Tag: Authentic Leaders

Are You A Servant Leader?

by Bright Osadiaye, posted in Health & Well-Being, Improve Academy, Leadership, Management, Personal Development, Workplace Learning
Photo by Tru1ea7n Long on Pexels.com

The question is, ‘Are you a servant leader?’ If you are not, it is never too late. You can learn it.

According to Ken Blanchard and Renee Broadwell, ‘To volunteer to willingly give up one’s life as a soldier for the greater cause is perhaps the most profound example of servant leadership.’

‘True leadership is not about being a master- it’s about being a servant.’

‘Authentic servant leadership cannot come from the outside in. It comes from the inside out.’

‘To do what you say, you have to know what you want to say.’

‘To lead others, you have to learn about yourself.’

‘Inside-out leadership is about discovering who you are, what drives you to do what you do, and what gives you the credibility to lead others.’

‘Inside-out leadership is about becoming the author of your own story and the maker of your own history. Inside-out leadership is also the only way to respond to what your people want from you.’

‘Leadership credibility is about connecting voice and touch, and practicing what you preach, and about doing what you say you will do.’

‘If you don’t find your voice, you may find yourself with a vocabulary that belongs to someone else, mouthing words that were written by a speechwriter who is nothing like you at all.’

‘True servant leadership means you are called to care– not to just feel sorry for someone or feel sympathy or empathy- but to do something.’

Source:

Ken Blanchard and Renee Broadwell (2018). Servant Leadership in Action: How You Can Achieve Great Relationships and Results

Why Leading With Gratitude Is More Important Than Ever

by Bright Osadiaye, posted in Health & Well-Being, Improve Academy, Leadership, Management, Personal Development, Workplace Learning
Photo by alleksana on Pexels.com

Gratitude is not a strategy. It is a way of life. It is how you see the world around you. It is how you see yourself. It is how you do your work. It is how you treat people. It is how you face challenges. Above all, gratitude is a way of saying, ‘Life is great, no matter what!’

According to Adrian and Chester, ‘A lack of gratitude is a form of stupidity. It leaves on the table an enormously powerful tool not only to inspire people to reach their potential, but to actually better understand the true nature of their contributions.’

‘Developing genuine gratitude involves carefully observing what employees are doing, walking in their shoes, developing greater empathy, and sincerely trying to understand the challenges they face.’

‘Developing respect is about helping others grow and supporting people who make honest mistakes. It includes sharing the credit and absorbing blame when needed.’

‘When the right behaviors are in place, there is little time spent in fear.’

‘… gratitude provides clarity about whether the work they are doing is correct, valued by the boss or others, and making a significant contribution to the business.’

‘Expressing authentic gratitude is about much more than what a leader says, or even how she says it- it’s about why she says it.’

‘If employees are afraid of punitive actions, they are more likely to try to cover up problems.’

‘Leaders who develop empathy for others are great enablers of authentic gratitude.’

‘Creativity requires trust. Cultures of low trust, where managers react badly to failure, create too negative an environment for productivity and innovation to flow.’

‘Avoid the over-ask- especting too much from employees by asking for ideas that are out of their purview or asking too many questions at once.’

Source:

Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton (2020). Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results