Training Industry Magazine - Summer 2023 - 13

BUILDING
LEADERS
SAM SHRIVER &
MARSHALL GOLDSMITH
GET PEOPLE TALKING BEHIND YOUR BACK!
Marketing
convention
has
long
suggested there are three fundamental
paths to brand distinction:
* Price: Your product or service makes
transactional business sense.
* Quality: Your product or service is
objectively superior.
* Service: Your company delivers its
products or services in a manner that
is perceived as unique.
More conventional wisdom:
* While there will always be a certain
market for " cheap, " if " price " is the
primary appeal of your brand, the
prospect of a lower-cost alternative
emerging is a formidable and everpresent
risk.
* Likewise with quality: While there will
always be a window of opportunity for
the objectively superior, maintaining
that status has never been more difficult;
quality is essentially pervasive.
* The value proposition of a service
strategy relies upon the interdependent,
real-time decision-making of employees
and managers and the impact of those
decisions on customer loyalty.
With that as background, consider
there is much the field of leadership
development can learn from this
discussion of brand identity. For example,
how would you say your personal brand
as a leader could be categorized? Are
you the kind of leader who:
* Relies upon the legitimacy of your
position as the force to drive the
exchanges you have with those that
report to you?
* Leverages the information you have
access to, in combination with the
expertise you have accumulated, to
direct or facilitate the behavior of others?
* Trains people to make good
decisions, then trusts them when it is
decision time?
Wisdom
(that is quickly becoming
conventional):
* The hierarchy, which has governed
leadership decision-making and
responsiveness for decades, is dying.
In many organizations, it has already
passed. Nevertheless, transactional
leadership that emanates from
positional power will probably always
be around in one form or another, but
it is a personal leadership brand fraught
with career risk.
* Much the same is true for a leadership
brand that depends upon the leader
being the smartest person in the room.
There are very few barriers these
days to accessing information and
developing or enhancing expertise.
The " leader as expert " is rapidly giving
way to the leader who is a catalyst for
others to develop or enhance their
own expertise.
* A " train them, then trust them "
personal leadership brand is defined
by employee commitment and loyalty.
And that is a trust-based, intangible
and frequently difficult-to-describe
bond that positively impacts employee
engagement, retention and productivity.
So, how do leaders form these magical
bonds of trust? In essence, they
consistently exceed the expectations
of their employees, in key moments
of truth. A moment of truth is any
opportunity an employee has to form an
impression of their manager. Things like
team meetings, one-on-ones, reaction
to success/positive news, reaction to
failure/setbacks, performance feedback
(planned or unplanned), etc.
Now, there are only three outcomes
that can ever emerge from any moment
of truth:
1. No story: Expectations are met.
People get what they were expecting
- no more, no less.
2. Negative story: Expectations are not
met. People get less than they were
expecting. They are disappointed,
frustrated or insulted (and usually
can't wait to tell others about it).
3. Positive story: Expectations are
exceeded. People (usually in some
small way) get more than they were
expecting. They feel listened to, or like
someone really cares about them. They
might also feel empowered or like they
know what's going on.
So, if you aspire to build a " train, then trust "
personal leadership brand, your path
forward seems clear. You need to behave
in a manner that gets people talking
behind your back ... in a good way!
A MOMENT OF TRUTH
IS ANY OPPORTUNITY
AN EMPLOYEE HAS TO
FORM AN IMPRESSION
OF THEIR MANAGER.
Marshall Goldsmith is the world authority
in helping successful leaders get even
better. Sam Shriver is the executive vice
president at The Center for Leadership
Studies. Email Marshall and Sam.
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2023 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
13
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