bcg blog

Our Voice

In the pursuit of excellence, communication is required. And, that goes for everyone. No one is exempt from that requirement. It’s easy to make the claim that we are leaders by example, which in our minds, somehow relieves us of the responsibility. It doesn’t. 

As a matter of fact, if we’re operating within a team setting, it makes us selfish. That’s right, selfish. By refusing to use our voice, we are clearly communicating to our teammates that our personal comfort is of greater importance than anything we might be able to do together as a team.

Leaders that only lead by example are just bad leaders. It’s the bare minimum of leadership qualifications. It’s like a mechanic that is only good with a hammer. Great, as long as a hammer is all that is needed, which, of course, is never the case. Just as leading by example is never the only thing needed.

Why Should We Care?
We should care because we need to raise the standard for what we consider a leader. Consistently doing what you are expected to do does not make you a leader. Going beyond what is expected of you doesn’t even make you a leader. It makes you ambitious. It makes hard working. It makes you proactive. But, it doesn’t make you a leader.

A leader inspires a group to collectively embrace a challenge and take action. Merely, doing does not do this for one simple reason: relationships. Inspiration of any kind is truly only realized through the development of relationships. Sure, we may be motivated in the short-term by watching someone do something heroic or honorable. That’s not inspiration.

Inspiration persists. It hangs on through the lean times and explodes in the good times. We don’t inspire without relationships and we don’t have relationships without using our voice. The ability, or should I say willingness, to use our voice is critical to our impact as a leader.

Using our voice is more than yelling at people or holding them accountable, though that is part of it. Aside from casting the vision of the team, nothing is more important in a leaders domain of control than his willingness to uphold the standards of the team. Our actions are not enough to do this. We must use our voice. 

The casting of the vision needs more attention. As a leader, our most critical duty is to cast a vision of where our team is going. That vision must be worth the sacrifice we are asking our followers to make. It has to be important, make a difference. And, we need to be casting it all the time, every day, in everything we do. What we do matters. And, what we say, or don’t say, matters just as much.


REAL TALK - Action Steps
It’s easy to say we have to communicate as leaders, but what are we communicating? Talking just to talk doesn’t help anything. Here’s a few ideas on impactful areas to use your voice to enhance your leadership.

• The Vision 
  
  • Say, repeat it, then say it again. You can never be too clear with where you are going. We must communicate the harsh reality of where we are along with the unwavering faith that we are capable of going where we aspire to be. That just simply can’t be transferred through actions alone. It must be spoken and it must be spoken often.
    

• The Standards
  
  • We have to uphold the standard with our actions, no doubt. A bigger issue is being sure everyone is crystal clear on what that standard is. In order for that to happen we must be able to articulate the standard. Knowing it is one thing, being able to clearly explain it to every member of your team is a key aspect of leadership. When they have a clear understanding of the standards, whether or not to meet them becomes a clear choice.
    

• The No’s
  
  • A common coaching phrase is “know your nos”. It simply means that you need to be just as aware of the things you don’t want as you are of the things you do want. As important as letting our people know what is expected, letting them know what is unacceptable is equally as important. Decide what is unacceptable behavior on your team, then communicate that clearly to your team.
    

• The People
  
  • As we touched on earlier, leadership is all about people. Nothing is ever changing that. The idea of leading only by example misses this entirely. Our voice allows us to share our ideas and beliefs along with our mistakes and failures. It connects us with those around us and shows our investment in the group rather than just ourselves.
    

Leading by example is not a type of leadership, it’s a tool of a leader - part of what makes a leader. No leadership exists without our voice to cast the vision, hold the standard, and connect to our people.

For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. 
We would love to know how we could help!

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