What is my leadership brand?

Perhaps the easiest way to begin is to list the brand qualities that I value most and see as necessary for effective leadership:

· Steward of the organization’s most valuable resources—its staff
· Cheerleader for those who are setting goals and achieving milestones
· Coach for those who need encouragement
· Promoter of initiatives that make the organization a better place to work
· Fully engaged and full of energy to tackle the day’s challenges
· Outwardly-focused and ready to serve the needs of others

Since it matters more to know how others view my leadership brand, I looked at two 360 degree evaluations that had recently been done and found the following feedback:

· Excited about career
· Dedicated, energetic
· Subject matter expert
· Calm under pressure
· Good listener, trusted, honest
· Accessible and open-minded
· Sets personal goals and achieves them
· Focused on the task at hand
· Confident
· One of the good guys

Based on the feedback, the qualities that I so admire and desire seem to be all but missing from my dossier. Does this list indicated that they see me as a good steward? Am I helping or inspiring others to set goals? Do they consider me to be a source of encouragement? I’ll take being one of the good guys to mean that they see me as someone that wants to make the organization a better place to work. My level of engagement must be evident.

While overall the list is generous and kind, my brand from the view of others is very different than I expected. The most significant omission is being seen as outwardly-focused and ready to serve others. What an enlightening exercise! I have much work to do.