One life influencing another

I attended a great networking event last night where Orlaith Carmody was the main speaker and mentioned this quote which really resonated with me.

She went on to say how authenticity is key to great leadership which I am a firm believer of. If we can not be authentic, how can we expect to lead others and them take notice. She also mentioned how important it is to demonstrate what you do so that others can learn from you. Learning is something that we should all continue to do on a daily basis and being open to learning is so important.

The world of work is getting more complex with more working from home, teams based in different locations and of course the challenge of leading multiple generations. Gen Y or Millenials are much more collaborative, they like to be included, to share ideas to have their opinion taken into account and to be valued for their contribution. This is so different to Gen X who are more of a "get on with it mentality" and as many Managers and Leaders may be Gen X they really need to think about their approach if they are to get the best out of their teams - being valued is more important than money and this needs to be factored in to how you manage your team on a daily basis with retention becoming an issue in many businesses.

When looking further into Leadership, it really begins with ourselves - we have to be happy and content with our self and what we do - linking back again to being authentic - how can you be authentic if you dislike your job? Then we need to look at our family/ the people who support us, then onto the community - what do we give back? And finally at the business. Orlaith had heard this on her many travels I think from an American gentleman and it really is an interesting view and one to be considered.

We did a couple of great thought provoking exercises on the night also - something for you to try -

1. Leaders are not afraid to pivot in the moment - think of a time when you or a leader you know did that - what did it tell you about them/ you?
2. Being comfortable in dealing with very difficult situations is a sign of a true leader - have you done that or avoided a situation?
3. Think of a time when you had a light bulb moment - what was it and how did you know it was the right decision/ direction to go in.

We are often so busy doing that we don't take the time to reflect and think about what we have learnt from our experiences. These exercises should help you do that and if you can't answer them or are disappointed with your responses, think about what you can do to make a change in your behaviour to support your own development towards being a great leader.

Think also about how you behave when you meet new people - Leaders are really curious about other people - they don't talk about themselves, they ask lots of questions, they are present and in the moment and they listen and demonstrate that they are being attentive - be honest - is that you? I know I tend to start off well and then can't help but talk too much - this links well to the work I shared earlier this week from Melissa Curley - another great speaker.

Listening to Orlaith was great and I took a lot from this and am looking forward to reading her book "Perform as a Leader"