Some of the most uplifting and important stories in business, are the emotion-filled stories from emerging leaders about the coaching they received from a senior business mentor. I have heard descriptions about deeply appreciated advice, mostly delivered in a brutally honest fashion, that truly have made a difference, and usually at a crossroad in a career.
What is fascinating to me is the mentor is usually completely unaware of when the message was delivered. Completely unaware that the episode was a significant event. Completely unaware that their advice would be seen as that impactful.
The lesson in this for me, and hopefully for you, is:
Leaders are always on stage. Our actions, words, tonality, body language, humor, and frustrations are watched by many more people than we think. Our teammates are constantly looking for signals and clarity. Our words and actions have powerful implications and the receiving party is the one that picks the time, place, and message. We never know when we are the most impactful, so we better be consistently on our game.
I challenge you to find at least one junior colleague that you can mentor and to remember that many others are watching you. Don’t let them down.
Leadership is about influence. So if you imprint and influence others, you are a powerful leader.
Be a powerful leader!
Coach Dave
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