Your Leadership Agenda
Your attitude, appearance, and approach are the three building blocks of your leadership agenda.
Your leadership agenda is how you plan to guide your organization in the coming months. “Organization” can be your family, department, company, squad, bowling league, or any entity you are part of leading and trying to take somewhere different from where you are today and could focus on the next thirty days or six months. Ninety days is a reasonable timeframe.
The core of your agenda includes a collaborative relationship between your attitude, appearance, and approach.
Your attitude is your inner game. It is the belief system you carry with you, your personal compass, that points to things like your purpose, values, and goals. It is also where you find your leadership philosophy.
Your appearance is your outer game. It is how you show up and present yourself as a leader. This doesn’t have to mean a top-of-the-line suit and nice shoes, although it could be. It means dressing and acting the part: a hoodie and jeans or a top hat and tails, neither matters. The leader stands out, sometimes by a lot, sometimes subtly, but they are always recognizable to those they lead. It is how you carry yourself physically, your body language, your method of communication, and your attire.
Your approach is your behavior and how you treat others. In many ways, it is the manifestation of your attitude and your appearance. When all things are congruent, your leadership appears effortless, even when it’s not. When there is a disconnect, you look haphazard.
The idea behind your leadership agenda is to pick the most important item in each category that you want to emphasize or improve over the next 90 days so you can more successfully lead your organization forward.
I use a systematic process to help busy professionals determine each element, but here’s a quick hack:
- Your attitude is either a strength you have or a disciplined thought process you want to incorporate.
- Your appearance is a physical representation of your leadership that aids your cause.
- Your approach is a behavior, most likely identified by a dispassionate assessment like DISC or a Leadership 360, which you want to enhance to improve your results.
These three elements are always part of the essential leadership skills needed to be a successful leader. By focusing on them for 90 days, you’ll embed them into your ongoing leadership style.
Spend some time with these reflective questions.
Self-Evaluation: Leadership Agenda
Attitude:
Purpose and Values:
- Have you clearly defined your personal and leadership purpose?
- Are your actions consistently aligned with your values?
- Do you regularly reflect on your beliefs and adapt them to support your leadership goals?
Positive Mindset:
- Do you maintain a positive and proactive attitude in challenging situations?
- How do you approach setbacks and obstacles?
- Are you mindful of the impact of your attitude on those you lead and interact with?
Appearance:
Behavior and Communication:
- How do you present yourself as a leader through your behavior and communication style?
- Do you convey confidence, authenticity, and professionalism in your interactions?
- Are you adaptable in your approach, tailoring your communication to different audiences and situations?
Leadership Presence:
- Do you project a leadership presence that inspires confidence and trust among your team members?
- How do you demonstrate leadership through your actions and decisions?
- How can you enhance your leadership presence in formal and informal settings?
Approach:
Interpersonal Skills:
- How effectively do you build and maintain relationships with others?
- Are you empathetic and attentive to the needs and concerns of your team members?
- Do you actively seek feedback and incorporate it into your interactions to improve?
Continuous Improvement:
- What behaviors or communication styles must you enhance to be a more effective leader?
- Have you utilized assessment tools or feedback mechanisms to identify areas for improvement?
- What actions can you take in the next 90 days to develop and embed these qualities into your leadership style?
If you answered the questions above, you have a grasp of your leadership and the tools for self-evaluation. Now, take action!
- Identify one key element from each category (attitude, appearance, approach) that you want to focus on for the next 90 days.
- Develop a concrete action plan for each element. What specific steps will you take to improve?
- Hold yourself accountable. Track your progress and celebrate your wins along the way.
Free Download
You can also download the fillable PDF “Leadership Agenda Worksheet” to help you manage better and lead well. It and other helpful tools are on Karl Bimshas Consulting’s Resources page.
