Evans: Attitude Reflects Leadership

“Remember the Titans” is one of my all-time favorite movies. I believe this movie teaches leadership lessons on how to build an effective team with people from various backgrounds, different cultures and walks of life. In this global market, one’s success as a leader will hinge upon how well they are able to build diverse teams that are effective, efficient, and will excel at accomplishing the mission and vision of the organization.

The performance of any team is a direct reflection of the leader. If you are a sports fan you know that when a team performs well it is either the team captain or coach that receives many accolades for their great leadership ability. However, when a team does not perform well it is normally the coach that is let go and replaced, due to their inability to get the team to produce the desired results.

One of the pivotal scenes in “Remember the Titans” took place early one morning, during training camp. The team members were being pushed to the limit; they were drenched in sweat and exhausted from the day’s activities. It was time for the team captain to have a crucial conversation with one of his team members. As the team member listened to the team captain run off a list of things he was doing wrong as a team member, and how as a team member he had a bad attitude, the team member responded with “Attitude Reflects Leadership.”

Oftentimes as leaders we would like our team members to make adjustments to our personal leadership style. However, as leaders we should be willing to adjust our leadership style based on those we lead.

In providing feedback to team members, we list certain attitude adjustments they should make to suit our needs, but have we taken the time to consider the needs of those we lead? Have we taken the time to learn more about them on a personal level? Have we taken the time to build and establish trust? As you read this article, take the time to think about the attitudes of those you lead, and how their attitudes could possibly reflect how you can improve or become more effective as a leader.

There are eight attitude checks or adjustments I believe all leaders should review periodically to ensure it is reflected in who they are as a leader:

• Action-oriented. Be decisive, take action when needed. John Maxwell says “A successful leader has the courage to take action while others hesitate.”

• Timely. Be a leader that respects others time. Leaders should not be consistently late for their own meetings. Always have someone prepared to start the meeting when you are running late. Time is non-refundable.

• Trust. Trust takes years to establish, seconds to tear down, and forever to repair. Trust is the foundation of how a leader builds relationships with those they lead. A relationship that has no trust is a relationship that is bound to fail.

• Integrity. Integrity is about being a person of good moral character and principles. It’s about doing the right thing even when no one is looking. As leaders, we must always choose the hard right over the easy wrong.

• Transparency. One must have a certain level of transparency with those they lead. Don’t be afraid to show the human side of who you are as a leader. Share mistakes you’ve made in the past, and how you were able to learn and grow from those mistakes.

• Unify. As a leader, you must have a strategic plan to unify your diverse team as one; one voice, one focus, one vision.

• Delegate and deploy. Know the strengths and weakness of each team member, and deploy them in accordance with their capabilities. Remember, you can delegate task, not responsibility. As leaders, it is our responsibility to develop other leaders.

• Effective. Are you getting the desired results/outcomes? Are you bringing out the best in your team members? Are you operating at a level that saves time, money, and keeps safety first? These are questions one should ask to determine their level of effectiveness as a leader.

Nicole Evans is a motivational, inspirational and transformative speaker that is passionate about helping and coaching others to achieve their dreams and live in purpose. As a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army, Evans received in-depth leadership training and development which she now uses to influence others to accomplish their professional and personal goals in life. She is a certified senior human resources professional, certified DISC Human Behavior Consultant, and a certified life coach with a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. She has coached and mentored junior, senior, and executive leaders in both the government and private sectors and has inspired audiences across the United States, Latin America, and Germany.

Columnist series sponsored by weVENTURE at the Florida Institute of Technology College of Business. weVENTURE has locations in Melbourne and Rockledge. The Center is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. For more information, visit weventure.org or call 321-674-7007.

A leader’s attitude is reflected in those they lead. As leaders, our attitude should influence and inspire others to not only do better, but be better.