Lolly Daskal's Blog, page 87

6 Powerful Habits of The Most Productive Teams

Every team has its own habits, but some habits—like some teams—are more effective than others. Building and reinforcing good habits can be the key to a cohesive and productive team. Make sure your team is supported with habits that will take them from vision to goals to achievement. Here are some of the best:

Keep the safety net strong. Productive teams are not scared of failing or messing up. They’re not afraid to take risks and be vulnerable with each other, because they have the security of knowing no one will fault them if things go sideways. The essence of a great productive team is the combination of accepting risk while insisting on excellence. Every team member wants to know: Can I take risks without feeling insecure or embarrassed?

Create structure and clarity. The best teams assign each member a clear role with clear plans, guidelines and goals. They make sure that they’ve fit the best qualified person in each key role on the basis of background and personality, and they make sure everyone has the training they need to meet high expectations. The result is an impressive structure and clarity that make effectiveness almost a given.

Every team member wants to know: Are goals, roles, and execution plans clear? Do I know what’s expected of me, is it a good fit, and do I have the training I need to do it well?

Work at an optimal pace. It’s not about speed but finding the right pace. If your team moves too quickly, burnout will soon begin to set in; too slowly, and things become stagnant. Productive teams know they have to find the right balance as they continue to grow and achieve. The environment in which teams operate is more important than ever. Every team member wants to know: Do I have to work around the clock to look productive, or can I pace myself to bring out my best work?

Foster accountability and responsibility. Teams fail when no one holds the members accountable for success. Very few people can continue to function well without a structure in place to ensure consistent progress. The best teams reach their full potential when they are able to be accountable for their work and responsible for their results. Every team member wants to know: Can we count on each other to do high-quality work on time?

Keep the big picture in view. It’s great to get a talented group of people together to do something well, but that work gains true significance when they know it has impact, that it will make a difference and create change. That awareness is the difference between a good team and a great team. Every team member wants to know: Do we fundamentally believe that the work we’re doing matters?

Lead from within: For teams to become more productive, they need to master productive habits.

 

 

N A T I O N A L   B E S T S E L L E R

The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: iStock Photos

The post 6 Powerful Habits of The Most Productive Teams appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

How to Deal with an Unprofessional Leader

Every workplace has at least one expectation in common: that employees at every level treat one another with respect and behave in a manner that reflects positively on the company. Leaders in particular are expected to set a good example, so it can be especially distressing when a leader behaves unprofessionally, engaging in harassment, bigotry or discrimination. Whether it’s a peer or your boss, there are things you can do to protect yourself from a leader who is unprofessional.

A great deal depends on the setting in which you’re working. If you’re in a large enough organization, HR may have policies on dealing with harassment and other forms of misbehavior, and you should talk with them as a first step. In a smaller company, things may be more open-ended. The best response also depends on the specific behavior in light of professional standards—and even, in some cases, the law. But here are some general principles you can follow if you find yourself confronted with bad behavior on the part of a leader.

See something, say something.  First and foremost, resolve to take action. As the saying goes, if you see something, say something. Don’t allow yourself to maintain denial or assume that the problem will go away in time—if anything, it’s likely to escalate.

Have a teachable moment. If you’re comfortable doing so and it’s appropriate to the situation, explain to the person that what they’re saying or doing is offensive and inappropriate, and why. Occasionally people honestly aren’t aware. And in any event it’s an opportunity to communicate expectations clearly.

Draw the line. Respectfully but firmly, let the person know unconditionally what you will and will not tolerate. Be crystal clear in your communication.

Document everything. Document all unprofessional behavior, including the date and time and any witnesses. Also take notes of every meeting and conversation. They’ll give you added credibility if needed.

Ask around. Quietly talk with other people in your workplace to find out whether any of them have experienced something similar. There’s strength in numbers.

Enlist support. These situations can lead to long, drawn-out conflicts, so have plenty of emotional support lined up from friends and family.

Lead from within: An unprofessional leader damages relationships, businesses and reputations, and tarnishes the trust of those they lead.

 

 

N A T I O N A L   B E S T S E L L E R

The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: iStock Photo

The post How to Deal with an Unprofessional Leader appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

The Most Successful Leaders Do These 10 Things Every Day

Leadership is an action, not a position. It’s what a leader does today that will make a great difference in their future.

Whether you’re coaching a basketball team, managing a start-up or moving up the ranks of a Fortune 500 company, successful habits are the key to great leadership.

Here are the 10 habits that I encourage all my clients to practice every day until they become daily discipline.

Promoting your vision. Keep a clear vision of where your organization is going in front of your people on a daily basis. When you do, they’re not only more motivated but also more effective since their work stays connected to your shared strategic goals.

Managing priorities. The better you can prioritize the things you have to do, the better you can focus your efforts on the things that matter most. Without clear priorities, you’ll end up spending significant time and energy on unimportant tasks.

Delegating tasks. Leaders by nature want to do things for themselves, but learning to delegate when necessary is important. It controls your workload, develops your employees, and enables your team to achieve its goals quicker, produce better results and accomplish more than you ever could on your own.

Motivating change. If your team is working on the premise If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, you have an organization that is stagnant and stuck. A key role of strong leadership involves constantly and consistently motivating change—for individuals, for teams, and for the entire organization.

Generating urgency. When you instill a sense of urgency within yourself, you motivate yourself to deliver on results. Without it, you may find yourself procrastinating, doing halfhearted work and struggling to get tasks and projects done on time. Urgency is your best weapon against daily distractions.

Communicating clearly. Good communication is a foundational element for successful leadership. Your followers look to you for vision and direction; if they can’t understand what you’re trying to communicate, they won’t know what to do and performance will suffer.

Listening actively. Good listening is among the best skills you can cultivate. It means intentionally focusing and listening to understand, then following up with open-ended questions that start with what, how, or why. It means moving beyond your own point of view and checking your own understanding for accuracy.

Managing risk. Successful leaders are always scanning the horizon for risks as well as opportunities—or for the two in combination, as they often are. Learn the art of constantly weighing costs and benefits, probabilities and prospective outcomes.

Acting decisively. Good leadership means controlling any impulse toward impatience and reactivity on the one hand, and overthinking and delay on the other. They work to ensure that their understanding of the problem is complete, then take strong action and never look back.

Empowering others. Part of your job as a leader is to help your people develop into a team of top players. People grow when they own their decisions, hold themselves accountable for outcomes, and directly experience the consequences of their actions. Successful leaders see and bring out greatness in others.

Lead from within: When you can do these things on a daily basis, you will be not only an effective leader but likely a successful one too.

 

N A T I O N A L   B E S T S E L L E R

The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: iStock Photo

The post The Most Successful Leaders Do These 10 Things Every Day  appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

This is Why Failure Makes You a Better Leader

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal:

it is the courage to continue that counts.”

― Winston S. Churchill

I teach and coach leadership to thousands of people each year—at conferences, lunches, events, and workshops, and in one-on-one coaching practice with leaders. And most of the time, the leaders I coach want quick fixes and perfunctory processes to achieve what they want to accomplish. Their true interest often lies in knowing how they can get to their goals more quickly and with less difficulty. But that’s not what growth is all about.

What I know from my experience as a leadership coach is that growth comes with struggle and achievement is earned through repeated failures. There’s no way to shortcut the experience that doesn’t also shortchange the outcome. The most valuable things in life aren’t the ones that come easily.

What I know from my experience as a leadership coach is that growth comes with struggle and achievement is earned through repeated failures. There’s no way to shortcut the experience that doesn’t also shortchange the outcome. The most valuable things in life aren’t the ones that come easily.

To be a truly meaningful leader you have to embrace struggle and make failure part of your success story. Here are some of the ways failure is valuable and why it’s at the heart of most success stories.

Failure teaches wisdom. Success feels good, but failure—as long as you don’t let it get the best of you—brings wisdom and growth. Leaders who have failed have a depth of understanding that can’t be obtained any other way.

Failure breeds resiliency. Nothing in life creates resiliency like struggle and failure. Persistence and resilience come from working through difficult problems and still finding the will to keep going and take chances.

Failure stretches potential. Until you’re tested, it’s hard to imagine being able to endure struggle. But failure, when it comes, can take you far beyond the limits you imagined for yourself. Every failure is an opportunity to rethink your own limits and realize how much stronger and more capable you are than you ever thought.

Failure provides opportunities. Our natural impulse is to shy away from failure—nobody wants to take on a struggle—but when you eliminate adversity, you limit your potential. Failure provides you with additional resources and preparation to take advantage of the opportunities that come your way.

Failure supplies motivation. Nothing else is as motivating as struggle. I’ve seen it many times over as a coach: defeat motivates people to concentrate harder, focus better and achieve more.

Failure generates benefits. It may be hard to see when you’re feeling stuck in failure, but with the benefit of a little time and distance, you’ll be able to discover the benefits and the value of struggle. It’s a matter of looking at events through the lens of your eventual success.

Lead from within: If you pursue success, welcome failure, hold on to hope and never lose your perspective, you’ll find there is something positive in every negative experience.

 

 

N A T I O N A L   B E S T S E L L E R

The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: iStock Photos

The post This is Why Failure Makes You a Better Leader appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

The Simple Reasons People Stop Listening When You Speak

To be an effective leader, you have to be able to hold people’s attention. People have to be willing to listen to you if you’re going to lead and influence them.

So, if you find yourself regularly being ignored and tuned out, here are some possible reasons (and solutions):

Too many words. If you go on and on to convey a simple idea, people will stop listening. It’s as simple as that. Think of ways to keep your message compelling and concise to keep their attention.

Speaking with negativity. If you’re known as a leader who’s always talking about problems, complaining and stuck in negativity, people will become discouraged when you speak. Soon they’ll begin tuning you out to keep your negativity from spreading. Be aware of negativity and eliminate it when you can—or if not, keep it in balance.

Unclear messaging. When people have a hard time keeping up with you, they stop listening and their attention wanders. Make sure your messages are clear and on point.

Too dry. If you can’t hold people’s attention, find more interesting ways to say what you have to say. Think about the message, then think about who you’ll be saying it to and what communication style they might respond best to.

Touching a nerve. We sometimes forget how powerful words are. But people have parted ways when one of them felt they’d been called out. It’s always embarrassing if you unwittingly touch a nerve in your listener. If it happens, apologize at once and then move on.

Bad timing. If you have something important to say, make sure to tell it at a time when people are prepared to listen. If you find that you’ve come at a bad time, leave. Don’t butt in and say, “This will only take a second.” Work out the details of rescheduling later, not on the spot.

Trying too hard. When people see you try too hard, it makes them uncomfortable and stresses them out on your behalf. The secret here is to establish rapport. Be personable and sincere. Everyone can tell when they are being softened up, so don’t do that. You know you’ve established rapport when the other person smiles, uncrosses their arms, meets your gaze and looks relaxed.

Too much information. Don’t overload people with too many details. Keep your message simple and focused on the point. Along the way, look for signs that the other person heard you. If they appear lost or distracted, stop and ask, “What do you think?”

Lack of respect. When you don’t give people the respect they deserve, they will disrespect you in return. The best way to gain respect is to give it.

Lead from within: There is only one rule for being a good speaker. Leaders learn to listen.

 

N A T I O N A L    B E S T S E L L E R

The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: iStock Photo

The post The Simple Reasons People Stop Listening When You Speak appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

How to Speak Like A Successful Leader

Every successful leader has their own way of communicating. The best have a powerful way of speaking, —they’ve learned how to make sure their words have positive impact.

A leadership communication is important because the things you say can have a ripple effect throughout  your entire organization and even beyond.

Every leader needs to find and become fluent in a set of expressions that make people feel they matter and communicate belief in them. It’s a little bit different for everyone, but here are some examples:

“We” instead of “you” and “I.” Inclusive pronouns—“we” instead of “you” and “I”—empower others and communicate the importance of the team. They also emphasize equality and help bridge any distance between team members and leadership.

“What do you think?” instead of “This is what I’m thinking.”  It’s easy to tell people what to do, but it’s an indirect way of saying you don’t have confidence in their judgment. Instead, let them know their ideas matter and that you believe them enough to help them stretch.

 “I believe in you” instead of “Prove yourself.” Asking someone to prove themselves can come only from a place of distrust. When you instead express your belief in someone, you give them a chance to really prove what they’re capable of.

 “Why not?” instead of “I don’t think so.” You never want to be the kind of leader who short-circuits a great idea or a new way of thinking. Work to stay open and agile enough to try new things and get new results. Don’t communicate a preference for doing the same old thing just because it gets you by.

 “We can” instead of “we can’t.” Any positive message is always better than a negative. When you stay positive and work hard you can make it happen, but saying you can’t do something tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 “Let’s give it a try” instead of “It will never work.” It’s important to give your people hope and to let them know you are willing to try something new. Trying and failing is a big part of every success story, and when you support bold choices you’re letting people know it’s OK to risk failure.

 “You can count on me” instead of “It’s not my responsibility.” If they can’t count on you as a leader, your people will never respect you. Own your responsibility and your role as part of the team. It’s that simple and that profound and that important.

 “Thank you” and “great job” instead of “OK.” When you thank people and acknowledge their efforts, even for something mundane, you are letting them know their work is noticed and appreciated. Few things make a person feel better or inspire them more.

Lead from within: Learn to speak like a powerful leader and be careful with your words, because they are the difference between your success and failure.

 

N A T I O N A L   B E S T S E L L E R

The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: IstockPhoto

The post How to Speak Like A Successful Leader appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

Successful Leaders Aren’t Afraid to Do This One Thing

There’s a common thread in top leadership that will surprises most people—and in some cases makes them rethink what they know about leadership.

When you think of successful leaders you probably think of people who are decisive. The ability to make a decision quickly and without waffling is one of the keystones of leadership.

But leaders change their minds every day, even at the risk of being branded indecisive or a waffler. Here’s the difference: They don’t back off a decision just because they have second thoughts. They understand when a change of plan is warranted. And sometimes they take decisive action by reversing their earlier decision.

Here are some of the top circumstances where successful leaders aren’t afraid to reconsider a decision:

New information emerges. Sometimes new information shows up that changes the context of a decision entirely. It may be something that was impossible to foresee, or it may be something you or your team failed to pick up on. When that happens, don’t think in terms of blame but take the new information and integrate it into the decision-making process. Later you can revisit ways to make sure your research is thorough.

The situation becomes unpredictable or unstable. In today’s uncertain marketplace and political climate , situations can go from stable to chaotic in the blink of an eye. When that happens, it’s wise to reassess decisions that are influenced by the instability and change position if need be. There’s no virtue in steadfastly sticking to a position when everything around you has changed.

Feedback suggests it. A bold decision may be theoretically sound, but sometimes in the light of day it turns out to be unworkable in practice. If early feedback suggests that a plan isn’t working—for whatever reason—it’s wise to listen and make changes where necessary. Always listen to those who know best: those who are out in the field every day, whether team members or clients.

It’s time to wait. Once you’re into the thick of something, the clear choice may be to do nothing at all for now. It’s not a matter of reversing a decision in this case, but of delaying its implementation until conditions improve or the surrounding issues become clearer. Despite the pressure leaders feel to be bold and act decisively, doing nothing is preferable to making a disastrous choice. If waiting can give you an edge, wait.

Let’s honor those leaders who are forward-thinking enough to correct their course, pivot or wait even though they risk their reputations by having people think they are indecisive. Sometimes you need to change your mind, and that’s OK.

Lead from within: Successful leaders are able to make shifts in their thinking because they never stop looking for ways to improve the end result.

 

 

N A T I O N A L   B E S T S E L L E R

The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: iStock Photos

The post Successful Leaders Aren’t Afraid to Do This One Thing appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

Is Your Body Language Revealing More Than You Want It To

Body language is revealing—sometimes more revealing than we’d like for it to be. Studies find that up to 80 percent of what we understand In a conversation is read through the body, not the words. Especially for people in leadership, it’s important to make sure your body language isn’t undermining your message when you face your colleagues, board members, or the public. Here are some of the most common issues:

Speech and body language out of sync. If your mind is saying no and your words are saying yes, that conflict will be revealed in your gestures, and there’s a better than average chance that anyone who’s listening is confused—even if they aren’t sure why. In almost any situation where you’re communicating with others, you’ll do best by keeping your body language open and accepting.

Looking off instead of making eye contact. If you tend to glance away or lose eye contact as you’re addressing a meeting or audience, remember that facial expressions, especially the look in your eyes, can tell attentive listeners immediately what’s going on in your head. When  people are engaged in an interesting conversation, their eyes remain focused on the other person’s face about 80 percent of the time

Tuning out when you should be tuned in. Do you have a hard time trying to be a good listener because you keep tuning out what’s being said? Especially when you’re in leadership, you need to stay attentive and at least give the appearance of being interested—no matter what.

Lack of engagement. Even if you don’t know anything else about body language, you’ve probably heard that you appear closed off and unengaged when you lean away or cross your arms or legs.In general, when you arrange your body in this way, you signal that you’re mentally, emotionally, and physically closing yourself off from the other person.

Nodding “yes” while signaling “stop talking.” Have you ever noticed that when you see someone nodding excessively, often everything else going on with them is signaling for you to stop speaking? Many of my clients are often taken aback at this revealing connection, which is clear as daylight once you become aware of it.

Allowing discomfort to win out over confidence. When people close off their gestures while they’re speaking, the root cause is often self-consciousness. Communicating with clarity and confidence is an important leadership skill. Being confident in conversation with others helps you get what you want and need and stand up for yourself and your values.

Lead from within: Effective communication is 20 percent what you know and 80 percent how you feel about what you know.

 

 

N A T I O N A L   B E S T S E L L E R

The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: iStock Photo

The post Is Your Body Language Revealing More Than You Want It To appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

Is Your Body Language Revealing More Than You Want it To

Body language is revealing—sometimes more revealing than we’d like for it to be. Studies find that up to 80 percent of what we understand In a conversation is read through the body, not the words. Especially for people in leadership, it’s important to make sure your body language isn’t undermining your message when you face your colleagues, board members, or the public. Here are some of the most common issues:

Speech and body language out of sync. If your mind is saying no and your words are saying yes, that conflict will be revealed in your gestures, and there’s a better than average chance that anyone who’s listening is confused—even if they aren’t sure why. In almost any situation where you’re communicating with others, you’ll do best by keeping your body language open and accepting.

Looking off instead of making eye contact. If you tend to glance away or lose eye contact as you’re addressing a meeting or audience, remember that facial expressions, especially the look in your eyes, can tell attentive listeners immediately what’s going on in your head. When  people are engaged in an interesting conversation, their eyes remain focused on the other person’s face about 80 percent of the time

Tuning out when you should be tuned in. Do you have a hard time trying to be a good listener because you keep tuning out what’s being said? Especially when you’re in leadership, you need to stay attentive and at least give the appearance of being interested—no matter what.

Lack of engagement. Even if you don’t know anything else about body language, you’ve probably heard that you appear closed off and unengaged when you lean away or cross your arms or legs.In general, when you arrange your body in this way, you signal that you’re mentally, emotionally, and physically closing yourself off from the other person.

Nodding “yes” while signaling “stop talking.” Have you ever noticed that when you see someone nodding excessively, often everything else going on with them is signaling for you to stop speaking? Many of my clients are often taken aback at this revealing connection, which is clear as daylight once you become aware of it.

Allowing discomfort to win out over confidence. When people close off their gestures while they’re speaking, the root cause is often self-consciousness. Communicating with clarity and confidence is an important leadership skill. Being confident in conversation with others helps you get what you want and need and stand up for yourself and your values.

Lead from within: Effective communication is 20 percent what you know and 80 percent how you feel about what you know.

 

 

N A T I O N A L   B E S T S E L L E R

The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: iStock Photo

The post Is Your Body Language Revealing More Than You Want it To appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

This is How Leaders Improve Their Self Confidence

Self-confidence is an essential part of leadership. A leader with self-confidence thinks positively about the future and is willing to take the risks necessary to achieve their personal and professional goals.

 A leader who lacks self-confidence, on the other hand, is less likely to feel that they can achieve their goals, with a negative perspective about themselves and what they hope to gain in life—attitudes that are destructive to leadership and success.

 The good news is that self-confidence is something you can improve and build. Not every leader is born with natural self-confidence. Here are some of the techniques they use to boost it:

Address your self-doubt. Everyone has self-doubt, but if you don’t address it, it doesn’t go away. Your inner voice of self-doubt is never helpful and will hold you back. Identify it, work to understand its origins, and resolve to tune it out entirely.

Learn to leverage your self-doubt into confidence. My latest book, The Leadership Gap, includes a whole chapter on how to leverage your self-doubt. The simple version is this: when in doubt, concentrate on what you know, what you know how to do and how well you do it, and put all the self-doubt aside. If you focus on your competence and capabilities you’ll find the confidence you need.

Eliminate triggers. Avoid negative thinking or spending time around things that can make you feel bad about yourself. These triggers may be people or places or situations—anything that leaves you thinking you’re not good enough.

Recognize your talents. Spend some time recognizing and reconnecting with your strongest talents to stay focused on your strengths. Look inward instead of outward to avoid comparing yourself to others and falling into the trap of imposter syndrome (“nobody knows what an unqualified loser I really am”). Give yourself permission to take pride in what you do well and to express yourself in your talents and strengths.

Bounce back from your mistakes. Remember that no one is perfect. Even the most confident people have insecurities, and there’s no one alive who hasn’t made a mistake. Don’t let one wrong turn, or even a few of them, make you think you don’t have what it takes to achieve your goals and reach your success.

Surround yourself with people who believe in you. Nothing is as powerful as people who think you’re great, who believe you can do the impossible, and who have all the confidence in the world in you. Surround yourself with those people and be intentional about maintaining those connections. Stick with the people who lift your perspective and avoid (or at least tune out) those who make you feel bad or doubt yourself.

Take pride in yourself. Many people think that taking pride in yourself negates humility. But you can be proud of yourself without sacrificing humility. Pride feeds the soul; it helps you recognize and appreciate who you are and what you can accomplish. Sometimes it’s the motivation we need when things get tough.

Lead from within: Confidence is as important to leadership as oxygen is to breathing. If you’re lacking in confidence, we are lacking in influence.

 

 

N A T I O N A L   B E S T S E L L E R

The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

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Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

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