It’s Really the Only Way to Have the Impact You Want to Have

“As a leader, you are always on stage. People are always paying attention to what you’re saying, what you’re doing, what you’re not saying, what you’re not doing. And they’re always making choices around whether they want to follow or whether they have to follow. If they want to follow you, that’s where you get the commitment, loyalty, engagement, and trust — all of the things that can make a difference to your organization.”

— Kimberly Davis

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Summary

As leaders, we can often fall into the trap of focusing most of our attention on the work of achieving desired outcomes. While achieving outcomes is critical for organizational success, authentic leaders also focus on how they are showing up to lead the people doing the day-to-day work to achieve those desired results. Focusing their attention there forces the leader to be vulnerable, to think more in terms of “we” than “I.” Focusing their attention on the people doing the work engages the leader’s innate curiosity, and that curiosity gives rise to empathy. Empathy nourishes emotional intelligence, which is the cornerstone of sustained impact.

My Guest

And someone who knows more than a thing or two about brave leadership is our guest in this episode, Kimberly Davis, author of the best-seller Brave Leadership, TEDx speaker, and founder of the Brave Leadership University.

Takeaways

√ People experience a form of grief when organizations go through layoffs.

√ Leadership is akin to being onstage because people are always looking at you, watching what you will say and do.

√ “Brave Leadership” is the act of staying true to who you are when the pressure is at its greatest.

√ The super-objective that we set for ourselves defines the impact that we want to have on others.

√ How you show up is how people see you, not what you believe. Authenticity is in the eye of the beholder.

√ If you are not curious about people, you cannot bring empathy to the conversation, and if you are not empathetic, you cannot be authentic and have the impact you want to have.

√ Because organizations are numbers-driven, leaders tend to focus on the work as opposed to the people doing the work.

√ Real presence doesn’t show up in the absence of obstacles.