The Coach’s Corner Newsletter #85
From the playground to a team meeting to large event – it doesn’t take long to spot people who lead.
It might be the 6-year-old who distributes buckets and shovels with clear instructions on how to create a structure with a moat.
The team lead who’s scoped out the obstacles that are holding folks back from moving forward and offers a path forward.
The keynote speaker who engages you with her first line – because she’s sharing an experience that you relate to and adds value to your work and life.
I’ve worked for leaders who helped shape my path in my career, partnered with leaders who gave me the freedom to grow and thrive, and have been called upon to lead because of the skills I developed through intentional study and experience.
If you operate with a growth mindset, there’s a strong chance you vacillate from taking direction to offering insights on a regular basis. The more you learn, the more you are given the opportunities to step into leadership roles.
As you consider the making of a strong leader, the qualities that stand out to you will most likely be influenced by those leaders you have admired in your life and work.
THIS WEEK’S INSIGHT
What do you look for in a leader?
The Center for Creative Leadership has been researching the traits of leaders for nearly 60 years! They’ve found that the best leaders possess certain qualities and skills and embody 12 leadership traits.
Throughout my journey – from broadcasting to executive coaching – the leaders I’ve encountered demonstrate many of these traits. Exhibiting them is one thing – working at them on a day-to-day basis is what sets the best leaders apart.
The leaders who stand out pay attention to what works, and doesn’t work.
When there is success they repeat, re-create, keep it going. When something misses the mark, they pause. They ask questions, determine what needs to shift and then move forward with a resolution.
Simply put, the best leaders are awake.
THIS WEEK’S TOOL
Reflect on those who led you well
To bring it home, I lean on what I learned more than 3 decades ago from one specific leader.
My big break in broadcasting came in the late 1980s, when I applied for an on-air position at KCBS Radio in San Francisco. After the interview, Charlie Seraphin, who was the news director at the time, delicately informed me there was a writing position he could offer me. Having been ‘coached’ by a colleague to only accept a position I was willing to do, I politely declined his offer and began to pack up my things to leave.
That’s when Seraphin asked me why I thought I could handle an on-air position at this station, coming from a much smaller market. I shared my technical experience running a one-person news department, my riveting (!) 6 years of broadcasting experience and the stories I covered throughout the San Joaquin County area.
Then he made me a different offer.
We just released several engineers. I have an opening on Saturday morning to anchor the news, but it requires you run your own board. You’ll also have to learn our computer system. If you succeed, we’ll consider you for an on-air position. If you fail, you will not be returning to One Embarcadero Center.
I accepted the challenge.
After that fateful Saturday morning audition, I began my career at KCBS Radio.
Seraphin taught me that leadership requires three critical elements: curiosity, clear communication and connection. He was curious, so he asked about my rather high level of confidence that I could tackle this opportunity. He was clear about what I would have to accomplish to get the job done and clear what would happen if I didn’t meet the mark. And he connected by believing in me enough to offer me a chance to succeed, in a totally hands-off approach.
Now it’s your turn. Who’s led you and inspired you with their leadership?
My takeaway
I shared the brilliant work of the Center for Creative Leadership and their 12 leadership traits, because they bring such value to the conversation on leadership.
For each of us – our relationship with strong leaders makes a huge difference in what we look for in leaders around us and how we lead. That’s why people like my former boss have an enduring impact.
Over the next 8 weeks, I’m going to share three key areas where I see leaders shine. I’ll break down their significance and how to build these traits into your current leadership style. I’ll also let you in on the four biggest mistakes leaders tell me they make, followed by the cost of making those mistakes.
It truly matters how you show up. When you decide to focus on the gaps in your leadership that might have you wondering “how did that just happen?” – you’re ready.
Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.
John F. Kennedy
Next week: curiosity.
