“Freedom lies in being bold.” – Robert Frost
I wrote a blog called, Declaration of Leadership: What Is True for You? in July of 2018. We live in a different world today than we did then so I am changing this declaration to reflect the bold leadership that today’s organizations demand.
One definition of a declaration is “a formal or explicit statement or announcement.” Declarations are part of what moves leaders forward and one of the most significant ways that leaders create possibilities in the world. Much of our life as leaders is spent in elevator speeches, email blasts, one-on-one’s, 10/10’s, stand-ups, Zoom, Slack, and Teams meetings. Less time is spent on articulating what is true for us as leaders and what we value most and yet those are the things that drive our decision-making whether we declare them or not.
In honor of Independence Day in the USA this month, I have created a Declaration of Leadership template below, followed by some questions for reflection. Are you ready?
First, as the creators of the Declaration of Independence did, write your list of grievances.
This is your space to write what is bothering you about the current state of your organization and how it impacts your ability to lead.
Now it is time to move forward and shift your energy from one of resistance and frustration with what is not working to one of momentum and alignment with what is working. The shift is internal first and then the momentum will follow…
Second, please fill in the blanks:
I hold these truths to be self-evident in my leadership… In other words what will you feel and what will others see in you every day that does not need to be explained because it is obvious in your actions and words:
That…
That…
That…
To live these truths, I will:
Third, deepen your declaration by answering these reflection questions:
- If your document was a collective effort, and needed to reflect the truths of your team, your boss, and your peers, what would need to change?
- If you were not recognized as the author of your declaration, and someone else took credit for your words, how would it change how you behave?
- If you imagine sharing this declaration with anyone, how does that feel? Exciting, scary, silly etc. Use your reflections to edit your declaration as needed.
The point is, declaring something means you own it and step into it, but it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been there all along. Whether you acknowledge your truths or not, they are guiding you. The best leaders in the world, align with them, sometimes daily, sometimes hourly, sometimes one word or one handshake at a time.
One way leaders fail or fall with their declarations is by making a declaration to make a declaration. A declaration to make a declaration doesn’t call us forward to anything. It’s simply the act of putting off what we say we are committed to until later. Make the declaration now, today. Until we do, nothing will happen. Once we have made that declaration, clarity is the reward. We are called forward into our life and into our leadership.
Declarations have the power to create breakthroughs internally and externally. Breakthroughs rarely happen when we take the same path and the same actions we have already taken. Declarations are active commitments that require heart and help us stay the course in times of peace and times of adversity. If we don’t make them, it is much easier to lose our way as leaders. Whether it is quietly or we shout it from the rooftops, many will feel our declarations in countless ways.
Finally, sign outside the lines…
When you are ready, SIGN BIG like John Hancock.
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