Building your leader reputation
You can't simply declare yourself a leader. Not even when you land your first role as a manager of other people. Your leadership is defined by the influence you wield, your clout. You may have some authority as a hierarchical boss, but you only lead those who decide to be led by you. Leadership is not something you can force onto people. Rather it is a function of the extent to which you can attract people to your vision, making them want to be a part of what you're working towards, and inviting them in to join you. You'll build your reputation with every action, interaction and decision you're making. People will be watching whether you know your stuff, whether you do what you say you will, and make up their minds as to whether you care about what you're working for and care about them. If you want to build clout as a leader, work on these things.
Setting clear expectations that are understood is a critically important basic, but it will only take you so far. People who know what they should be delivering but don't buy into it or who have not had a chance to claim any ownership in it are unlikely to make it their highest priority. You'll be forever chasing them, causing frustration on both sides. You'll be better off attracting them to your cause, drawing them in. Paint the picture of why this matters to you and to the organisation, and invite them to consider how it can matter to them. Give them space to make a meaningful contribution and help them learn from it. Treat them as intelligent, creative beings, and set them up to succeed. Most people don't want to disappoint. Wanting to live up to such an expectation will accomplish much more than a mere SMART objective. Not to diminish that, but know its usefulness and its limitations.
Take a moment to take stock of your recent actions, your conversations, your approach, and consider to what extent they have
encouraged or discouraged
energised or drained
empowered or demoralised
the people at the receiving end. If you're not sure, how likely are they to have had these effects now that you think about it? Are there a few relevant people you can actually ask?
Keep doing this reflection regularly to hold yourself accountable to being the leader you want to be. Without it you may be missing unintended consequences of some of your actions. The reflections give you a chance to course correct quickly.
Would you like a deeper dive into how you’re building your leader reputation? Get in touch, I can help.
