“Leadership skills and abilities are the single most determining factor of success in leadership. Therefore, let’s create and develop an extensive leadership training and development program that will ensure our leaders are equipped with the skills they need.” This is the phrase I hear over and over again when speaking with companies looking to groom and develop their high potential employees for key leadership roles.
I agree, skillset is critical, but there is an even more critical component to leadership development. All leaders, seasoned or newly developed, must have the right mindset before executing the skillset. This leadership mindset is the crucial factor that is necessary to propel the skillset. You see, skillset is just another set of things to do on our list of “should dos”. However, it is the proper Mindset that will serve as the basis for the reason why top leaders are passionately committed and dedicated to implementing the skillset to reach their desired goals.
Please understand…a leader’s decision to take on a leadership mindset is 100% voluntary. In fact, you can get along quite well by just “managing” your team, which is what we are actually paid to do. However, leadership is a leader’s choice to take their responsibility to the next level of Personal Leadership, by taking personal responsibility and accountability for their own success and consequently their team’s success. This begins with the leader clearly and intimately understanding their personal values and guiding principles.
However, uncovering the leader’s personal values and principles is not as easy as it seems and that’s not the most challenging part. The greater challenge is living out and modeling these values and guiding principles day in and day out. There are no “off days” for the leader who voluntarily commits to adopting a leadership mindset, because people are always watching to determine if leaders walk their talk. They want to know if their leader is authentic, consistent, dedicated and trustworthy through the consistent modeling of their values and principles.
This is no different than the Olympian or anyone who is exceptional at their craft who commits to the discipline of excellence. They don’t show up every day to practice their skill just for the sake of exercising the skill, there is a deeper and more personal reason why they choose to do so…they have a Personal Leadership mindset.
A leader’s commitment to being their best by consistently living out their values showcases to their team in actions not words, what is important to the leader. As the team sees their leader’s commitment to authentically by living out their values and principles daily, they will gain a sense of safety and confidence to grow as well as emulate the values the leader has consistently demonstrated. The myth that leadership effectiveness is solely a result of dynamic leadership development training tactics and methods is alive and well.
The truth is…effective leadership must start with the right leadership mindset, which is the super charged fuel that will propel whatever leadership skillset and method we choose. It is only when you begin with the proper leadership mindset combined with the right skillset, will your leadership growth take hold and excel.
For more information on how to develop a Personal Leadership Power success plan to gain extreme clarity on your personal leadership values and principles, please contact Angela Brown for Leaders at (816) 522-8582 or Angela@AngelaBrownSpeaks.com.