The fact of the matter is that most leaders spend a tiny fraction of their time giving huge public speeches. Instead, leadership happens moment by moment, person by person, both through words and deeds. There are hundreds of moments like these every day. Each moment sends messages that can ripple throughout your company, with impact that you may or may not intend.
If you want a better match between your intent and impact, to earn the right to lead, and to demonstrate true leadership presence, it makes sense to work on how you show up in each of these moments throughout the day.
Specifically, you can ask yourself the following questions:
- What messages do I send based on HOW I spend my time?
- What messages do I send based on the people WITH WHOM I spend my time?
- What messages do I send based on how I allocate resources?
- Am I authentic when I speak, or do I come across as manipulative and even dishonest?
- Do my deeds match my words and what we say our company stands for?
- Who get my praise? my criticism?
- What behaviors or results am I tolerating that I shouldn’t be tolerating, and what messages am I sending as a result?
How well you present at those “big speeches” is something to consider. However, it’s not even close to what really makes a difference — when you communicate every minute of every day as a leader.
