As a leader, you are required to set direction, to energize, to inspire, to motivate, and to serve and develop others. And, of course, to deliver results that matter.
When it comes to leadership, we are in the relationship and connection business. Leadership is all about people. Your ability to connect with people can make all the difference between great and poor leadership, and between achieving the desired results or failing to achieve them.
You have to make a strong emotional connection in order to inspire and motivate your people. A great way to do that is to tell them your own authentic leadership story. That implies that you know who you are and who you want to become as a leader. Your subordinates or others might often think: “What drives this guy?”
In his book “Your Leadership Story – Use Your Story To Energize, Inspire, And Motivate”, Timothy J. Tobin recommends to let your people know w h y you do what you do. What provides you with a sense of purpose? Where do you want to go? What inspires and motivates you? What are your values as a leader? What are your guiding principles? How do you want to get results? What will you not tolerate?
In order to find answers to the above, you need to ask yourself first a few reflective questions:
– What has been most rewarding in your career? Why?
– What is your quest or challenge as a leader? Where and how do you want to make a difference / have impact?
– What is important to you as a leader? Why?
– What inspires and energizes you as a leader?
– What would you like to accomplish as a leader?
– What are you known for as a leader? What do you want to be known for?
– What is the leadership legacy you want to leave behind?
– What impact do you want to have on others?
– What do you want to do for others?
To successfully connect and bond with your team and your colleagues, share with them your personal experiences, books, stories, incidents from which you have gained your own definition of leadership and your own leadership insights.
Let them know your significant personal milestones: people and events that had a major impact on what you value and how you think as a leader. Hint: very often these are people from your family rather than business people.
There is a popular saying that “Leadership is a journey”. We are all at different points in our leadership journey, but the important thing is to realize that we all still have a lot to learn. You should clearly communicate to your team who you are as a leader today and who you want to become. As Tobin states, “this shifts you from a static mindset to more of a learning and growth mindset, and it adds a level of humility by assuming that you still have something to learn as a leader.”
Sharing your leadership story with your team and others will hold you accountable. And it can be a first step to encourage your colleagues to think about their own leadership story and to share it too. This will greatly enhance understanding and cohesion among team-members and will ultimately lead to a higher performance.
