Written by Santarvis Brown, Leadership Engineer
Dr. Santarvis Brown has spent 15+ years serving as a leader, innovator, and changemaker in education, showcasing in-depth insight as an administrator, educator, and program director.
Impactful and intentional leadership doesn’t always come naturally. That’s okay! There are some factors you can keep in mind that will help you refine your leading style and reach your employees on a whole new level. In this post, we’re beginning a new series: the “ABCs of impactful and intentional leadership.” We’ll explore letters A through D.
A: Authenticity
Few things are as effective in leadership as authenticity. When you are honest about yourself and allow that honesty and transparency to shine during your interactions, your employees will be more likely to connect with you as a person. This is important because building respect and trust is crucial to forming impactful professional relationships.
What does authenticity look like in leadership? Authentic people are human. They have realistic emotions and reactions and do the things they say they do. You don’t have to break down at work during an emotional time but acknowledging that you’re going through a rough patch can endear you to the people you lead and let them know that you’ll understand when they’re struggling, too. You should also be prepared to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
B: Boldness
Effective leaders are bold. They know what they’re looking for in their professional and personal lives and take the steps needed to get there. Having dreams and goals is common, but having the boldness to follow through even when leaps of faith are required is not. It takes courage to make risky decisions, but sometimes you can’t succeed unless you do.
Be brave and keep moving toward success. Demonstrate fearlessness to your employees and they’ll be more willing to take (well-considered and sanctioned) chances in their own careers. This willingness to take action makes a big impact on the people around you.
C: Compassionate communication
We’ve already talked about authenticity in this post. Compassionate communication goes hand-in-hand with it. Authentic people with human emotions and realistic reactions to life’s stressors are more likely to communicate compassionately with the people they are leading. Leaders must stay in touch with their employees’ lives and remember to lead with heart. The best leaders genuinely care about the people around them and are understanding and compassionate when something goes wrong.
Compassion will gain you more goodwill than almost any other trait on this post. Always treat the people you interact with, even if you don’t get along, respectfully.
D: Direct and to-the-point
The last letter we’ll talk about today is directness. Impactful leaders don’t beat around the bush – they figure out exactly what needs to be done and do it. Instead of hinting about a new project or even a potential problem with completed work, impactful leaders approach their employees directly and clearly describe the topic in question. This open and honest communication doesn’t need to be aggressive, either. Sometimes just sitting down with a list and moving through all of your concerns methodically can make a big difference in an employee’s willingness to change.
Are you interested in becoming the best leader you can be? Keep this post in mind and keep an eye out for our next batch of letters!
Santarvis Brown, Leadership Engineer
Dr. Santarvis Brown has spent 15+ years serving as a leader, innovator, and changemaker in education, showcasing in-depth insight as an administrator, educator, and program director. A noted speaker, researcher, and full professor, he has lent his speaking talent to many community and educational forums, serving as a keynote speaker. He has also penned several publications tackling issues in civic service, faith, leadership, and education.
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