Everyone expects leaders to have energy, vision, and good management tactical and strategic skills. That's table stakes for leaders in good organisations.
But that's where the similarity ends. Leaders come in many different shapes and forms - in personality, style, preferred working modes and values.
Knowing and building on your differences is a serious advantage in a world where teams need to be up and running overnight and where networking is so critical.
THE DIFFERENCES THAT MATTER
An obvious difference could be a nationality, distinctive dress style, haircut, or handshake. That may be part of the mix but it is typically qualities that relate to other people like imagination, loyalty & expertise that truly set you apart.
It can be hard to identify what makes you different by yourself but if you work with an experienced communication coach you can figure this out together. Some of the differences I have seen are based on unusual experiences, a super-developed skill or unconventional problem-solving. The most powerful ones though were based on a faith, a particular passion or a life event that had formed that person. These really let you break away from the pack.
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
Anything can be a difference, but it is important to communicate it.
We've known this for a long time. Aristotle was on to this thousands of years ago in his famous work Rhetoric. He talks about Ethos - what an audience thinks about a speaker's character being an essential part of a leader's communication and her chance of perusading them - or these days we'd say inspiring and moving them to action.
I came across a development of these ideas 20 years ago in a book with a great title written by two of my business school professors, Why Should Anyone Be Led By You? The authors believe that great leaders dare to be different and reveal their differences selectively. I agree and have worked on this with the leaders I have coached for a long time.
Sound too manipulative ? Bear in mind you're doing it anyway in your behaviour, style of speech, voice, gestures and the choices you make about when, why and how you communicate.
Every group I have ever worked with has had a clear sense of the person communicating from the first second they set eyes on her.
But there are two much better reasons to do this:
It allows you to be authentic. That's a base requirement for connecting with anyone in this age of no-trust.
The people who show these deep rooted differences are bringing their whole selves to work. That's the way to connect with and inspire your team on a profound level.
You can see the main points in the classic Harvard Business Review article which won the HBR McKinsey Award for best HBR article that year. https://hbr.org/2000/09/why-should-anyone-be-led-by-you .
Comments