Dear Leaders, I am going to make a number of ‘you don't have to’ statements to go against the grain to ensure you aren’t following bad or the wrong trends for you:
You Don’t Have To:
Welcome every new employee via LinkedIn
Always be available
Have the most knowledge
Know everything
Be unavailable (that was terrible advice from poor timekeepers and low EQ managers)
Work 24/7 (hint; work smarter not longer)
Be the expert on everything within your organisation
Comment on everything happening outside of your business
Write long-form articles on topics you do not have informed points on
Appear on podcasts, video interviews and on social media
Speak at conferences, be the keynote speaker or sit on every panel
Have a social media presence
Be on TikTok and dance (please don’t fall for this latest trap)
With each statement there will always be a but, here's the important, however, it is essential for you as a leader to protect yourself and for those around you to get the best results with your guidance.
Your Behaviours Have Influence: Remember almost every person underneath you as a leader feels like this is the example set and the actions and behaviours they feel like they have to mimic to be successful.
Many execs struggle to change who they are and adopt new styles that go against their personality types and when uncomfortable it is not great to watch or experience.
Breaking down that barrier can often mean you can struggle to build connections or are not then taken seriously when things start going badly.
Respecting your own time, energy and focus are so important to driving your business forward.
Knowing You Can Say No To The PR Roadshow: Coinbase went on the PR offence and ultimately impacted their business and their CEO has had to go on a PR show ever since the summer.
Unfortunately, a CEO who was recently removed was Bob Chapek from Disney and he was removed for poor company performance but also importantly for being bad in public interviews and badly representing Disney in the public eye.
Here’s a prime example of not understanding the PR roadshow and how you will come unstuck:
Many famous CEOs have gone out with their narrative and were called out for their previous behaviours and the bubbling under-the-surface stories come to light quicker than you will ever be able to control.
Reduce Pressure: There is enormous pressure on team managers, all the way up to chief execs to co-founders to act in unnatural ways and go against the way they are engineered, going against what makes them thrive. Often focusing on your strengths will outperform trying to improve all of your weaknesses.
If you have fallen for the trick of going against your strengths it is time to take back control and revisit what you are and are not going to do justice and build true connections and give direction to your team, your company and your industry.
Remember you don’t have to be the first CEO dancing on TikTok, or the first leader in your business to keynote at the biggest conference, or appear on a high-profile podcast with forced and hole-filled stories.
People connect with people (that’s the worst kept secret we forget) and their true stories, by all means, build your confidence, build narratives and stand out but in a natural way to you and remember once it is out there it is near on impossible to remove from the internet, so be you, be the you that can build relationships and can create strong connections with your people and your brand. If you are not comfortable, get training and help don’t force it for a new platform, there will also be someone else who will be better placed and create a better response.
Go and have a great week and remember often saying no and delegating in leadership is best for everyone.
Thanks,
Danny Denhard
PS I hope you have enjoyed the 5 questions series, there are a few more for the end of the year and the start of next to kickstart 2023 right!