Anyone who has studied leadership knows that some leaders lack self-awareness. These leaders have never given much thought to their leadership approach or how they came to be that way. And they don’t understand how important it is for their team members to get to know them not only as leaders, but also as human beings.
When a person is under the command of a leader who never shares information about himself, his values or his motivations as a leader, that person has no reason to trust or commit to that leader. Why? Because they don’t really know the leader.
Four steps to develop your leadership point of view
To help others get to know you, take the time to develop a Leadership Point of View. Reflect for a moment on how you might answer these questions: What kind of leader do you think you are? Do you know what drives you? What motivates you to get up every day and lead people? You may be able to explain your feelings and philosophies about leadership in general, but have you ever thought about where those ideas come from?
When you discover your answers to these questions, you will be well on your way to establishing your Leadership Viewpoint. The process of determining a clear and teachable Leadership Point of View (LPOV) involves four reflective steps. Below, I will share those steps, along with parts of my own LPOV.
1. Identify and write about the key people in your life who shaped and inspired your feelings about leadership. Who were (or are) your teachers/mentors/influencers?
For me, those people were my mother and father. My mother was the ultimate positive thinker. My father was a prime example of a servant leader. My perspectives on life and leadership came mainly from my parents.
2. Now reflect on the experiences that stand out as turning points in your life. What did you learn from these events? What influence did they have on your life? Write about them.
In my LPOV, I share two lessons from my parents that I never forgot.
My mother taught me to be humble and not to judge others. She said, “Ken, don’t act like you’re better than anyone else. But don’t let anyone else act like they are better than you either. Remember, there is a pearl of goodness in every person, sometimes you have to look for it.”
And my father, who retired as an admiral from the U.S. Navy, taught me a lesson when I was elected president of the seventh grade. I came home from school excited and announced my victory. Dad said, “Congratulations, Ken! But as your class president, don’t use your position. Great leaders are followed not because they have positional power, but because they are respected and trusted as individuals.”
3. List and define your leadership values.
First, make a list of each quality and principle you value: honesty, learning, excellence, humor, love, power, loyalty, success, security, etc. You can get a long list of values. Narrow your list by comparing each value with the others until you identify the three to five values you feel most deeply about.
After listing all the qualities I valued, I had trouble narrowing them down in my LPOV. So I combined two words to create spiritual peace as my number one value, followed by integrity, love and success.
Once you have your top three to five values, define what each one means to you.
To give you an example, this is how I define love in my LPOV:
“I value love. I know I am living by this value whenever I feel love toward myself and others, whenever I express compassion, whenever I show love to others, and whenever I receive love from others.”
4. Think about and write down the expectations you have of yourself and your people.
This is the essence of your LPOV, because your expectations naturally come from those key people and events that have influenced you and your values. Sharing what you expect from yourself lets people know what they can expect from you. And letting them know what you expect of them is a gift, because it tells them how they can succeed under your leadership. Sharing your expectations emphasizes the critical message that good leadership is a partnership.
As part of this section in my LPOV, I say, “If I am meeting my expectations of myself as a leader, everything I do with you will be geared toward helping you produce good results and, in the process, feel good about yourself.” He also emphasized, “I hope we have fun together! Life is a very special occasion, and we don’t want to miss it!”
Sharing your LPOV benefits both you and your followers
“As they move through the Leadership Viewpoint exercise, leaders discover and synthesize influential experiences from their past,” explains Pat Zigarmi, co-author of Blanchard’s Leadership Viewpoint program. “When leaders share their LPOV, team members better understand their intentions, which inspires employee engagement.”
By creating a Leadership Viewpoint, you can:
- eliminate misunderstandings by accelerating people’s awareness of your values and expectations,
- improve relationships by helping people see you as more authentic and approachable, and
- foster loyalty by being more connected and supportive.
Working on the details of your LPOV is a process of discovery. Don’t rush! El trabajo puede ser desafiante y emocional, pero llevará a relaciones más profundas y productivas entre tú y quienes lideras.
Note: This article is a translation of Ken Blanchard’s original article “Leaders: Who are you?”: https://resources.blanchard.com/blanchard-leaderchat/leaders-who-are-you”
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Anyone who has studied leadership knows that some leaders lack self-awareness. These leaders have never given much thought to their leadership approach or how they came to be that way. And they don’t understand how important it is for their team members to get to know them not only as leaders, but also as human beings.
When a person is under the command of a leader who never shares information about himself, his values or his motivations as a leader, that person has no reason to trust or commit to that leader. Why? Because they don’t really know the leader.
Four steps to develop your leadership point of view
To help others get to know you, take the time to develop a Leadership Point of View. Reflect for a moment on how you might answer these questions: What kind of leader do you think you are? Do you know what drives you? What motivates you to get up every day and lead people? You may be able to explain your feelings and philosophies about leadership in general, but have you ever thought about where those ideas come from?
When you discover your answers to these questions, you will be well on your way to establishing your Leadership Viewpoint. The process of determining a clear and teachable Leadership Point of View (LPOV) involves four reflective steps. Below, I will share those steps, along with parts of my own LPOV.
1. Identify and write about the key people in your life who shaped and inspired your feelings about leadership. Who were (or are) your teachers/mentors/influencers?
For me, those people were my mother and father. My mother was the ultimate positive thinker. My father was a prime example of a servant leader. My perspectives on life and leadership came mainly from my parents.
2. Now reflect on the experiences that stand out as turning points in your life. What did you learn from these events? What influence did they have on your life? Write about them.
In my LPOV, I share two lessons from my parents that I never forgot.
My mother taught me to be humble and not to judge others. She said, “Ken, don’t act like you’re better than anyone else. But don’t let anyone else act like they are better than you either. Remember, there is a pearl of goodness in every person, sometimes you have to look for it.”
And my father, who retired as an admiral from the U.S. Navy, taught me a lesson when I was elected president of the seventh grade. I came home from school excited and announced my victory. Dad said, “Congratulations, Ken! But as your class president, don’t use your position. Great leaders are followed not because they have positional power, but because they are respected and trusted as individuals.”
3. List and define your leadership values.
First, make a list of each quality and principle you value: honesty, learning, excellence, humor, love, power, loyalty, success, security, etc. You can get a long list of values. Narrow your list by comparing each value with the others until you identify the three to five values you feel most deeply about.
After listing all the qualities I valued, I had trouble narrowing them down in my LPOV. So I combined two words to create spiritual peace as my number one value, followed by integrity, love and success.
Once you have your top three to five values, define what each one means to you.
To give you an example, this is how I define love in my LPOV:
“I value love. I know I am living by this value whenever I feel love toward myself and others, whenever I express compassion, whenever I show love to others, and whenever I receive love from others.”
4. Think about and write down the expectations you have of yourself and your people.
This is the essence of your LPOV, because your expectations naturally come from those key people and events that have influenced you and your values. Sharing what you expect from yourself lets people know what they can expect from you. And letting them know what you expect of them is a gift, because it tells them how they can succeed under your leadership. Sharing your expectations emphasizes the critical message that good leadership is a partnership.
As part of this section in my LPOV, I say, “If I am meeting my expectations of myself as a leader, everything I do with you will be geared toward helping you produce good results and, in the process, feel good about yourself.” He also emphasized, “I hope we have fun together! Life is a very special occasion, and we don’t want to miss it!”
Sharing your LPOV benefits both you and your followers
“As they move through the Leadership Viewpoint exercise, leaders discover and synthesize influential experiences from their past,” explains Pat Zigarmi, co-author of Blanchard’s Leadership Viewpoint program. “When leaders share their LPOV, team members better understand their intentions, which inspires employee engagement.”
By creating a Leadership Viewpoint, you can:
- eliminate misunderstandings by accelerating people’s awareness of your values and expectations,
- improve relationships by helping people see you as more authentic and approachable, and
- foster loyalty by being more connected and supportive.
Working on the details of your LPOV is a process of discovery. Don’t rush! El trabajo puede ser desafiante y emocional, pero llevará a relaciones más profundas y productivas entre tú y quienes lideras.
Note: This article is a translation of Ken Blanchard’s original article “Leaders: Who are you?”: https://resources.blanchard.com/blanchard-leaderchat/leaders-who-are-you”