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.