Anthony Landale

Anthony Landale is the Editor of ‘Future, Engage, Deliver’ and ‘Leadership Plain and Simple’. He also has over 20 years experience as a coach, facilitator and leadership consultant. In this post he reminds us just how important it is for leaders to pay attention to their impact, a key aspect of Engage.

There is a huge temptation in times of change to conclude that hard work alone will get you through. But sweating the small stuff isn’t the answer. Instead of doing more, leaders who want to make a big difference need to focus instead on showing up at their best.

“Showing up’ can best be grasped by considering your impact. For example, there are probably times when you show up at work or home feeling frustrated or withdrawn and on such occasions you can predict that people won’t particularly enjoy spending time with you. In contrast you can probably also think of times when you are naturally more engaging, energised and creative …. and the impact you have then will be much more positive. So how can you ‘show up’ at your best when you really need to?

The critical understanding here is to recognise that you can make a bigger impact if you want to. In addition remember to get yourself fully prepared.

1. Before you go into those big meetings or important conversations get in touch with what you care about and what you are trying to pull off. Having a clear intent will help you deal with the issues that really matter
2. Get onto your front foot. Remember that when you are at your best you are naturally impactful. So take the initiative and bring your energy, flair and commitment to your conversations
3. Remember that leadership is about helping other people get inspired. So listen generously, take time to understand different views and ask engaging questions. It’s not your role to always have the answer but rather to help harness the collective intelligence of the people you are with.

Learn more about Anthony Landale, the author of this article – click here