This coming Monday is Presidents’ Day in the United States, a national holiday to honor leaders who helped establish and positively shape the country (and possibly do some retail sales therapy, but mostly to honor the leaders who shaped the country 😉). This holiday provides folks in the USA a moment to reflect on what leadership means when the stakes are at the highest level.
Yet whether you’re leading a nation or a team, the principles behind the necessary leadership skills and behaviors required for the role do not differ. The foundations remain similar and solid. Delivering an impactful, successful message comprises only three key components. But the absence of even one of these components will plague one’s leadership and legacy.
Choose to hone all three components = calm, purpose-driven, respect.
Choose to exclude one (or more) = chaos, division, uncertainty.
Message Delivery Must-Haves:
1. Clarity – President Abraham Lincoln didn’t say, “We’re exploring pathways to national reconciliation.” He said, “A house divided cannot stand.” Pretty clear; if we’re divided against ourselves, we will not survive. True for a nation, true for a business. Clarity is an act of courage. People can’t follow a leader’s vision if it isn’t clear.
2. Courtesy – President George Washington could have been king. He chose to be a servant leader. Courtesy and graciousness aren’t weaknesses; they are strengths within control. These skills signal that a leader’s authority doesn’t require them to diminish others in the process of their leadership. The best leaders understand that how you deliver a message is crucial to the message itself.
3. Kindness – President Franklin Delano Roosevelt knew Americans were afraid and uncertain during his Presidency. He didn’t pretend they weren’t. He met them in their fear and gave them hope despite the circumstances. Kindness in leadership isn’t avoiding hard truths. It’s delivering these truths while remembering that the humans you aim to serve with your leadership are doing their best. Kindness in politics and business is the secret sauce that, when missing, results in people leaving your table in search of a more appetizing meal.
Clarity tells people where they’re going.
Courtesy shows people they matter.
Kindness reminds people we’re all in this adventure together.
If you aspire to be a leader who is favorably remembered, not one who is merely obeyed in the present, be clear, be courteous, be kind, and you will be worthy of being presidential.
