Let’s get right to the point. The foundation of leadership begins with four habits that must be practiced daily. These four habits will easily guide you to your integrity…which is rarely spoken of in the game of leadership. We all think it and we all think we live it, but in all honestly (no pun intended)…it’s your followers that observe your integrity the most. And in most cases, who is going to address their leader’s integrity?
Most likely, if you were asked to describe yourself as a leader, the adjectives you would use may not be the same that your team would use to describe you. Your team may never know the depth of who you are as a person, but they know your actions well. So in this regard, their adjectives become the truth. After all, the team’s opinion is what matters the most when you are working to create transformation.
Before you decide that, you need to step back and look at your own foundation of leadership, it’s important to understand one thing. Finding your integrity is not a one and done. Its not a lifetime warranty or a quick fix. It takes time and yet has to be done over and over again to stay current on the knowledge of “self.” Although the in between of these four steps look different for everyone, the actions required are the same.
Catching your breath simply means to take time to reflect. To relax yet ponder, and to dig up the roots of who you are. We live the rat race everyday. This requires our mental and physical energy and leaves us depleted. Although “catching your breath” sounds great on a vacation, this can’t be expected to happen only a few times a year.
From ten minutes to an hour a day, find your place to be alone in solitude and look back on your values and your actions. Did your words hurt others or build trust? Was your motive based on personal gain or service? Did you treat others with respect? Does your team feel appreciated?
The act of catching your breath definitely involves relaxing your mind and going “mindless.” (Enter Netflix). But beyond that there is a space where a clear, uninterrupted mind can find a spark of new creativity and a breathe of fresh air to focus on the long-term goals ahead.
Judgement exists in us all. As much as we wish we lived a life of only positivity, there is always a victim of comparison and its either you or someone else. It’s important to recognize that victim and accept their value as a person.
Did you ever hear the saying, “there is always going to be someone better than you”? Well, it’s true. For some of us, we live in a bubble. We think we have found the best and it is “you.” We hold our head high above others and compare our greatness to the weakness of the next person.
My friend you have found the comparison victim. The victim is the person you judge to be less than who you are. The one you have no time for and have resorted to gossip or plain ignorance. This person becomes the victim of your arrogance.
But then there is another type of comparison victim. It is you. You become a victim when you choose to compare yourself to someone you believe is better than you. With this mentality, if you perceive someone as having more potential or intelligence than you, you feel like a failure.
Deciding to let go of whomever this victim may be is difficult. It’s a complete mind shift in being able to see yourself and make necessary changes. Undeniably, this is the hardest habit to form, yet achievable. It’s all in your willingness to make it a point of reflection everyday.
This step is huge, huge, huge! Anything you want to do after this is possible. It’s the “small people” that often seem to get left behind by the leader. Custodians, interns, secretaries, book keepers, new hires, veteran employees and the list goes on. It may be those that seem like they don’t contribute to the overall mission. While most leaders would say these individuals are appreciated, some times their actions do not show it.
We’ve all been that low man on the totem pole. Looking back, sometimes I see how nice it was to go unnoticed and require less interaction, but all in all, even at that time in my life I needed recognition. Every human being needs recognition and often. This is for the simple fact that we were all created to need love and attention.
Recognition privately and often can make people feel appreciated and in turn appreciate you. Having conversations that evoke emotion by both parties creates a relationship of trust and camaraderie. This step takes time and can sometimes be exhausting and keep you behind on what you would consider your “real” work to be. But understand…this IS your REAL work. Impacting people in a direction that leads to their good and not your own.
I said it before. This takes TIME and has to be done DAILY. The ability to stop in the middle of your busy day and focus on others takes practice and for some, learning a new skill. But in the end, the outcome for others, your mission and vision, and even yourself will change the face of an organization.
We are already exhausted in our day to day, but is your exhaustion tied to your integrity and the good of others? It’s exhausting to build trust and take time to “see” individuals. More than that, it’s exhausting to reflect. But by following these steps on a daily basis the outcome will always lead you on the path you are searching for. The foundation of your leadership.
