Leadership is not a brand

It’s not a hot tip for the moment. It’s not a wave that you ride to be relevant.

It’s a commitment to people, it’s a commitment to lead with humanity first and always.

What a lot of aspiring leaders miss is that leadership is a responsibility, and, at the core, it is not about you.

That’s a hard pill to swallow for many individuals who confuse being important with leadership, who confuse being the center of attention with leadership, who confuse that people exist to serve you with leadership.

Leadership evolves as an organic process that flows when a synergistic energy happens between people.

When it flows, and it touches all levels and all teams, magic happens. The impossible takes shape, innovation soars, people stop watching the clock, and teams understand what they do, why they do it, and feel that how it is being done makes sense.

To be clear, this does not mean some spontaneous happiness will occur and suddenly everyone is on the same page.

But it does mean that communication is effective and professional, and tied together with- what I consider the most important ingredient- the personal, human touch.

Communication means that the channel to discover, learn, grow, and experience is open, available, two-way, and considered a safe space.

We hear and read so much about leadership these days. We read profound quotes and sound bytes, throw in some discussion on inclusion and diversity and voila, people feel satisfied in their understanding on the topic

But it’s so much more complex and challenging.

When approached, explored, and embarked upon wholly and with an authentic foundation and framework, it is an ongoing process with an ongoing investment of time, energy, and resources.

It is not a destination. Leadership is synonymous with humanity, constantly evolving.

It is a continuous conversation.

Leadership is a conversation. And it’s a humble one.

It is about all of us. It is circular

Authentic leadership has the power and energy to drive humanity forward.