This S.I.D.E. of Leadership
Regardless of your role, carry a S.I.D.E. of leadership.
Service: Be of service. Help. Assist. Act on behalf of others. Serve people, or a cause, an idea, beyond yourself.
Integrity: Hold yourself to honest and strong moral principles. Integrity takes time to build. Be trustworthy. Make your word mean something.
Dignity: Honor and have respect for others. You do not have to agree with them; however, you build trust and leadership when you treat others with dignity.
Empathy: Pause to imagine and share what someone else is thinking and feeling. See people where they are, from their perspective. Cheer and weep with them so that they feel heard if not understood.
Every situation has nuance, and your adopted methods may harm, or they may heal. However, these four elements take away the savagery and the carnival atmosphere that attracts so much attention.
Think of what happens when leaders lack these attributes.
- Self-serving leaders are not followed for long.
- When integrity is questioned, trust crumbles.
- The loss of dignity and empathy is perhaps the biggest deficit in previously respected institutions.
All the cumulative lack incites anger and fear. The fires that rage must not be stoked and allowed to consume reason. Instead, they must be addressed, contained, and extinguished.
Imagine for a moment a world where everyone acted in service to others. Regardless of position or persuasion, they shared their time, treasure, or talent with those in need.
Imagine a world where one’s integrity was genuinely assumed, not regularly suspected.
Imagine a world where every person was so confident in their self-worth that they could be respectful to others. They embodied dignity wherever they sat or stood and treated others with grace. Think how bright the place would glow.
Imagine shelving the phrase, “I told you so,”; packing away prior notions and biases to instead deliver empathy to those who are pained. Think how we would grow.
To bring life to those imaginations, ask yourself;
“How will I bring service, integrity, dignity, and empathy to the situation?”
This question helps set your intention and allows you to act deliberately.
As an after-action review, or when you reflect on the day, ask yourself; “Did I bring service, integrity, dignity, empathy today?
If you limit your answers to yes, no, or not applicable, your leadership will either have a net negative, net positive, or no effect on the world.
- If it was no effect, try harder tomorrow.
- If it was negative, make amends.
- If it was positive, enjoy the satisfaction and keep going.
If you are a servant leader devoted to ongoing improvement but frequently caught in the unrelenting pounding surf of organizational reluctance, it can be difficult. The odds can feel overwhelming, the rewards ephemeral; however, if leading is your calling, not your prize, do not block it from the world. The world needs your unique expression.
Yes, continue to extol the virtues of great women and men … and children who visualize, organize, and mobilize others to pursue a cause. Also, begin to recognize and build those traits in yourself.
You can always learn to manage better and lead well.
About Revenge
Revenge isn’t an aspirational goal. It can motivate you to get started; however, it’s short-lived unless you are so lacking in esteem that you NEED to enact vengeance to prove others wrong, which is weakness, not strength.
It is healthier to achieve something that will make a part of the world better for others, not just yourself.
Yes, a touch of glee is allowed when you notice how far you’ve advanced while your critics stagnated in their toxic pond. If you’ve done things right, you won’t feel the urge to mock them. You’ll either ignore them — or help them. And THAT is the best revenge.
Lead on Purpose Course
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Accountability Partnering
As a self-aware, high performer working alone or as part of a larger organization, you recognize that when you are missing something needed to accomplish your goals, you must make an effort to find help to close the gap.
No one likes to be supervised, but have you noticed how you get things done and don’t miss deadlines when others care about and depend on you? Have you successfully put that kind of positive pressure and expectation on yourself?
KICK-ASS BOSS, The Positive Accountability Partner Program from Karl Bimshas Consulting is for busy professionals who want an accountability partner (or professional ally, if you prefer) to help them stay focused, stop procrastinating, reduce time sucks, cheer progress, and reach their weekly goals.
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The Reflections on Leadership Podcast
Karl Bimshas shares quick reflections on leadership, and occasional interviews with busy professionals, to challenge your perspective, provide inspiration, and give insights to help you manage better and lead well. Listen on your favorite platform, or CLICK HERE.
Improve Your Leadership with Karl Bimshas Consulting
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