Knowing One's Impact

In this article, we'll explore the way that great leadership manifests itself in the workplace and the way average to poor leadership reveals itself as well. In addition, we'll look at the positive impact of leadership mentoring and also the negative impact that subpar mentoring can have on leaders. 

This article also shares some useful strategies and reflections to address the impact of both positive and negative leadership styles. 

Scenario 1: The Way Great Leadership Manifests Itself in the Workplace

Person A shows up each day motivated to do excellent work. They consistently experience a supportive work environment that is fostered by their leaders. Their opinions, thoughts and feedback are actively encouraged. They have never felt any fear of reprisal for sharing their genuine thoughts and feelings in the workplace. In fact, Person A’s leaders go out of their way to ensure that their feedback is always warmly welcomed. 

Person A knows where they stand with their leaders and has a clearly defined sense of direction and purpose in their role. Their leaders consistently communicate, with transparency, so that all people in the organization feel informed and updated. 

As well, Person A has had ample opportunities to develop themselves professionally through training programs and direct mentorship from their leaders. They've always felt valued and appreciated for their contributions and know the worth they bring. They feel a deep sense of belonging and purpose in the organization. 

Person A’s leaders also provide them with specific feedback to help them be more impactful in their role and consistently support their learning and growth. In addition, their accomplishments, successes and strengths are always celebrated and appreciated which makes them feel they truly matter. 

When Person A makes mistakes or fails to live up to the expectations of the organization, their leaders demonstrate curiosity about what may be going on for them and authentically offer a helping hand. When critical feedback is given to Person A by their leaders, they've always walked away from these meetings feeling empowered, supported and cared for.

Person A’s leaders greet them each day when possible, check in with them when things might not be going well, and clearly demonstrate they care through their words, actions, and non-verbal body language. 

In addition, Person A's leaders always own up to their shortcomings and acknowledge the mistakes they've made. They are also open about the negative impact their mistakes may have caused to others. They know that 'owning their actions' is a pivotal part of what it means to lead with authenticity. Although it may be difficult to make themselves vulnerable at times, Person A’s leaders know it is necessary in order to build genuine trust with those who they lead. 

Because their leaders have always demonstrated deep accountability for their own actions, Person A ensures that they also do the same, as it has been consistently modeled to them. Actions such as this always help to create a very psychologically safe workplace environment where all people can thrive. It’s one of the main reasons why employee retention is so high in Person A's organization. 

Person A feels a tremendous amount of gratitude and appreciation for being able to work at their organization and always speaks highly of their leaders whenever they have the opportunity. They are proud to work where they do and spread the word to others. As a result, their leaders and their organization have an outstanding reputation. 

In closing, it important to note that the leaders in this organization feel supported by their fellow leaders. Feedback for improvement is not only encouraged up and down the ladder of leadership but expected. The most senior leaders exemplify what it means to model how to receive feedback for improvement and make the changes necessary to become better at what they do. As a result, the trickle down impact this has on the organization manifests itself in a multitude of empowering ways that is evidenced by the high level of morale in Person A's workplace. 

Scenario 2: The Way Average to Poor Leadership Manifests Itself in the Workplace

Person B shows up to work each day wanting to do the best they can in their organization. They have worked hard to develop their skills and feel they have a lot to contribute. However, due to inconsistent, unclear and last-minute communication, there is a general sense of uncertainty and confusion in the workplace. 

This lack of clear direction and understanding leads to a deep loss of morale and purpose at times. Although Person B wants to do their best, they are oftentimes unsure about what to prioritize as the goal-posts for success often keep shifting. They feel a general sense of being overwhelmed at work, but do not feel safe expressing this to leadership for fear of negative consequences. As a result, anxiety generally runs higher for them and others in the organization which has a negative impact on their own mental health and well-being.

In addition, Person B experiences little or no mentoring from their own leaders, leaving them to figure things out primarily on their own. There is a general sense that the leaders in the organization fail to lead by example, so important skills are often not modeled. 

The majority of time, Person B feels undervalued and unappreciated for their efforts and contribution. Despite having known strengths, their direct line managers/leaders rarely celebrate their successes and accomplishments. Person B rarely hears about the positive impact they are making in the workplace. The feeling of not being seen or appreciated by their leaders only adds to their levels of frustration and anxiety. 

Based on their personal experiences in the workplace, most of the time they are called into 1-1 meetings with their leaders is because they are being spoken to or criticized for mistakes they’ve made or problems they may have caused. Very little curiosity is shown or attempts made by their leaders to truly understand Person B’s point of view. As a result, they often leave these types of meetings feeling disillusioned, shamed and even emotionally hurt. These negative feelings can last days, weeks or even months afterward. 

Although the leaders of the organization try to show they care at times, more often than not, there is deep inconsistency in the way the leaders treat people. On a surface level, feedback might be asked for each year by the leadership team, but very little is done with this feedback or it is skewed to paint an unrealistic picture of job satisfaction in the workplace. This only leads to more frustration in Person B and their colleagues. 

The leaders of the organization prefer ‘yes’ people over people who truly challenge them or have contrary points of views and opinions. It is safer for them to have ‘yes’ people around them as it helps to avoid conflict, leads to faster decision-making, helps them maintain control and can even unconsciously boost their egos. 

As well, the most senior leaders in the organization will give feedback downward to fellow leaders but rarely seek feedback upward from lower ranking leaders in the organization. It is not common practice to provide feedback to leaders on the same level either. Every leader seems to bathe in their own bubble of security and self-protection. 

In short, feedback is not welcomed, sought out, or encouraged. This can lead to a loss of morale with middle managers and lower levels of senior leadership which only adds to the negative workplace environment that Person B feels and experiences on most days. 

The Reality of Leadership

In general, people become leaders for variety of reasons, and motivations for leadership can vary widely among individuals. Although this is the case, it can be assumed that most people become leaders because they are either passionate about a cause or have a strong desire to be influential and impactful in their chosen field. Simply put, majority of people have the very best of intentions when launching into their leadership journey. 

It’s what happens over time that matters the most when people venture down their own paths of leadership. Some leaders are extremely lucky as they are guided by genuine mentors who show them they way. It’s these mentors who model what it means to lead with authenticity, courage, and conviction to purpose. And along the way demonstrate the strong and effective communication skills needed for success in their organization. 

However, other leaders, unfortunately, are not as lucky as they’ve experienced very few mentors that have actually modeled what high quality, genuinely impactful leadership looks like. The ‘once seemingly well-intentioned' leaders who started off their journeys wanting to be a positive force for good in their organizations, slowly erode away at morale through their actions. As well, they unconsciously or consciously alienate the people who once believed in them and develop more reactive, uncharacteristic ways of showing up in the workplace. 

Although still showing flashes of excellence in their leadership from time-to-time, more often than not, their paths are marred by poor decision-making, lack of transparency, surrounding themselves with ‘yes’ people, and shutting themselves off to people who may have different views and opinions. 

Once down this path, many leaders have difficulty bouncing back, finding their own authentic voice again and being more aligned to the values that initially sparked their desire to enter the arena of leadership in the first place. However, they do have the ability to apply the brakes and truly assess where they are at and what they might need to do to get re-aligned in order to become much more impactful once again. 

Actionable Steps:

In this article, we’ve explored:

A) The impact that great leadership has on employees and the way they show up to work.

B) The impact that average to poor leadership has on employees and the way they show up to work.

C) The positive difference that great mentoring can have on leadership development.

D) The negative impact that subpar mentoring can have on leadership development.

So, what might be done about any of the above situations? 

A) If you are someone who shows up to work each day being led by great leaders, one of the best things you can start doing or continue doing is to be very grateful. Take as many opportunities as possible to let your leaders know they matter and that their words and actions continue to inspire you to be your best. Let them know how grateful you are for their guidance and support. Give them specific examples of how their actions and words have made an impact on you and the way you are showing up at work each day. Every leader, regardless of who they are, can greatly benefit from hearing such feedback. Great leaders must continue to evolve and do great work, so your feedback matters!

B) If you are someone who shows up to work each day being led by poor to average leadership, one of the best things you can do is to double-down on your own locus of control and influence. Take the time needed to explore and identify what is within your control and what isn’t. Take the bull by the horns so to speak, and rather than waiting for praise and appreciation from your superiors, be active in getting feedback from your peers — the people working alongside you each day in the trenches. 

Seek the feedback needed to know what you are doing well, how you are supporting others in your role, and what you need to do more of or less of to help you have greater impact as a colleague. Use this feedback as a strong lever point to document your own growth and set actionable goals and plans to help you achieve those meaningful goals. Commend yourself for having the courage to pursue excellence in your organization by consistently bettering yourself. Collect testimonials from your colleagues about your performance and provide testimonials to your colleagues that lets them know how well you think they are doing and how much they matter. 

By choosing a path of independent self-growth, you are putting yourself in the best position possible to excel in your role, even if you are not getting the genuine support and appreciation you need and desire from your own leaders. 

C) If you are a leader who has been led by great mentors, let them know how much they matter to you. Let them specifically know how their guidance and support has helped to shape you into the leader you are. Let them know the impact you have had in your role and that this impact would not have been possible without them. Let them know how grateful you are to have crossed paths with them and that the work you now do, to serve the world, is a direct result of the impact that they had on you. Gratitude and appreciation go a long way, so use these tools wisely. 

D) If you are a leader who has not experienced solid mentors in your life or if you feel that those who you have been led by have not been exemplary in their actions, words, and leadership style, there are immediate steps that you can put into action. Firstly, take the time needed to truly evaluate and assess the impact of your own leadership style by asking yourself some hard but important questions.

As you go through these questions use a 1-10 scale to answer them (1 = 'not at all’ and 10 =‘to the highest degree possible’): 

To what extent do I genuinely demonstrate my core values in action to my own leadership team and the leaders above me in rank? 

To what extent do I speak my truth to my own leadership team or the leaders above me in rank? 

To what extent am aligned to what I truly believe in? 

To what extent are my daily words and actions reflective of who I want to be as a leader? 

To what extent have I been a positive force for good to those who I lead? 

To what extent do the people I lead know they are appreciated, valued and genuinely understand the positive impact they have made in the organization? 

When I leave my current organization, to what extent will the people I lead (including my own leadership team) truly say that I helped to contribute positively to their sense of well-being, genuine belonging and contribution in the workplace? 

If you have ranked yourself high in any of the above questions, what evidence do you have to support the number you gave yourself? Not just one-off examples, but multiple examples which support your high assessment. 

As well, when going through the reflective prompts above, pay close attention to how you react. What's happening inside of you as you read and reflect on these prompts? Is there a sense of openness and curiosity or is there a sense of defensiveness? Is there a sense of immediately wanting to score yourself high out of 10 or are you pausing to genuinely reflect on what the best answer might be based on the true impact of your leadership? 

Any tensions that may arise might be a great cue to let you know there is more there to explore and to ask yourself. Shifting our mindset and stance on our own leadership is the first step toward re-aligning and re-calibrating our purpose. In doing so, we out ourselves in the best position possible to better reflect on who we want to be as leaders in order to have the genuine impact we desire. If self-judgement comes into play during this reflective process, give yourself credit for actually trying to better understand yourself, your leadership style, where you may have made mistakes, and what you need to do to either make amends or move back into alignment with your values. It's never too late to become the leader you truly want to be

In Summary

I hope this article gives you food for thought in regards to your experiences in the workplace. We all have different contexts and there isn’t one perfect formula for organizational success. This article is meant to provoke your own thinking about what you can do to best address the situation you find yourself in whether or not it is positive or negative in nature. 

Would love to know your thoughts on this leadership article. What have I missed? What haven’t I considered? What are other ways of looking at impactful leadership? As well, please connect with me on LinkedIn, so that we can learn more about each other's work. Thanks for reading.