Would you like to upgrade your leadership style to more real, effective, and authentic?

First, don't pretend to be anyone else.  Be yourself and embody the qualities that resonate with you, like compassion, clarity and calm assurance, and work with these three vital keys to your success.

Key #1: Look to leaders that you admire.

Find leaders that you admire and ponder:

• What traits do they have?
• How do they interact with a team and work under pressure?
• What about them engenders the respect and admiration of others?

What you are doing is standing on the shoulders of leaders who have walked before you, leaders that you would like to be more like with your own unique flair.

Ideally, find a mentor.  Ask a leader that you admire, someone in your field of expertise. to help you become the leader you aspire to be, especially now that you are clear about the qualities you are choosing to embody.  And, as you look around and find a leader to guide you, remember that the leadership skills that you most admire in others are already inside of you, otherwise, you would not recognize them!

What you are doing is gaining the confidence to apply those skills.  So, be humble. Be in learning mode, open to all possibilities and open to constructive feedback.  Apply what you learn, what is shared with you in your day-to-day life. Make it real on the ground.

Having a mentor (or even two) can be a game changer; so, summon the courage within and ask for guidance.

Key #2: Stop putting yourself first.

Leadership is about service, inspiring others to do and be their best.  So, while you take care of yourself, develop and nurture yourself as a leader, share the best of yourself with others - especially those under your guidance and care.

Pay attention and review at the end of every day how you are doing. Ask yourself, “Am I inspiring the people around me to dream, learn, do and be more?”  If not, what are you going to do differently? And even if the answer is ‘yes’, there is always a better way.   So, ask yourself, “How could I do things differently? How can I improve?”

Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler were two great leaders, one for the good of humanity and the other not, and they had very different leadership styles.  Anyone who spent time with Churchill felt that they could do anything.  Anyone who spent time with Hitler, felt that he could do anything. 

A great leader, which is what we are or are aspiring to be, inspires and instills hope.  And, leadership is a balancing act, knowing when to listen and support and when to act and require action.  As a leader, you are often the deciding voice, the decision maker. Instead of focusing on your authority, focus on being of service.  Focus on serving not only your clients and customers, but the people that work under your command, the people you owe a duty of care.

Hold the bar high. Give your people the support, training, encouragement, mentorship and resources they need to succeed. 

Put your ego aside and focus on their needs. Their success is your success.   It’s not about you; it’s about your people, your team, the people and groups that make your success possible.

Key #3: Find the right balance between personal and professional.

Get to know your people, and set clear and appropriate boundaries, guidelines, and goals.  

If you want your people, your team to be successful, to have great results, they must know exactly what is expected of them; what to do, for whom and by when.  Give them all the details and on-going mentoring, guidance, encouragement and support so that they will succeed. Don’t dictate and disappear.

Lead from a space of calm assurance. Don’t be a drama queen or dump on them. Don’t bring your personal life, your concerns about family, friends, health or finances, into the office; it’s draining and potentially toxic.  Be kind, supportive and professional.

Know that you are always evolving as leader, that the guidance is coming from inside of you as you follow your intuition and adopt a way of communicating and leading that feels natural and comfortable for you.  Leadership style is not a hat that you take on and off.  It's how you act and how you are all the time.

People may still have their opinions about you, calling you bossy or other names. These labels say a lot more about them than you.  You can’t please everyone. It’s a recipe for disaster to base your style on the opinions of others.

Sometimes rocking the boat and making waves means that you are doing a great job.  Being authentic is always better than being anything else.   Being true to yourself and working in service of other is what authentic leadership is all about, and this leads to genuine, lasting success.