Be A Fearless Leader
Be A Fearless Leader
Learn the Top 3 Most Important things to remember as a Fearless Leader
Riker Opportunity Institute, Inc. recently exhibited at the Annual Philly SHRM Symposium. We got to hear two great speakers for the opening and closing keynotes. I thought both had fabulous messages that bear repeating. So I thought I would share with you my interpretation of the information shared during these presentations.
Carey Lohrenz, first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Navy
She opened with a powerful quote I wrote down right away, “The real tragedy of the day is when men and women fear the light.” What I witness in my consulting business when working with clients all the time is people and leaders fearing facing the truth about themselves or the situation, and therefore spend so much time and energy on covering up for what they are afraid if people knew, might cause them to fail. From my personal and professional experiences, admitting your weaknesses and asking for help and surrounding yourself with others who make up for your weaknesses, is liberating and empowering and will light the pathway to your success.
The next powerful statement Carey said is “Tenacity fuels dreams; Actions overcome fears;” and my personal favorite… "Not taking a risk is one of the biggest risks you can take.”
She then went onto share how to achieve extraordinary results with limited resources, which defines my business and is putting Fearless Leadership in Action. She said 80% is enough info to make a decision or take action. If we always wait for the 100% certainty, we will not accomplish much and it will take far longer than what would be impactful. Timing is everything in the world we live in today and solutions and information needs to be timely. Shoot for excellence, not perfection. I remember receiving this advice 20 years ago when just starting my consulting business. Some advice is timeless.
Carey also said that Fearless Leadership understands the main purpose, and the example she gave for the crew of a Naval Ship is safe launching and landing of their fighter jets. I could really relate to this because my Dad was a Navy Pilot Commander in the Korean War. Fearless Leadership starts with purpose. First as the leader, being clear on why you are doing something and then also before asking others to do something, to be clear on why or the purpose for the work. Then you need to keep communicating that purpose in order to gain alignment. Have you ever tried to row in a double kayak with someone who is not rowing with you in the same direction and rhythm you are? Not only is it incredibly frustrating, and takes more energy, it also slows you down from reaching your goal. Same is true if your team is not in alignment with the purpose. One of the tools I use in my consulting business with Leaders is called Everything DiSC® Work of Leaders™ Profile and Workshop. This profile looks at best practices in Leadership behavior when crafting a vision, so being clear on what needs to be accomplished and why, and then gaining alignment around that vision in order to execute efficiently and effectively to achieve the vision. Just like knowing how to fly an F-14 Fighter Jet took years of training, learning and practice, so does being a Fearless Leader and you need tools and skills to do it effectively and to measure progress and success.
Along with sharing “Be the Catalyst” and gaining alignment and staying focused on the main purpose another quote of Carey’s I loved was “You lose sight, You lose the fight.” Three key words, Purpose, Focus, Discipline.
Carey Lohrenz then went onto to share the Top 3 Most Important things to remember as a Fearless Leader:
Be intentional about what matters most.
Say no to those things that don’t drive value.
Mission before Self.
Under stress, can you be flexible and overcome barriers and make good decisions that are in the best interest of your team?
Fear of Failure is paralyzing. Don’t underestimate your ability to recover from failure. Waiting puts us more at risk. Failure has taught me what I am good at. Understand your mindset. What are your limiting beliefs that are not true? Understand how people respond to failure and work through it. “Banish your limiting beliefs.” Learn from failure.
A summary of Carey Lohrenz’s final thoughts on being a Fearless Leader:
Every person’s job is to make the other person look good.
Trust and Believe in each other. Great teams always embody 2 qualities…Belief & Trust.
To be a Fearless Leader you need to know how to empower teamwork, trust and support.
Be tenacious. “Courage is the 20 second sprint, Tenacity the 5 hour Marathon.”
Who do you want to be?
Where do I want to go?
Chunk the impossible
Focus on the long term goal
Operate as if….
You have the ability to write your own story. Don’t let others write your story.
People’s perceptions are important because it is their truth. Meet them where they are.
Be committed to excellence
Brief Teams with what is going on. They should have the same level of awareness and info. Plan what needs to be done, do it and then debrief to see how it went.
Above all else, be resilient
I think I have given you enough to digest this time around. Later in the week I will share my notes on Nick Bayer’s presentation from Saxbys Coffee.
Just remember, that Riker Opportunity Institute can help you to turn all this great advice into tangible measurable actions and results. We are here to help you bring out the best in yourself, others and your organization!
