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Dear Friends and Clients,

Recently I was invited to speak to the senior managers within a government agency. The group director emphasized that the audience would be composed of people who already are adept leaders. What we want to hear about, she said, is not so much how to lead but rather how to encourage our direct reports to step into leadership in the future.

It was an interesting challenge. I often talk about how we can behave more like leaders, but I wanted to find something new to say about how we can teach and inspire leadership.

I’ve studied leadership for decades, but I decided to do some research on this question: What is the difference between being a leader and fostering leadership around us? I revisited the work of some favorite experts and found some new ones, hoping for insights about how to encourage the growth of new leaders.

I spent far too much time on this pursuit, and ultimately just reinforced my initial gut reaction: The evidence is overwhelming that the best way to grow leaders is to consistently act like a leader yourself.

There’s no short cut. If we want to mentor leaders we need to have a vision of what leadership means, then stick to that vision as often as we can. In this issue I’ll share some aspects of my own vision of leadership.

Warm wishes,
Bev

Encourage Leadership
By Exploring Your
Leadership Vision

September 2, 2008 * Number 87

Leadership is like love – sometimes we know it when we see it, but it’s complex, slippery to define and challenging to study.

To encourage others to lead, we must work to become stronger leaders ourselves. To do so, we can’t simply borrow a formula from experts. Instead, each of us must develop our own vision of what leadership looks like.

In my vision, leadership isn’t only something that we do, but actually reflects what we are. And we can choose what we are, and what we want to become. Furthermore, when we don’t get it right, we can always try again.

Below are more concepts that have shaped my vision of leadership:

Growth
- Your development as a leader is tied to your development as a person.
- To lead change effectively, you must be engaged in changing yourself.
- To look like a leader in the workplace, demonstrate that you can manage yourself. Routinely practice managing your emotions, your energy, your time and your priorities.
Self Awareness
- Management guru Daniel Goleman’s research demonstrated that great leaders are distinguished from the mediocre ones by their level of “emotional intelligence.” And the most important emotional competence is self awareness – knowing your internal states, preferences, resources and intuitions.
- Among the ways to improve self awareness are writing in a journal, developing a meditation practice or working with a coach.
Being Positive
- A leader’s attitude has an enormous impact on the team. Most people are more productive when they are around positive people.
- In the workplace, positive feedback is more effective than negative feedback in promoting change or fostering productivity.
- Even if you were born a pessimist, you can learn to be more upbeat and optimistic.
Mindfulness
- When we are mindful, we are actually listening to and focusing upon the people around us. We feel centered, rather than bored or disconnected.
- We all engage in mindless activity, like when we’re driving our car and realize that we can’t recall the last few miles. And we see that others are mindless, like the guy at the meeting who is playing with his Blackberry instead of listening to the discussion.
- Research shows that other people can tell whether or not our state is mindful. If our team members sense that we are present, they are more likely to see us as genuine and charismatic leaders.
- We can encourage mindfulness in the way we frame our tasks, focus on process instead of just on outcome, and make an effort to actively listen.
Kaizen
- This Japanese management term includes the idea that very small steps can lead to sweeping change. Even if you face serious obstacles, you can move toward big goals by starting with the tiniest imaginable steps.
- To start a big project, take just one small step forward, then commit to another small step every day this week. For example, you can apply Kaizen in your personal life by launching a fitness program with just five minutes of walking each day.

Want More Insights Related to Your Work Life? In addition to providing executive coaching, Bev is available to speak to your group about a broad range of issues related to productivity and leadership. For reviews of helpful books and an extensive archive of Bev’s newsletters, go to Bev's Website Visit her website at www.ClearWaysConsulting.com or email to Bev directly. Bev is associated with Executive Coaching & Consulting Associates.

Bev’s Tips for a Better Work Life is published on the first and third Tuesday of each month by Beverly E. Jones of ClearWays Consulting, LLC. Bev is a lawyer and former executive who now coaches accomplished executives and other professionals to bring new direction, energy and enjoyment to their work lives.

All rights in all media reserved. However, the content of Bev’s Tips for a Better Work Life may be forwarded in full without special permission on the condition that (1) it is for non-profit use and (2) full attribution and copyright notice are given. For other uses please contact Bev Jones.

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