Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Today’s leadership tip is about one of the key behaviors required of leaders to draw others to you; to assist with the ease of having others simply want to follow you because of who you are. This is about authenticity. Being your true self is about letting others see some of your authenticity and see a bit of who you really are. Why is that so important? Because we tend to want to follow those we know, like, and trust, and it’s much easier to draw others to you when they know, like, and trust you. The “like and trust” factor comes from the knowing and the knowing comes from you sharing bits of your authentic self.
So, how do you do this? Well, it’s as simple as allowing others to know things about you, the person, in addition to you the leader. What are you passionate about or what do you enjoy doing as a hobby? Do you coach your children’s softball or soccer team? Do you have a favorite NFL or NBA team? Are you a runner? A skier? Take time to share bits of this information with your team and those who work for and with you. Allow them to see parts of what you are passionate about outside of work and who you truly are outside the work environment. This allows them to make personal connections to you. Be your true self in front of them. It doesn’t mean sharing private information; it’s about being personal so you can establish personal connections. This allows others to get to know you better which increases the like and trust factor and this makes it much easier to lead.
