28 days

Each day in February, I posted an insight into leadership to help you access more of your greatness, so you live and lead with greater fulfilment and impact. 

Below is the collection of all 28 posts and I invite you reflect on how they could help you access more of your own and others’ leadership greatness. 

Day 1: 

Management and leadership are like two hands that wash each other. They both matter for different reasons. Everything you do to get a desired result, requires management. Everything you do to positively affect the quality of your working relationship, requires leadership. To get a better result through others, first improve the quality of your relationships.

 Day 2: 

You are never not leading – 24/7 and always in a 360° context. Everything you say and do, or not say and not do, impacts the thinking and behaviour of others. Be mindful of your intentions behind what you say and do – the impact is lasting.

Day 3: 

As a leader, more important than to secure others’ agreement is to obtain others’ acceptance. Leaders know that when others feel heard, understood, and respected, they are more likely to accept a decision they may not necessarily agree with.

Day 4: 

As a leader, your experience – what you’ve done, and your expertise – what you know are prerequisites – they do not differentiate you. The reason others decide to follow you, is because of your essence – who you are.

Day 5: 

As a leader, rather than try being interesting, be interested.

Day 6: 

Just because you have recognised someone, doesn’t mean they fell appreciated by you. Leaders recognise others for what they have achieved; they appreciate them for who they are. Leaders recognise others for their expertise: they appreciate others for their openness to learn and to change. Leaders recognise others for their help; they appreciate them for how they made them feel. The art of leadership is to know and show when each matters most.

Day 7: 

As a leader, more important than the quality of your answers, is the power of your questions. Learning happens in thinking and less so in listening.

Day 8: 

It’s not that we didn’t have time, it’s that we didn’t allocate time. We allocate time to whatever we believe to be important. Often, it’s to the unimportant.

Day 9: 

To be the best leader you can be, be the leader you wish you had.

Day 10: 

As a leader, rather than fake it until you make it, believe it until you become it.

Day 11: 

Management comes from you to others; leadership comes through you for others.

Day 12: 

As a leader, rather than focus on what you expect to get and take from others, focus on what you intend to bring and give to others.

Day 13:

If what you are about to say is of no value nor benefit to the person you’re talking with or about, don’t say it.

Day 14: 

Cohesive teams more towards the convergence of thinking, collaborative teams start from the divergence of thinking. Collaboration dances with difference; cohesion dances with sameness.

Day 15: 

Collaboration dances with conflict – flourishing teams caringly conflict with one another intending to explore new ways of thinking and doing. Floundering teams uncaringly conflict with one another intending to undermine one another.

Day 16: 

In high performing, flourishing teams, team members caringly criticise one another intending to help them learn and succeed. In floundering teams, team members uncaringly criticise one another intending to weaken others.

Day 17: 

Difficult conversations are not difficult because of what is said, they are difficult because of the state of mind we show up with. In a state of fear, we filter and sensor our truth which leads to misunderstanding. In a state of curiosity, we legitimise our truth and share it respectfully. Curiosity opens us to explore and see things differently. I’m always reminded of what Shakespeare said, “nothing is easy or difficult, thinking makes it so.”

Day 18: 

Leaders recognise feedback is not only theirs to give, but more important, theirs to get. They look for and listen to the learning in criticism.

Day 19: 

A leader’s success is less about an employee engagement measure but more about the quality of employee experience. Experience drives engagement.

Day 20: 

The most important question leaders need to ask themselves: how can I make it easier for others to work with me?

Day 21: 

The most important measure of a leader’s success is the number of leaders they grew. Leaders grow leaders.

Day 22: 

More important than where you are leading others to, is where you are leading others from. Leading from a state of caution and concern, will not lead others towards their greatness.

Day 23: 

The most disrespectful thing you can do is to silence your truth. Legitimise your truth, but do not hold it as THE truth. And when sharing your truth, always hold others’ views with respect and dignity.

Day 24: 

The greatest shift in the understanding of leadership is that we accept that leadership has less to do about doingand all to do about being. As leaders, our way of being profoundly affects our way of doing.

Day 25: 

If management is about results, leadership is about relationships. Relationships happen in conversation. So, leadership is a conversation.

Day 26: 

The two most important questions to ask of ourselves:

1. Am I being the person I want to be, right now?

2. Am I being the leader I need to be, right now?

Day 27: 

The most distinguishing attribute of a leader is they don’t take the credit nor apportion blame. They take responsibility and afford praise.

Day 28: 

I invite you reflect on the leadership insights I posted each day during February. As you read through them, ask yourself:

1. How could I be the person I want to be, right now?

2. How could I be the leader I need to be, right now?