Career Winners Circle

By now, we’ve all been told countless times to stop apologizing every ten minutes. We also know that we lose our effectiveness and credibility every time we pre-qualify a statement with things like “maybe this is a dumb question” or “I’m sure I must be missing something here”.  Yet many of us continue with this behavior and too often, we don’t pay enough attention to messages we’re sending out. 

We go about our daily routines, attending meetings, discussing business challenges and opportunities, dabbling in a little strategy, fixing a problem or two and call it a day.  It’s in these everyday moments our voice and leadership tone is being established.   When we focus on strengthening our voice, it should go well beyond the basics.   And when done properly can be highly effective in defining who we are as a leader.

Having a strong voice provides much needed clarity for your team and business partners.  The lack of it is very often the thing standing in the way of your next promotion.  If you find yourself doing a great job and feeling good about getting things done, but then attending a Happy Hour celebrating someone else’s promotion instead of your own; maybe you should take a look at the leadership tone you’ve established.

There are five key areas you should focus on to make sure you’re putting your best voice forward. 

Establish a tone that aligns with your core values.  When we look at our unique set of core values as a leader, there are often a few non-negotiables that we all have.  Weather it’s honesty, integrity, transparency or continuous improvement; we should all have values we anchor to. Some of my clients had a leadership tone that was inconsistent with their core values and it was holding them back. As an example, they placed a strong emphasis on transparency yet continually sprung big news on the team at the last minute.  It’s no wonder their teams and stakeholders were confused and uncertain.  There are three simple rules here. Know who you are; Do what you say; Say what you do.

Are you the carrot or the stick? While every situation calls for a specific response, we all have our natural preferences in how we communicate, motivate and deal with difficult situations.  If you are a peace maker, you may focus on the positive with reaffirming communication techniques. If you are hard-driving and no-nonsense, then you probably skew to having more direct conversations.  What’s the right tone?  The one that feels most authentic to you. What’s important is that you use your natural style to your advantage and you are able to adjust your communication style for each situation to get the best out of people.

Set clear strategies and goals. Establishing an inspiring vision and strategy and aligning attainable goals is a critical element in setting the tone for your organization. As you set the tone for your teams, you need to frame the purpose and the “what’s in it for me” into your messaging to them.  It’s an element many leaders overlook.  If your strategy doesn’t resonate, you can’t inspire followership. If the goals don’t align with the strategy or are perceived as too lofty, your team will give up before you even get started.  It’s important for you to own your messaging, inspire passion around the vision and make the necessary connections for all levels within your team.

Don’t be afraid to have high expectations.  In order to get the most out of high performing teams you need to have high expectations and set clear goals.  Many of my clients often fall into the trap of working their tails off to be successful yet they make allowances and excuses for their teammates who fail to deliver to the same standards. Leading by example is a great way to set the tone but it’s not enough.  You need to communicate performance expectations and clearly define what success looks like.   If each member of your team cannot define success at a moment’s notice, you have more work to do.   The best leaders continuously reach for more and help their teams do the same. Don’t be afraid of setting the bar high and falling a little short. With the right support and a little room for error, the business results will be far better than if you had set the bar lower and succeeded.

Demonstrate Consistency.  I cringe every time a client says “I wonder which boss I am going to have today?”   Inconsistency is a silent killer for women in leadership.  Fair or not, the rules are different for us and we need to be constantly aware of what we’re putting out there.  I’m not suggesting that we always have to be happy or intense or the perpetual motivator. We do need to have acute situational awareness and respond as consistently as possible.  Be sure to celebrate the wins, correct the mistakes, have the difficult conversations, and lay down the hammer when the team needs a swift course correction – but do these things consistently and authentically. My personal style was always 80% love, 20% fear. The team knew we could have fun, challenge each other, work hard and do some really cool things but they also knew I had my limits and when pushed, they knew they would be held accountable.  Inconsistency often stems from taking the situation too personally.  When you take things personally, your objectivity gets a bit murky and your responses lack the consistency and pragmatism your team needs from you.  The important thing is don’t take things personally but do what feels natural, hone your skills so they are effective for your teams and stay the course.

When you establish a tone that is authentic and consistent, actively listen, and focus on transparency, you can be a leader with a strong voice.  Your teams will appreciate you as someone they can rely on which will result in fewer missteps and better business outcomes for everyone involved.

Are you looking to grow your career and strengthen your leadership style? Schedule a complimentary coaching session at https://go.oncehub.com/OwnYourPower.