from years of leading.” You sure do, but stay with me. I bet you discover a superpower you didn’t realize you have that will become foundational for even stronger leadership.
Our superpowers come from the unique combination of skills, talents, expertise and lived experience that cannot be replicated by anyone else! Leadership Brand is all about finding those superpowers and making the most of them!
Corporate Soldier Sidebar:
When I talk about Leadership Brand, I’m talking to everyone: those who have the privilege of leading others and those who are individual contributors; those who are on the front lines and those CEOs who are leading organizations from the very top. LB is about what we bring to any situation, project, or organization whether we are leading in our own lives, or leading thousands of others. Some of the best formal leaders were leading long before they were ever placed in an “official” leadership role.
Let’s get started! It’s time for some radical self-honesty. Let’s find your superpowers! (And if you need some help, click here to chat with me one-on-one or sign up for our free LinkedIn Live Webinar!)
Grab your favorite pen and someplace to capture your thoughts. Find some quite time and space and grab some wine, tea, Coke Zero (my personal fave!), whatever your favorite relaxing drink is.
Settle in. Take a couple of deep inhales and slow exhales to get centered.
- VALUES: Identify your core values. These are the things that mean most to you and ANYTHING you do – personally or professionally – must live up to these values. (We discussed this a few newsletters ago. Here’s the link for some help if you need it.)
- PASSIONS: Identify your passions, interests, and the things that bring you joy – personally and professionally. No limits.
- SKILLS & TALENTS: Identify your skills, talents, expertise, and unique lived experiences.
- ZONE MOMENTS: Think through times when you were in the zone while working, volunteering, or doing something personally fulfilling. Zone moments are those times when you lost track of time and experienced joy. Take note of what you were doing, why you enjoyed it, and the skills, expertise, or talents you were using. Complete this sentence: Write as much as you need. I am in the zone when _______________.
You’ve got two weeks, until our next newsletter, to get this information down. Be honest. It’ our number one rule of authenticity!
And don’t look for the connection to work or your current role. Just answer the questions. HONESTLY. We’re on a search for your superpowers! We don’t have time for BS!
Next time, we’ll unveil the next step to process, then we’ll put it altogether.
Until them, remember:
BASIC leaders believe they have the basics (pun intended!) for leadership and that their leadership brand will unfold as they lead and will become apparent over time.
BOLD leaders know that they’re not like anyone else and their leadership brand is driven by their unique skills, talents, expertise, and lived experiences.
BADA$$ leaders know their superpowers – the unique combination of their skills, talents, expertise, and lived experiences – that makes them valuable, and they set out to reveal them, own them, and lead with them, intentionally.
BE AUTHENTIC.
CHOOSE BOLDLY.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Want more help finding your superpowers and figuring out your Leadership Brand? I’ll be hosting a free LinkedIn Live webinar on the steps to Leadership Brand. Click here to sign up.
Recent Comments