I recently re-visited a book in my personal library, The Truth About Leadership by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. This is one of my highlighted, underlined and heavily noted texts.  This book is filled with insights that every leader should review on a regular basis.  I’d like to review these truths with you, so my upcoming blog posts will highlight each of these ten leadership truths.

Truth #1:  You Make a Difference.  You matter.  As the leader, you have the most influence on your team. I am convinced that most leaders have no idea of the significant impact that they have on others. As Kouzes and Posner say, “The leader who has the most influence over your desire to stay or leave, your commitment to the organization’s vision and values, your ethical decisions and actions, your treatment of customers, your ability to do your job well, and the direction of your career to name but a few outcomes, is your most immediate manager.”

Did you get that?  Your most immediate manager.  To your team, that is YOU.  Every day your actions impact lives.  Every day your actions (or inaction) impact employee retention, engagement, individual choices (ethical/unethical behaviors), customer service levels, sales results and career paths.  This list could go on.  What a powerful motivator to lead by example!

And according to the research of Kouzes and Posner, the best leaders exhibit the “Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership”:

1. Model the Way
2. Inspire a Shared Vision
3. Challenge the Process
4. Enable Others to Act
5. Encourage the Heart

That’s a good checklist.  Take time to reflect on your own leadership practices.  Would your team be able to say that you exhibit these five practices of exemplary leadership?  What can you do now to incorporate those behaviors into your leadership style?

Remember, YOU make a difference. Truth!