- Geekmaster
- 2020-12-06 10:04:58
- 14 minute(s)
My Proven Ways To Find Your Own Leadership Voice
How to find your own leadership voice? To find your leadership voice, you need to examine your natural talent, what really interests you. And you eventually must listen to the confirming inner voice of your conscience that tells you what is the right thing to do.
Having a confident leadership voice is your key to being a successful leader.
You make decisions based on what you value. From the clients you engage with, to the employees that you hire, your values are reflected in every facet of your leadership style. And your life.
You might be surprised how much a single person can influence the overall image of a whole corporation.
This is a factThis is exactly why it is so important to develop a unique leadership voice and stand by it. The way you hold yourself will influence the well-being of your company.
Voice is an extension of the leader’s person. It’s their brand, their way of doing things, their expertise and how it is communicated.
Those who show strong leadership skills often have developed this sense of voice throughout their careers. For those who haven’t, it may be time to examine it further. Here are a few ways to get started.
Finding your voice is the difference between becoming a bureaucrat and becoming a influential role model. As a leader, what is your purpose, what is your voice?
But it’s not always easy to understand what makes you special and how you can use it to attract people to your business. Here are seven tips on how to find and develop your leadership voice.
Leadership is a hero’s journey
The best leaders are not in the business for personal glory or iron-fisted control.
They lead because they seek to serve a higher purpose and use their unique gifts, talents, and skills to make a positive impact on their organizations and the people they encounter.
Do you have the courage to be an authentic leader, to go in and claim that treasure on your own heroic journey?
Know Your Core Values
At the beginning of their leadership journey, people are often eager to please and unsure how to share their true perspective. They may feel uncomfortable being a dissenting voice. Taking the time to identify your core values helps resolve that sense of uncertainty.
We are all governed by a set of values that act as our inner GPS. Our values govern our decisions, our judgments, our communication and our overall worldview.
This is a factLeaders who identify their core set of values and lead out front with their values are more confident, more courageous and more influential versus leaders who do not. Values are more than just a set of words; they are the core DNA of every leader and are the ingredients of the legacy each leader leaves behind.
To find your voice, you need to examine your natural talent, what you absolutely love to do, what really interests you.
You will find your voice when you can say you are 100% involved with what you are doing in your life, so that your mind, heart and spirit are all engaged in whatever is important to you. And you must listen to the confirming inner voice of your conscience that tells you what is the right thing to do.
Not everyone may agree with your beliefs or how you put them into practice, but you will garner trust and respect by leading via a consistent and core set of practices and values.
Your team will understand how you make your decisions and how you communicate your thoughts, insights and feedback. Think of the leaders that you have had in your life; Those leaders who lived by an open set of values were consistent in the way that they managed and dealt with people and situations.
Self-discovery is an important aspect of effective leadership. A leader without an identified, clear-cut set of values will be directionless and thus, ineffective.
This is a factBy defining your values, you allow your team members, your clients — and more importantly, you — to know what you stand for. This enables you to lead from a foundation comprised of integrity, consistency and accountability.
📚 Additional reading
Self-development is a buzzword at the moment, but for good reason. It is the backbone of finding, developing and bringing your own unique voice.
Claim Your Space
Your value as a person and an employee is inherent, but some workplace structures make it challenging for you to realize it. When it comes to standing up for your worth and your value, don’t be afraid to be loud.
Thought leaders have a strong, identifiable and distinct voice that sets them apart from others.
Their voice is their brand and their audience knows exactly what they stand for and what to expect from them. Most important, they don’t stray from their brand identity and instead look for opportunities to make it even stronger.
It’s time to back yourself, claim your space and raise your voice.
This is a factNot stepping out of our comfort zone breeds mediocrity and allows us to stay safe, which in turn can keep us in a rut. Being courageous is to first recognize your comfort zone and then, with a clear vision in mind, take the necessary steps out of that comfort zone to try out a new behavior, a new skill or a new worldview.
Try to find your inner natural strength. By improving your good qualities, you will be able to become the best version of yourself.
Obviously, pretending to be someone you are not is complete nonsense and will only make you unhappy. However, you can be a better version of yourself rather than someone else completely.
Effective leadership is inexorably linked to influence.
This is a factThe ability to establish credible influential relationships with management and peers who do not need to follow your direction is critical to your success as a leader. Building a brand of leadership based on your capability to influence your community sets any leader apart from their peer group.
📚 Additional reading
You will unfortunately encounter people who are skeptical of, or disinterested in, your growth as a leader. Push past naysayers and your insecurities. Do not fear being wrong. Failure is often the best way to learn.
Leadership is a hero’s journey
The best leaders are not in the business for personal glory or iron-fisted control.
They lead because they seek to serve a higher purpose and use their unique gifts, talents, and skills to make a positive impact on their organizations and the people they encounter.
Do you have the courage to be an authentic leader, to go in and claim that treasure on your own heroic journey?
Never Go Ballistic
The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your influence as a leader. Remember that you are not the hero or the savior, but you play an important role.
Being respectful in all you do is non-negotiable. Great leaders never talk down to people, never belittle people and never use harsh words to beat people down.
Personally, I always do my best to be respectful to others, and I will never tolerate being disrespected by others. A leader is a decision maker and a coach. You can be forceful and direct without being disrespectful.
Leaders that go on ballistic tirades are simply uncontrollable jerks. Tirades don’t fix problems — they make problems worse.
This is a factIf you can’t control your temper, you will never achieve the level of effective leadership you’re capable of. If you feel like you’re going to explode, excuse yourself and take a walk or separate yourself from whatever is setting you off.
Finding your voice, ironically, can be about knowing when to be quiet.
Certain personality types might be more inclined to speak up than others, but anyone can benefit from recognizing the importance of listening before you speak.
Calm leaders inspire more trust and perform better. Employees want to know where they stand with their managers.
This is a factManagers who are calm instead of impulsive, anxious or prone to anger are more likely to inspire trust or loyalty because their employees know where they stand with them. They know that no matter the issue, they can rely on their leaders to find a way forward without losing their cool.
📚 Additional reading
Temperance is voluntary self-restraint from excessive anger or craving for something. It shows up in the form of calmness and self-control. It is an important leadership trait.
Let's Find Your Swag
A crucial component of finding your leadership voice is being comfortable with and confident in who you are. That starts with embracing your strengths and how they are integral to your accomplishments.
Don’t be shy about identifying what makes you unique, and step into how those skills add value to your team and organization.
This is a factTo be confident as a leader, you have to be fearless about introspection and personal development. Most leaders are technical experts, so they have the doing aspect of their roles covered. However, they need to attend to their being — the qualities that make them human.
Confidence comes from preparation and a belief in the value of your ideas and words.
It can be easy to think that you might offend someone, or seem stupid, by offering an opinion that goes against the flow. However, all ideas are valuable and deserve consideration.
It sounds simple, but owing your strengths can sometimes be easier said than done and might even present a big challenge.
The key to this is to get out of your own way with this exercise. Ask yourself whether you are unconsciously limiting yourself to appease other people.
Confidence is the foundation of leadership.
This is a factYou can teach a leader to be an effective problem solver; become more decisive; a better communicator; and many other fundamentals of leadership. Yet, without that leader first believing in himself or herself, true leadership will exist only in title.
📚 Additional reading
The key is to bring any limiting beliefs into awareness. By being aware of them they won’t end up running the show and limiting you when you really are in the boardroom.
Follow Your North Stars
Aspiring and veteran leaders alike both need role models and mentors. Role models can be individuals you already know or people you wish you could.
By identifying what you value in leaders, you will learn more about your own perspectives on leadership.
Once you have a general idea of what kind of leadership voice you want to have, you need to find examples of this very leadership voice. Try to identify why you value their leadership approach. Are they inclusive? Ethical? Charismatic?
Once you’ve selected these people, investigate and try to pinpoint what makes them who they are.
Detect their leadership voices and understand how they created them. Try to read or watch their interviews, read their writing, and even talk to them if you have the chance.
A mentor is a wise and trusted counselor or teacher, an influential senior sponsor or supporter.
He or she can be either internal or external to your organization, but their focus should be broad, deep and sustained. Meaning, you want to find someone who knows what he or she is talking about and has achieved long-lasting results.
The best role models reflect honestly and productively on their own behavior and the impact they have on others.
This is a factThey consider the needs and feelings of others, they’re responsible for their actions and accountable for their mistakes, and, most important, they pay attention to how their words and actions affect others.
📚 Additional reading
Becoming a transformational leader is not a quick or easy undertaking. It’s a life-long commitment so look for someone who’s got the professional performance and lifestyle you desire.
Leadership is a hero’s journey
The best leaders are not in the business for personal glory or iron-fisted control.
They lead because they seek to serve a higher purpose and use their unique gifts, talents, and skills to make a positive impact on their organizations and the people they encounter.
Do you have the courage to be an authentic leader, to go in and claim that treasure on your own heroic journey?
Experience Matters
For those leaders looking to evolve — especially those on the younger end of the workforce spectrum — it might be time for experimentation. They might identify low-risk scenarios in which different approaches are feasible.
Try to make a decision with consensus, then in an authoritative tone and then one in the middle, it will be immediately clear what fits you.
This is a factJust like building a business, this is a process. The earlier you are in your career, the more latitude you have to experiment. If you are already in the public eye with an established approach, it is much harder to make big changes.
Too many leaders mistake words for voice. Use your voice, but use it strategically.
It’s important to know that having a voice really means having a track record of success and accomplishments, so that people want to listen to what you have to say, because you’re saying something of value.
Mastering your voice is important, but it’s not the only important voice in the room.
This is a factCollaboration is crucial to most successful workplaces; giving everyone space to express ideas and giving those ideas due consideration is how interesting things happen. The key is to find a balance between advocating for yourself and giving everyone else the same space to express themselves.
The process of reading and reflecting helps to develop, confirm, and challenge your assumptions of leadership.
Regardless of which mode you choose, as long as you are learning and growing your perspective, you are heading in the right direction. If looking for a sense of community, consider enrolling in a leadership training or education program.
📚 Additional reading
Any organization tends to be cash-strapped and in need of manpower. So, don’t be afraid to ask to lead an initiative or project. Doing so will help stretch your leadership muscles, grow your skills, and develop your confidence.
What's Your Fragrance?
Finding your leadership voice doesn’t mean being perfectly poised and eloquent every time, and it doesn’t mean all your ideas have to be home runs before you can express them.
Change doesn’t take place overnight. Take the time to understand what you’re saying, the impact it can have and that what you say is worth being heard.
This is a factUnderstand that finding your leadership voice is a process that takes time. Leaders will want to take baby steps as they work to discover their voice and slowly adapt their mindset and actions.
Leaders too often look back on their formation with rose colored glasses, forgetting the painful setbacks, and fear of bigger chances they had to overcome to reach where they are.
They mistakenly universalize their current level of ability as the yardstick to assess those further behind them. The danger is that followers feel unrealistic pressures to develop faster than possible, and leaders naively expect accelerated progress that should take years instead of months.
Expressing appreciation is the most essential part of your leadership voice. It’s so easy in the heat of battle and chasing goals to allow accomplishments to pass by unappreciated.
This is a factExpressions of appreciation cost nothing, and yield wonderful returns. Appreciation makes the effort worthwhile. Appreciation refines your culture. Appreciation shines a spotlight on the right behavior for others to emulate.
If you need to cheerlead your team to hit goal, then be a cheerleader and let your people feel your passion. Never play the blame game.
If your team hit goal, accomplished something great, had a win — celebrate it. Shine a spotlight on it. Wins feel good. Great leaders make wins feel even better.
📚 Additional reading
Great leaders have always inspired people to be self-aware, to find themselves and to find their voice – that is the essence of greatness. People and organizations who have truly found their voices go on to become great.
Final Thoughts
All in all, finding your leadership voice is not as difficult as it seems. Once you know what you who you want to be like and understand your abilities, you will be able to conquer the world with only your charisma and leadership skills.
Like any skill, finding and exercising your leadership voice is an ongoing process.
New circumstances or personalities will test it. By making slow, steady steps, you’ll be well positioned to navigate new challenges with an increasingly strong voice.
As leaders, we are privileged to hold keys that can unlock our own voice as well as the voices of those we lead.
This is a factIf we persistently keep digging, the treasure waiting to be revealed is plentiful and extraordinary. The key is to find a balance between advocating for yourself and giving everyone else the same space to express themselves.
All that you are and are not communicates through your leadership voice.
Your leadership voice is uniquely yours because it embodies who you are, how you think and how you behave. Your written words speak. Your voice, inflection and tone speak.
Start building your legacy as a leader by voicing your confidence, courage, and commitment. Life is too short to not use your voice.
Now, over to you! Have you had trouble finding your leadership voice? What are some ways that you’ve been a leader, even if it wasn’t in a traditional leadership role? Tell us in the comments below.
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