5 Tools Leaders Can Give Freely

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” -Pablo Picasso

The leaders I have the honor of working with every day are some of the most generous people I have ever met. It is not “things” they give necessarily, but the act of giving of themselves that transforms others while also expanding their capacity to lead. I thought I would share 5 tools I have come across lately that leaders can share during this month of giving. It doesn’t cost anything and yet the rewards are infinite…

I used the acronym GIVES to help you remember the tools in this kit this month. The goal is to have tools at your fingertips that are easily accessible and have great impact. Are you ready?

GIVE the gift of…

G: Golden Circle

The Golden Circle: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek.
According to Sinek’s model, a leader’s Golden Circle can help others articulate theirs:

When many organizations or people think, act, or communicate, they do so from the outside in (from WHAT to WHY). We say WHAT we do, we sometimes say HOW we do it, but we rarely say WHY we do it. But the WHY is the most crucial part of any endeavor or communication.

Companies and people know HOW they do what they do and can typically communicate these processes clearly. HOWs are often utilized to explain that a product or service is better than a competitor’s—but HOWs can be so much more than that.

Our HOWs are the actions we take when we are at our natural best and are living out our WHY. It’s HOW you bring your WHY to life that makes you and your company unique. As a result, the combination of your WHY and HOWs is like your organization’s fingerprint.

The inspired leaders I work with every day, regardless of their industry, think, act, and communicate from the inside out: “Why do you do what you do?”

Use your Golden Circle to “Think, Act, and Communicate from the Inside Out” and you will inspire others to do the same.

I: I Have Flaws

Mel Robbins talks about “Shouting our flaws as leaders.” But how? She recommends a simple mindset shift. If we stop avoiding our own problems by focusing on other people or problems outside of us, and we reveal our own, we share a vulnerability that is ripe for connection.

If you are open about your flaws you disempower your flaws and you may create meaningful connections with trusted colleagues that can help round out your leadership and vice versa.

Opening yourself to the vulnerability of sharing human, relatable flaws leads people to see you as an even more honest and trustworthy leader when the intention is purely to share, nothing more.

V: Voicemails

As a part of Tony Robbins morning routine, he sends a voicemail or audio message or text to someone (but hearing your voice is better) that communicates a sincere compliment grounded in an observable behavior. It needs to be specific and authentic, so it lands and has the power to be truly heard by the receiver. Here are some of his tips:

Be Specific and Personal: Instead of a generic message, be clear about what you are grateful for. Mention specific actions, projects, or qualities that you are recognizing.

Acknowledge Impact: Illustrate the positive impact their work has had on the team, department, or company.

Timely Recognition: Recognize contributions promptly and the more sincere and effective it will feel.
Encourage Future Success: End your message on an uplifting note that motivates continued growth and contribution.

Use Authentic Language: Keep your message sincere and authentic, allowing it to feel genuine and heartfelt for your benefit and the benefit of the receiver.

E: Empowering Questions

“Management is different from leadership. Leadership is only possible with the enrolment of the people you are leading,” – Seth Godin

Ask at least 3 people some form of this question today:

• How can I help you remove your roadblocks?
• How can I help you to brainstorm?
• How can I help to connect you with others?
• How can I help you build on your work?
• How can I help you to achieve your goals?
• How can I help think through your problem?
• How can I help shine the light on your effort?
• How can I help you to spread the word?
• How can I help you be successful?

But perhaps the most powerful is asking your team for help. They want the chance to think creatively, helping you devise a strategy. It places you on more equal footing, showing respect for their intelligence. Moreover, it brings a broader range of ideas and expertise to the table.

The leaders I know that say, “I need your help” regularly in clear and authentic ways, have engaged, committed, and high-performing teams that experience sustained success.

S: Seeing the Best in Others

“I know my life is better when I work from the assumption that everyone is doing the best they can.” – Brené Brown, Dare to Lead

In her leadership workshops, Brené Brown often runs an exercise where she asks people to write down the name of someone who fills them with frustration, disappointment and/or resentment.

…and then she proposes this scenario: You accept that this person is doing the best they can.

Dr. Brené Brown writes that asking leaders to assume others are doing the best they can moves them from “pushing and grinding on the same issues” to the more difficult tasks of: teaching their team, reassessing their skill gaps, reassigning them, or letting them go.

As a leader, the power of this gift is transformational. It’s a commitment to move away from respecting and evaluating people based mostly on what we think they should accomplish and moving toward understanding and respecting them more for who they are, and holding them accountable for what they’re actually doing from that place of awareness.

To revisit the opening quote, the most successful leaders I know understand the gift of their leadership and commit to giving those gifts away every day. I think now, more than ever, the world needs this kind of leadership. I am grateful to know it is alive and well in so many of you. The future depends on it.