Leadership is hard, especially for new leaders. I know because I was one. I graduated from the University of Virginia Army ROTC program in 1990 and joined the US Army. My first duty assignment as an Infantry Officer was at Fort Bragg, home of the 82nd All-American Airborne Division. I was brand spanking new and did not know what I was doing. I have already written about the sage advice my father, a retired Colonel, gave me. He also told me to become a student of leadership, so that is what I did.
There are a lot of leading experts in the world
The list of leadership gurus is long. I read many of their books, listened to their podcasts, attended their events, and completed their training courses. Over the past 25 years, I learned a lot from leadership experts like Peter Drucker, Dale Carnegie, John Maxwell, Colin Powell, Bill McRaven, Tom Peters, Arianna Huffington, Simon Sinek, John Kotter, Marcus Buckingham, Molly Fletcher, Ken Blanchard, Jim Collins, Marie Forleo, Michael Hyatt, Seth Godin, Brene Brown, Tony Robbins, and Sheryl Sandburg. I would list more names, but you get the point.
Many leadership experts do not focus on new leaders
All of these gurus provide excellent content for leaders. You can learn a lot listening to them. The problem is that many experts do not focus on new leaders. No – their target audience is usually experienced leaders who are trying to mature their current leadership skills and abilities. So where in the world do you start as a new leader? The military is a great place to start. That is where my leadership journey began. Unfortunately, many people do not want to join the military. You have to do it for the right reasons. Trust me – good pay is not one of them.
All The Way Leadership! believes new leaders need something basic
A company designed with one purpose in mind – to make you a better leader. I am not here to sell a book, or peddle a podcast, or try to get you to sign up for a seminar. Those things will come later, although I seriously doubt I will ever write a book. For now, I am focused on helping you grow and develop as a new leader through curated compelling content and practical training. Nothing more, nothing less. Let’s get started.
The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
The three hard truths about personal integrity as a leader
All The Way Leadership! believes that integrity is a non-negotiable attribute for leaders. Simply put – if you do not demonstrate integrity your team will not trust you, and you are dead in the water as a leader. Last month I advised that you never forget these three hard truths about your integrity. For new leaders, it is a simple concept to understand.
- Team members pay special attention to your individual integrity. Yes – they are watching you.
- They track who you are, what you say, and what you do. Yes – they are trying to figure you out.
- If these three integrity attributes do not align, then the team will not trust you. No – they will not give you the benefit of the doubt. Why should they?
A novel framework for new leaders
All The Way Leadership! created a novel framework for new leaders. A basic way to view leadership. It is below. It is not complicated. Fundamentally this framework communicates that it is vital for you to possess integrated integrity as a new leader. Does that simply mean that you need to do the right thing as a new leader? No – it takes more than that. Having individual integrated integrity means that ‘who you are’ aligns with ‘what you say’ and ‘what you do’. I will say it again – this time with more emphasis. If you do not demonstrate individual integrated integrity your team will not trust you, and your impact as a leader will be limited.
What about you?
Are you paying attention to your personal integrity as a new leader? Do your integrity attributes align? Does ‘who you are’ align with ‘what you say’ and match ‘what you do’? If so – excellent. Keep up the great work. If not – do something about it. I will be writing much more about this framework in the next few months. Stay tuned for the details.
ATW! is designed to make you a better leader
I hope you join me on this journey to raise up the next generation of leaders. The world is in desperate need of more great leaders. Women and men who lead with confidence, clarity, and creativity. It’s time to become the leader that your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!