Archives For reputation

What leaders think vs. what followers think

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Leadership defined by leaders:

Forward-thinking, determination, ambition, strategic-clarity, emotional intelligence, drive, creativity, initiative, energy, charisma, inner-awareness, team-building expertise, belief, command, consistency, discipline, empathy, focus, self-assurance, positivity, a thirst for knowledge and a thousand other things.

Leadership defined by followers:

  1. Trust
  2. Compassion
  3. Stability
  4. Hope

It’s easy to see why young people, startups and anyone with aspirations get confused with leadership. If you go to a book shop and walk to the business section you’ll find a thousand-and-one leadership titles all saying different things: GO BIG and Gun-Hoe! vs. tread quietly and be thoughtful.

Yet what all these books/authors have in common is that they recognise their own strengths. The charging bull knows it’s fast and strong whilst the turtle knows it has time.

The acknowledgement of your own strengths allows people to have trust in you; You’re not bullshitting them. And by focusing your strengths in the work you choose, you increase your stability.

However, relationships work both ways. Whilst followers like the fact they can trust you and that you have stability, they also want to know you care; that you show compassion. Together trust, stability and compassion leads to hope.

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I learnt this whilst reading Strengths Based Leadership, by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. It’s more of a leadership glossary than a book, entwined with an online test to help you find your strengths (mine were forward and strategic thinking. They’ve surveyed over ten thousand leaders across the world, and also thousands of followers too. Worth doing the test, called StrengthsFinder, as it literally helps you find your strengths (note, once you start the test you can’t stop and it takes ten minutes).
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Why you should do more than what’s expected

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What’s the best way to make a good impression?

Do more than what’s expected. It doesn’t have to be a work of art, but over-delivering creates a positive reputation. For as long as you follow Rule #1: Never Outshine The Boss, you’ll be seen as an integral asset to the team.

Think of The Little Shit in the last place you worked. You know who I mean, the one that always cut one corner too many, the one that always complained and thought life was unfair, the one that had so little elbow grease you were surprised they could even move their arms at all – would you recommend them?

You don’t want to be The Little Shit, you want to be The Shit.

Make yourself a value-added brand and you can earn more money. What do I mean? There are companies that provide exactly the same product or service, but some are seen as cool and others aren’t. Why is this? It’s because the cool companies are seen to have character through their positive brand reputation. Think of the various big UK phone operators. Cool Co. isn’t just a telecommunications network provider, they’re a brand that over-delivers on their promise, and that’s why they have higher customer retention rates.

There are so many ways you can do this, no matter what your job is. So you’re a window cleaner that gets paid cash-in-hand; present beautifully designed invoices. You’re an accountant that churns out Excel spreadsheets; make them beautifully formatted with comment boxes that explain what’s what in lamen terms. You’re the Prime Minister of Great Britain; say what you really think for a change.

However, there’s no point putting in 50% more effort and getting zero recognition for it. Ask for feedback, “What did you think?”, “Is this what you expected?”, “Is this good?”. Nudge your superiors into recognising your hard work because the unfortunate truth is that they’re probably just too busy to notice otherwise.

When the pay cheque comes in, or when the deal is done, you can smile and think, I earnt this.

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