What is your Leadership Brand?

3/21/17

By Dr. Stevie Dawn

It is one of those dreaded interview questions -- "What is your leadership style?"

We often recollect something from a book or article on authentic leadership or servant leadership. We talk about how we don't micro-manage and want to be approachable to our employees.

In my experience, most people do not have a great answer to this question.

During our company’s leadership training programs, we focus on developing a Leadership Brand statement. This is a few sentences that describe the type of leader you hold yourself to be. It incorporates three main elements:

1. Values: What do you value in other leaders? What do you value in your followers? What values lead you daily? Your values are the foundation of the leader you will be. By including these values, you are holding yourself accountable to demonstrate them daily to your followers.

2. Goals: What are your goals as a leader? How do you want your followers to feel? What do you want your followers to achieve? What legacy do you want to leave? Goals drive us to be better leaders. By outlining your goals and aligning them with your values, you are more likely to achieve them.

3. Habits: How are you going to get from A to B? How will you interact/lead daily to accomplish these goals? When you start talking about the demonstration of your values in the form of habits to achieve the goal....phew! You are starting to craft daily expectations.

Here is an example:

Values: Positivity, Community, Creativity

Goals: Empower, Inspire, Motivate

Habits: Focus on employee motivation, reward thinking outside the box, smile and praise daily

Once you have these elements defined, you can create a leadership brand statement. This statement can be placed on a resume. It can be put on your desk to look at daily. It can be the answer to the interview question, "What is your leadership style?" This statement will lead you toward becoming an effective leader.

"I work to create a positive environment for my employees, where they are empowered and motivated to do their best work. I value creativity and inspire others to think outside the box, not allowing ourselves to get stuck in the status quo. I will wear a smile and give praise daily as I know that a happy workplace is a high-performing workplace. My legacy will not be in what I did, but rather what my followers accomplished."

If you want to learn more about establishing a leadership Brand Statement, contact Dr. Stevie Dawn at stevie@steviedawninspires.com. Stevie Dawn Inspires, LLC is a corporate training company specializing in providing engaging and fun learning experiences in the areas of leadership, communication, and emotional intelligence. Her educational background includes a Master’s Degree in Sociology from Wichita State University and a doctorate in Leadership from Colorado State University.

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