ICYMI: Voting…it’s happening soon. And your voice and vote matter. When the people at Rock the Vote reached out to Brains on Fire, it got us thinking (and talking). Voting is about so much more than just picking a political party. It’s about values, leadership and vision — and deciding which person on the ballot can best represent what matters most to you.
Whether the president of your company or the person behind the desk at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the people at the lead have a profound impact on our culture — and your vote designs our future.
Are you registered to vote? It literally only takes two minutes — and you can do it right here.
In the meantime, our team recently did some reflecting on leadership and shared their thoughts. Here’s what they had to say. What would you add to the list?
When I reflect on what good leadership looks like in action, this is what comes to mind:
Honesty. Trust. Dependability. Knowing your people, valuing them and their work. Following through on what you say. Intentional.
Ability to empower others, but also provide actionable guidance. Good listener; approachable; collaborative. Values others opinions; wants their whole team to have a seat and voice at the table.
Authenticity. Their character matches their behavior which matches their word.
Calmness. Kindness. Clarity. Strength. Warmth.
Knowing your team and hiring the best for what you need. Stepping out of the way to let that team do great work. Staying plugged in, but getting enough space to see the next obstacle, push past the next hurdle, with a birds-eye view.
Inclusive reasoning working towards an ethical solution.
The humility to know what they don’t know and the wisdom to not only surround themselves with people who are strong in those weak places, but also empower them to take the lead there.
Good leadership makes people feel:
Valued, seen, heard, empowered, motivated, confident, respected, invested, hopeful, appreciated, safe to make mistakes and free to express their ideas.
If I could offer the leaders of the world one piece of advice, it would be:
Collect input from the people directly impacted by your decisions before making them.
Live out what you expect from those you lead.
Your posturing is transparent.
Find out who you are first. You can’t lead others until you know yourself.
Don’t be a brilliant jerk.
Your job isn’t to be the smartest person in the room, it’s to listen to the smartest people in the room, and to figure out how to put their knowledge into action.
Lead with compassion.
If you can’t listen, you can’t succeed.
Wondering about absentee voting? Here’s a link to the deadlines for requesting and submitting your absentee ballot.
