The ABC’s of Leadership (Day 11): Know

Know.  Know deeply.

Know thyself, know they enemy.  A thousand battles, a thousand victory. (Sun Tzu)

Day 11 – ‘K’

ABC’s of Leadership (Know)

It’s great to be busy, but it’s better to be productive.

Strong leaders are rooted in their why.  They understand, and are comfortable driving actions with intent.  Their why empowers their every move, and keeps them focused. It maximizes productivity.

Simon Sinek wrote an entire book on the subject.  His ‘Start with Why’ highlights this:

It all starts with clarity.  You have to know WHY you do WHAT you do.  If people don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it, so it follows that if you don’t know WHY you do WHAT you do, how will anyone else? If the leaders of the organization can’t clearly articulate WHY the organization exists in terms beyond its products or services, then how does he expect the employees to know WHY to come to work? (Simon Sinek)

The gift of knowing is powerful.  It can arguably be considered a leader’s greatest gift – their superhero power.  It drives consistency, empowers, and authenticates; it motivates leaders to navigate the challenges that lie ahead.

So choose to be the catalyst.

But how? Share your voice, your passion, and the knowledge of why.  If you want change, passion, and strong engagement, consider sharing your why.  It’s critical for your teams to understand the driving force of change.  If your teams understand your why, they feel empowered, and that is a key to keeping them engaged.

Want more on leadership? Check out my partner Dale Richardson’s thoughts in his Live the Goals podcast here!

“The ABC’s of Leadership” is a web series highlighting principles of leadership.

Each day, we’ll highlight a new focus area and concept.  Done in partnership with Dale Richardson, a Podcast Host and John Maxwell Team certified speaker, trainer and coach, we’ll also offer a podcast exploring each idea further.

Tune in daily!