What is High-Performance Leadership?
As a founder and company performance coach, I think a LOT about leadership and its meaning.
My views have changed as I’ve grown personally, observed and learned from extraordinary leaders, and studied psychology and human behavior.
I used to think leadership meant:
❌Being “strong,” the loudest voice in the room
❌Always having the answer
❌Being the most intelligent person in the room
❌Telling others what to do
❌Expecting others to adapt to your leadership style
❌Elevating yourself above others. Others need to lose for you to win
Having to unlearn what I was told by my father, the portrayal of leaders in films/sports and outdated stereotypes, has led me to a much deeper understanding of what elevated leadership actually is:
✅It’s connecting with vulnerability (I will do a separate post on what vulnerable leadership means).
✅Listening first, being able to admit you don’t have the answer right now
✅It’s elevating others and being invested in their wellbeing
✅It’s adapting yourself to meet others where they are to best support their growth
✅It’s about taking ownership and accountability, admitting your mistakes as readily as your wins
✅It’s about caring about your impact and the development of those you lead
✅It’s a desire to develop your replacements and enable those you lead to go on to fulfill their highest potential
✅Finding others that can challenge your viewpoint, being able to accept when your stance needs to adapt/be reevaluated
✅Looking for the win for all solutions, understanding most situations are not finite. There is enough for us all
✅Having the courage to deliver clear, objective feedback and challenges while maintaining your compassion and kindness to keep searching for and acknowledging your team's best traits
As I keep working on my leadership to best serve the leaders I coach, I keep thinking about my values, which are:
The campsite rule: Leave any person, situation, or system in a better place than I found them.
Leading with love: Loving relationships, seeing people deeply, and helping people create more loving connections, friendships, and elevated working relationships.
What aspects of your leadership need work? How can you elevate yourself and those you lead? What insecurities can you acknowledge, work on, and let go of, allowing you to show up as your best self?
Reach out today. Let's talk and see how I can support you in your leadership journey.
