Welcome to Impactful Leadership

There are many types of leaders, some who have a positive impact on their people, customers, organizations, and communities, and some who do not. Leadership is not about position or determined by your position on an organisational chart.

Leaders can be found at all levels within an organization and community. They are seen in all walks of life. Leaders are individuals who step up and want to create a positive mark in the world. They’re obsessed with making a difference and creating positive change.

Being an impactful leader is not about the clothes you wear, the car you drive, or how charismatic you may appear. Instead, an impactful leader stands out from the crowd because of the WAY THEY LEAD. They combine head and heart to lead by genuinely influencing people to believe, trust, and join in the vision.

The moment you stop learning, you stop leading

Furthermore, Impactful leadership is about crafting your own unique leadership style.

There is no one-size-fits-all way to lead. Your leadership will reflect on your own values, character traits, and talents. As you learn to integrate the knowledge to best suit and reflect WHO YOU ARE. Use what you already possess and build more from there. You are unique. Make that uniqueness you’re your own signature impactful leadership style.

This Months Themes

Welcome to Impactful Leadership

Research has shown that leadership is the greatest influence on the way people behave and their attitude to their organisation. In essence, leadership is critical to business success.

However, every year thousands of employees are hired or promoted into new leadership or management roles and every year an astounding number of them do not perform as well as they could.

Actually, research would indicate that

“…Nearly 60% of managers underperform during their first two years in the seat, driving performance gaps and employee turnover across the organisation.”

Misconceptions of leadership

Leadership is not an exclusive club reserved for those who were “born with it.” The traits comprising the raw materials of leadership can be acquired. Link them up with desire and nothing can keep you from becoming a leader.

Some people have a more intuitive grasp of how to lead than others. BUT Ultimately, leadership is developed, not discovered. In other words, we can all LEARN to become better leaders

John Quincy Adams says: If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

Rosalyn Carter says: A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go but ought to be.

Leadership is Important. That’s a given.

When you get promoted to leadership your ROLE changes. Conceptually, every individual in an organization has responsibilities to fulfil – those of which translate into tasks and activities, as well as end results. An important factor to note here is that employees are evaluated on the basis of their INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION toward the fulfilment of their responsibilities; what they INDIVIDUALLY produce, create, or impact.

On the other hand, leaders, supervisors and managers are evaluated on the basis of the performance, output, results, or profits of the group, department, or company for which they are responsible. They also have responsibilities which include goals, objectives, and performance results. Supervisors, managers, and executives must be concerned about the COLLECTIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS of their respective group, department, or company rather than individual performance.

Rocket Results – Impactful Leadership

‘Impactful Leadership’ is an action program. Obviously, nothing ever really happens without some kind of action. Taking action that is constructive and that leads to worthwhile consequences requires thinking, planning and goal setting. Before you begin you need to internalise one concept: neither this program nor any other can lead you from wish to fulfilment without constructive actioned participation on your part. You are the key to any successful personal development program.

Galileo, in the fifteenth century, pointed out that you cannot be taught anything. You can only find or discover truth inside yourself. You must then become involved. You must be willing to take action and to implement the concepts given to you. The approach and design of all methods employed in this program are both practical and action-oriented.

What outcomes are we trying to achieve?

Where are you leading your team?

What am I going to do THIS WEEK to improve my Leadership?

Exercise

Activity: on a scale of 1 – 10, where would you put yourself as a leader? 

Activity: Do you have a plan to move further up the scale? If so, what is it?