Every day, we have choices. We choose to behave one way or another; to deliver a verdict on how an employee should or should not be accomplishing their work; or when to take a huge risk.

We choose words; we choose actions. Sometimes, we choose inaction.

How do you learn which words? Where do you learn what actions to take at what times with whom?

Lifelong Learners

Great leaders acknowledge they are lifelong learners. They read, inquire, and listen to the wisdom of those surrounding them.

Great leaders purposefully surround themselves with experts who have specific skills necessary to move the mission of any organization forward.

Great leaders take advantage of every opportunity to exercise their leadership strengths by staying abreast of best practices, trends and being inspired.

They seek support found either in their own community — however, they define that structure.

Leadercast

Each year, in communities all around the world, you may find programs such as Leadercast providing inspirational messages to thousands of individuals. The TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce has participated in this engaged leadership movement to support existing and emerging leaders with the opportunity to come together for a day and seize the moment.

Now, you may have the opportunity to come to a leadership gymnasium, where you can take the basic skills shared with you during this exciting day and receive personal training for how you can develop your muscles of influence.

Becoming Better Leaders

The Greater Lehigh Valley Leadership Consortium if offering an eight month half-day series, featuring lessons from Malcolm Gladwell, Dr. Henry Cloud, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the other outstanding presenters from this year’s Leadercast.

Here’s what participants experience:

• Eight unique leadership assessments determining their abilities and challenges.

• Eight books written by the speakers as well as your personal Leadership Workbook.

• Creation of your own map for your leadership journey.

• Facilitated lessons drawing upon your own experiences to bring practices right back to your workplace.

• Guest presentations from recognized leaders in the region.

• Peer accountability sessions.

• Individual coaching sessions throughout the series, as well as individually scheduled sessions.

The Art of Listening

Dr. Ann Beiber, president Lehigh Carbon Community College was one of last year’s guest speakers. One of the most common comments on her presentation was her tip that the most important thing you can do as a leader is to listen.

We had previously been discussing that listening has many components, the greatest proportion of which are non-verbal clues. How we acknowledge these clues, is integral to the business of our business. How we decipher them through email, texting and the like, can make huge difference.

If listening is only seven percent words, 38 percent voice tone and 55 percent body language, then, the opportunities for misunderstanding are huge, especially among the millennials in our inter-generational workforces.

Dr. Beiber specifically related that “…take the letters in the word listen and what other word can you find in there? Take the clues from the word SILENT. Silence can often be the best gift a leader can bring to the table.”

Keywords

Anne Baum, vice-president, Lehigh Valley Capitol Blue Cross, dove into Coach K’s presentation on language. “What’s the one thing that leaders do?” she asked the group. “Leaders get results and they do that by motivating others.”

In order to encourage your teams, you have to know the language they speak and you have to know the language of other teams among your competitors. Keywords come into play as you begin to empower your team-mates with the skill sets that they need to move into the role of leadership.

What are the standards that are expected? What place do your keywords have in your business? How is the culture you want projected evolving among your teams currently? Answers to these and other questions are very different from attaining quarterly goals and the use of spreadsheets.

The investment in your human capital and developing the talent of yourself and your team is paramount to the success of any organization.

Leaders lead. To improve your listening skills, to expand your influence, to enhance your leadership profile, you may discover more information at www.glvlc.com/BBL

Kayte Connelly is president of Best Principled Solutions LLC. She is a professional coach, author, speaker and consultant who facilities individual and group conversations about leadership cultures. Best Principled Solutions is a founding partner of the Greater Lehigh Valley Leadership Consortium, a think-tank of like-minded organizations dedicated to creating and sustaining generations of leaders. Other partners include the Center for Leadership and Workforce Development, AmericanVen, Thrivent Financial, Lehigh Valley Business, rMobileMarketing and WBYN, 107.5 Alive. She can be reached at 484.769.2327 or by writing to Kayte@bestprincipledsolutions.com