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RFL: Leadership is an Action

Leadership is not about what you say, it is about what you do. The key to leadership is whether what you do resonates with those you lead. If you are emotionally intelligent, empathic, engaging, and collaborative, it should be evident in your actions. This is just as important as what you say. If you listen intently and adjust to the feedback you’re receiving, it will influence and motivate actions that matter. What I’m talking about is sharing your skills and your passion with those you lead. Seek out win-win relationships that strive for shared understanding and, when you don’t have it, stop and work on it. Leadership is a state of mind that you should share with your team. The team is watching you, and the team will follow you if your actions are worthy of it. More important, they will be your partners in achieving mission accomplishment. NOTE: The Right Fit Leading (RFL) Process addresses the need to change the focus of training from the traditional leader-centric philosophy to one of engagement, interaction, and collaboration. This creates an atmosphere where leaders and those they lead have equal opportunities to affect the leader-follower relationship that is required in effective teams. The RFL Process promotes the creation of effective teams because it is based on emotional intelligence and empathy for all members, regardless of their position or level of responsibility. The RFL Process addresses a consistent philosophy of how we lead and follow. It suggests that we must inspire ourselves and others. It also demonstrates the need to motivate ourselves and others to take on challenges that we might not attempt otherwise. We use emotional intelligence (EI) and empathy, engagement, LMX Theory, and knowledge about the meaning of trust and how it is developed and nurtured. At this point, development can turn its focus to what is needed for each leader and member. We use the principle of engaged interaction to help leader and team development subjects arrive at a shared understanding.

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RFL: Building Trust

Trust is important in every organization and every leader should be actively building trust. This is done through continuous engagement in a collaborative relationship. The relationship allows trust to develop. Leaders can nurture that development by instilling in every member an understanding of their value to the group. Building trust in this way can contribute to achieving organizational goals and to encouraging cooperation from all members. Collaboration supports trusting relationships when it creates an environment that allows people to share work. It allows participants to understand each person’s situation and it creates open and honest group communications. Leaders can be effective when they engage at all levels of the organization. Engagement helps employees see their value through a win-win collaboration that creates shared understanding. Trust is also stronger when leaders and members share feedback, especially when someone misses the interaction for whatever reason.

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RFL: Develop Leadership

One cannot develop leadership by only focusing on the leader and which of their skills need development or improvement. Using Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory, you can understand that leadership development is best done by developing and/or improving the skills of both the leader and those they lead. This approach leads to shared understanding that allows effective team building. The Right Fit Leading (RFL) Process addresses this challenge. RFL characterizes leader and team development in terms of three key components. Good leadership and followership are tied to each other, whether they are taught and trained that way or not. Current research supports the belief that good leadership is about philosophy, inspiration, and motivation. The RFL Process is based on emotional intelligence and empathy for all members of any team, regardless of their position or level of responsibility. The RFL Process addresses a consistent philosophy of how we lead and follow. It suggests that we must inspire ourselves and others. It also demonstrates the need to motivate ourselves and others to take on challenges that we might not attempt otherwise. So, the RFL Process is instrumental in leader and team development. It starts with the three major parts my vision: 3D Philosophy, RAMP Inspiration, and CLUE Motivation. The next step is in understanding the tools that are most helpful. For that, we use emotional intelligence (EI) and engagement, LMX, and knowledge about the meaning of trust and how it is developed and nurtured. At this point, development can turn its focus to what is needed for each leader and member. We use the principle of engaged interaction to help development subjects arrive at a shared understanding. This is a formula for organizational and leadership development success. Please let me know if you want like more information on the RFL Process.

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RFL: Interactive Communications

Recently, I have been talking with colleagues about a book chapter I wrote on interactive communications, which combines the best of digital and face-to-face communication. This is about hybrid approaches to communication and what I find out in my research. First, digital communication is the best method. Second, these communications improve when combined with face-to-face interactions. Hybrid communicating involves asking detailed questions and verifying answers in the digital space. If that does not work, face-to-face interactions provides verbal and visual cues. This allows all parties to the communication to adjust based on real-time inputs. My research in this area demonstrates that interactive communication skills are one of many kinds of tools that can assist with leader and team development. The book in question is Innovative Perspectives on Interactive Communication Systems and Technologies by Muhammad Sarfraz, and my contribution is chapter 11. I look forward to continuing discoveries in this area. Note: RFL is Right Fit Leading, our approach to the leader and member development journey.

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Right Fit Leading: Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness is the quality of a person, or a thing, that inspires reliability. When trustworthiness exists, it is shown through several qualities. These include being respectful, honest, consistent, positive, and selfless. Leaders who can admit mistakes, acknowledge weakness, applaud strength, and help each other should do well. Also, those who can promote those qualities in the workforce will be highly capable of building trust. Mutual trust is important, and everyone has a lot at stake with trust issues because of the inherent risks. Those risks are about putting one’s faith or a pending decision in the hands of someone if a sense of confidence has not been developed. Once confidence in others grows, emotions can be shared, and real issues can be addressed. I look forward to future discussions on trustworthiness. Graphic by macrovector on Freepik

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The Right Fit Leading Process

The Right Fit Leading Process is not new. What is new is the way that new research in the areas of emotional intelligence, empathy, trust, team development. That means a host of other leadership considerations have come together for me. It is now clearer than ever that the way to build successful organizations is to develop leaders and members together and let them engage to find shared understanding. It is no longer enough to develop leaders. We must build teams where leaders and those they lead partner in developing philosophy, inspiration, and motivation. The Right Fit Leading Process has as its foundation emotional intelligence and empathy. These are collaboratively developed for the leader and the member or follower. We use engaged interaction to develop leaders and members at the same time through collaborative training methods. The basics of our focus always include EI and engagement, LMX Theory, and trust. The process focuses on a consistent philosophy of the way we lead and follow. The process suggests that all members of the organization have a responsibility to inspire themselves and others. That means the organization needs work relationships where people at all levels motivate themselves and others to take on challenges that they might not attempt otherwise. The process can help leaders and those they lead in diverse types of organizations and industries. The process can develop teams, leaders, and members, promoting trust, engagement, and other benefits that can lead to success and growth. Please contact me if you want to know more about the Right Fit Leading Process.   NOTE: Graphic courtesy of Hafsa Akhter, SA Digitech

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Right Fit Leading: Philosophy, Inspiration, and Motivation

Dr. Brown’s research and engagements support the belief that good leadership is about philosophy, inspiration, and motivation. The Right Fit Leading Process is based on emotional intelligence and empathy for the leader and the member or follower. The process focuses on a consistent philosophy of the way we lead and follow. It suggests that we must inspire ourselves and others. Finally, it recommends that we motivate ourselves and others to take on challenges that we might not attempt otherwise. The process can help leaders and those they lead in diverse types of organizations and industries. The process is complementary to trust research from some dynamic colleagues. In the coming weeks, Dr. Brown will be sharing the details of this process.

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Right Fit Leading: Let’s Talk Trust!

Trust is important. It is a key consideration as companies and employees engage in understanding and addressing their work-life relationship. When they engage, they often discuss work location: onsite versus hybrid versus remote work. Several experts in these areas have joined in analyzing how trust is a major issue in these deliberations. These experts are working on a new project to share those findings, but here are some trust highlights. Dr. Michael Brown When companies talk with their people about work location, they are often talking about trust and engagement and interaction with employees. Those who address and manage these trust issues may have easier decisions on location and process. Leslie Krohn In a trusting environment, supervisors can be honest about where work can happen. Trust allows employees to be honest about how and where they plan to work. This is important because everyone’s situation is different and every organization is different. Honesty and trust ensure a good, productive, sustainable outcome. James Goodwin The conversation almost certainly shifts back to the issue of trust. That means that if an employee can’t be effective where they’re physically located, it does not really make a difference, right? Deirdre Breakenridge What I’ve experienced in my career is that all work-related roads lead back to trust. The trust you have in your employees, and the trust they have in you.

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Right Fit Leading: Telework Has a Bad Reputation

Telework has a bad reputation. This can be caused when employers and employees fail to understand it. Companies may fail to see the ability for the employee to be as productive whether in the the office or working remotely. Remote employees may fail to be accountable for 8 or so productive hours of tangible work each day. The company may not have a process to address these issues. Or, the company may lack a process that is clear and easy to follow. Following standards and being accountable are difficult in these situations. Open, honest discussions about trust and work location are keys to success.

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