Are You Built for Leadership?
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Are You Built for Leadership?
A foundational component of Predictable Success is unlocking your natural skills for stepping into success. When you do — when you strengthen the muscles that come with your individual leadership style — there are limitless opportunities for growth in your professional and personal life.
Further, determining what other leadership types you need to develop and encourage in your organization is a critical component of growth and one that is often overlooked. Are you built for leadership?
{Quick spoiler that we hope won’t dissuade you from reading further…ANYONE can lead. And yes, that means that you are in fact built for leadership!}
There are some common misconceptions about what leadership and Predictable Success actually look like. So we’re shining the spotlight on some of the people who have worked through their style’s gifts and weaknesses to come out on top!
The Journey to Effective Leadership
An example of a leader who has successfully used the principles of Predictable Success is Casey Graham, CEO of Gravy, who has made multiple appearances on Scale! With Les McKeown, the Predictable Success podcast.
In this episode, Casey and Les discuss the importance of having the right people in place and clear values in business — but acknowledge that it can be tricky to drive decisions based on both personal and organizational values for a successful model that allows for recurring revenue WHILE sustaining a positive impact.
Impact and Contribution
Les clarifies this even more in his book DO/LEAD and provides insights on how other leaders can strengthen these decision-making muscles.
“Leading from within requires two things to work: first, that you have a meaningful contribution to make…, and second, that your contribution is with the ongoing discussion the team is having, and one from a place of authority within you. Where does this ‘place of authority’ come from? Primarily, it comes from your natural leadership style.”
Value and Vision of a Leader
Casey’s Visionary leadership style cascaded his journey through triumph, unexpected pivot, experiencing what he calls ‘post-exit Founder’s depression’, and the new rocket he’s now riding through Predictable Success. And it started with the decision to lead.
As a Visionary, Casey’s ah-ha moments provided direction and a roadmap, but the dynamic community that he built to drive the vision is what Les calls a “perfect combination”.
Although Les refers to Casey as one of the “most remarkable entrepreneurs,” he is no stranger to both ups and (inevitable) downs. Knowing the future of his success depends on overcoming the downs, he was able to reflect and redirect back to his vision of impact with some of the Predictable Success toolkit methods.
“Analyzing precisely why you just failed, and learning what you can from the experience. Put another way, if you are committed to leadership, then knowing how to deal with failure – anticipating it, recognizing it when it happens, managing it when it does, and learning from it – must become as integral a part of your practice as anticipating and enjoying success”, as also highlighted in DO/LEAD.
Overcoming Setbacks
Sharing this ideology for overcoming failures and catapulting to success through impact, contribution, and values, Casey is a testimony of effective leadership despite living through, what he calls, “post-founder depression.”
In the podcast Casey discussed this depressive state and the mindset leading into his current venture.
“Before I started this (new) business, I created what’s called an owner’s intent, which was to create a business that I would want my adult children to work in someday if they so chose to… I would build the business in such a way that if they came home to me, when they’re 30 years old and said, Dad, listen to what our company did, listen to what our company offers, listen to how our company does paternity or maternity leave or listen to how our company does this. I want to build that company now.”
Transformation of a Leader
Honing in on his leadership style and implementing the toolkit of the Predictable Success model, he effectively oversees an impactful, fast-scaling business—and is well on his way from exceptional to “uber leader” through his journey of consistency and transformation.
In the book DO/LEAD, Les McKeown writes, “Watch an uber-leader at work, and you’ll see someone who can’t prevent themselves from helping others, encouraging teams and individuals, pushing everyone around them to greater and higher achievements.
Determining if leadership is right for you
When conceptualizing the idea of leadership, use these reflective questions to determine if you are built for, and sustaining leadership.
VALUES/VISION
- Does meaningful work drive your business success?
- Are your decisions derived from both your personal and organizational values?
- Does your vision align with your company model?
- Does your business model allow for recurring revenue, while sustaining a positive impact?
SCALE
- Do you have the systems to allow you to scale beyond your current revenue?
- Is your community able to sustain effectively through obstacles?
- Is your vision/revenue in forwarding motion or are you spinning your wheels in backfill?
- Is your company equipped with the ability to facilitate change?
- Are you willing to switch directions in order to be profitable if needed?
- Is your business model built to sustain growth and adaptability if necessary?
- Are you willing to shift to a new suggested dynamic when facts and data have been presented?
- Can you effectively manage your time to match priorities? How about for others?
- Can you identify and resolve conflict within your community?
COMMUNITY
- Do you have people/or a team in place that allows you to grow?
- Do you have a balanced dynamic of all leadership styles to compliment your role and style?
- Do you praise, acknowledge or reward others for their efforts towards the overall objective?
- Are you able to identify your strengths and pass trust to others to compensate for those that you may lack?
- Is your community equipped with the ideas, skills, and values necessary for matching your vision?
- Do you value culture and cultural intelligence within your organization?
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Are you able to set boundaries to sustain self-fulfillment in your role?
- Do you have the bandwidth to reserve time for your personal development while continuing to be successful?
- Are you confident in your decision-making skills?
- What does your role in the company ideally look like in 5 years? 10?
- Have you reflected on how past failures have shaped your leadership style or impacted previous roles?
- Can you identify when your leadership type becomes problematic?
- Are there more lessons to be learned from your journey to leadership so far?
- Do you trust yourself in an executive role?
- How do you tend to handle setbacks or failures in business?
- Have you acknowledged personal habits that have held you back in the past, and may hold your growth back in the future if not addressed
- Do you hold yourself accountable when necessary and respond accordingly for organizational changes?
- Do you value being trustworthy amongst your team members or within your company?
- Are you practical with the objectives given to others by you?
- Can you recognize when your emotional intelligence (or EQ) may hinder the potential of your success?
- Is your time structure built for efficiency?
Responses