The 3 tips to lead authentically in your business

practicesbusiness
Written By Laetitia Andrac

You are the leader of your business. It is time to authentically lead like you! Whether or not you have a team, you lead. You lead in your industry, you lead your life. If you do have VAs or if you outsource work, you have people to lead as well.

It is time to lead authentically in your business with these simple tips I wish to share.

This week on the podcast covers this topic in a beautiful way. I welcomed one of my friends as a guest, Anne, who is a courageous leadership coach of Lead Like You.

If you’re curious to learn more about the story, listen to the full episode.

But let me dive into the 3 simple tips for you to uncover your unique leadership style in business and be unapologetically you.

What is leadership?

The way I’d like to define leadership is your unique ability to step into yourself completely so that you can effectively guide others into fully owning themselves. Your ability to bring out the best in yourself and in others.

It is also about listening deeply to yourself and others to ask the right questions and see possibilities from the field of co-creation rather than judgement. You stand in what you believe in and effectively collaborate with others.

Leadership is definitely not about having all the answers or being right all the time, being the most successful person in the room or the smartest. It is about deep listening to what is willing to be created in the future. As a leader you set the vision for your business, you create change in your team, with your clients, your community and it has a ripple effect in the world. It is a long term strategy.

What does it mean to be a leader in business?

In order to be an impactful leader in business you need to:

  • Know yourself, your values, your mission/your why.

  • Look at what’s missing in your space to serve your ideal clients.

  • Make time in of your day to connect with your ideal clients to deeply listen to them, connect with them, understand them.

  • Be of service to your clients, your community and solve real problems.

Convinced on how important leadership is in business, so let’s dive into 3 tips to uncover how to be unapologetically you in business in the way you LEAD.

 
 

TIP 1: KNOW YOURSELF

‘Know Thyself’ was carved into stone at the entrance to Apollo’s temple at Delphi in Greece, according to legend.

It all starts with awareness. Knowing your strengths, your values, your mission/your why. It is how you lead in alignment and be authentic. Showing up in alignment with your higher self.

When you become self aware you see how you communicate, how you lead. From this place you can make the changes you need to improve and develop.

As Otto Scharmer from MIT, that I trained with as a Theory U Practitioner, says: “The blind spot of leadership and systems theory is consciousness. It is the quality of consciousness and awareness that drives the quality of results''.

How to start:

  • Find out what are your values (download shift into alignment to have a list of value as part of the process and find out your top values)

  • Find out your mission (same in the ebook a process to find your IKIGAI/you why)

  • Look at your unique Blueprint HERE, take the Ayurveda Quiz HERE or learn your Strengths here!

TIP 2: SHARE YOUR VISION/DREAM

Your vision, dream, intention are what is going to inspire others to follow your leadership. It is important for you to connect with the future you’d like to create. Allowing yourself space to envision what you are here to create.

I love to guide my clients through hypnosis practices to ‘lead from the future’ they wish to create. In strategy consulting, we would take C-suite away from their day to day job for 3 days to connect with the bigger picture of their business. It is the same for you. Once you are clear about your vision/dream you can then share it with your team and clients and inspire them.

Understanding the vision also means you can communicate it with others. When you are all working towards a shared vision, this is where the magic happens!

How to start:

TIP 3: BE HUMAN

We are all connected and human. We share the same struggles and it is all about being authentic in the way you show up. This will naturally create a safe space, emotional safety as we call it, for others to open up as well. Your words of vulnerability as a leader will inspire others to own their truth. Your language and voice as a leader are keys.

Alway remember that you are making a difference as a leader in the way YOU ARE authentically YOU.

How to start:

  • Share relatable content, don’t be afraid to share about your struggle. Vulnerable content is what works best to connect with my audience. Brene Brown tell us how vulnerability is actually an act of courage

  • Use voice note to message your ideal client on social media

  • Create a safe space for transformative conversation to happen

  • Adopt a 3 C’s language (Clear-Concise-Committed) with your team, your clients, your ideal client, your community

 
 

My story around leadership

I’ve been leading teams since I was 21 years old. When I was in India working for Bacardi Martini, launching Grey Goose Vodka, I was leading huge teams to launch events.

From there I led large teams and projects in strategy consulting and over 100 team members in corporate as a General Manager. When I was working as a strategy consultant for Deloitte I was interviewed by the Deloitte CEO worldwide as one of the top women leaders to share about female leadership style. I know how my own leadership style made me magnetic and inspirational for my team members.

Now I’m leading a smaller and lean team with Essential Shift but I apply all the learning and lessons from my corporate experience and my self-discovery/development journey. That is why I always tell business owners to invest in themselves and it will create a ripple effect on their business.

My impact guiding my clients through their leadership journey

Now I help my clients become leaders of their own life and business. I help them with self awareness techniques (like knowing your own blueprint). I have worked on their vision and mission with 90-minute intensive sessions and have worked on the mindset to help with their own permission to be human.

I’ve helped agency owners manage teams, corporate leaders work with their own team. The process is the same. It is time for you to lead authentically too.

Final thoughts

Are you ready to lead in a way that is natural to you? To take ownership of your life and business and lead your life?

Remember to:

  • Know yourself

  • Share your vision and dreams

  • Be human

If you are struggling with leadership, make sure you check out the podcast episode with Anne!

Laetitia Andrac
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