I have always loved the word earnest, and I bestow the word on another person when it is, well, earnestly earned!  One who, according to Dictionary.com, is “serious in intention, purpose or effort … showing depth and sincerity of feeling” is good company indeed.  Consider an earnest friend or an earnest family member.  Thoughts of their actions and attributes evoke strong, positive emotions.  Their steadfastness, their sincerity, and their depth all are enduring and valued characteristics.

How about at work?  Would you be categorized as an earnest leader?  Are you intentional and purposeful?

One of the best ways you can reveal your leadership earnestness is by creating and sharing your Leadership Point of View (LPOV).  This is a process where you consider the key people, events, and beliefs in your life and how these events create a clear line of sight to the leader you are now.  As a coach who has worked with many leaders on considering and sharing their leadership point of view I can tell you that it ain’t work for sissies!  It is more like an excavation project, where specific experiences in your past are examined to see which can best illustrate to your present team members the leader you are now.

An LPOV teaches people what you expect from yourself and from them so that, together, you can succeed.  Working to reflect on, craft, and then share your leadership point of view will help you to:

• Be more authentic—more fully yourself as a leader
• Show up as who you are, not as who you think you should be as a leader
• Become more intentional in your leadership
• Become more congruent in your leadership
• Inspire others to think about their values and their Leadership Point of View

While it is a challenge, sharing your leadership point of view transforms you, your team, and your organization.  To earnestly reveal your LPOV is to communicate with people’s hearts. The benefits I’ve seen include:

• Your team will follow you. People will be committed to achieving what is important to you and your organization.
• Your team will listen to you. People will remember what you say when you talk to them.
• Your team will have faith in you. People will trust you and be quicker to act on your requests.
• Your team will give you their best. People will strive to be extraordinary.
• Your team will stay. People will commit to staying and growing with you.

Leaders who have honed and crafted their Leadership Point of View are more effective and intentional.  Because they let others know what they stand for and why, their teams desire to stand with them, too.  People have short memories about events and outcomes, but long memories about the personal impact others have had on them.

What legacy do you want to leave? Don’t keep it a secret.  Share it with others.

About the Author

Mary Ellen Sailer, Ed.D., is a Coaching Solutions Partner with The Ken Blanchard Companies’ Coaching Services team. Since 2000, Blanchard’s 130 coaches have worked with over 14,500 individuals in more than 250 companies throughout the world. Learn more at Blanchard Coaching Services. And check out Coaching Tuesday every week at Blanchard LeaderChat for ideas, research, and inspirations from the world of executive coaching.