You Lead You with GRA3CE

Introduction "Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position." ~ Brian Tracy This book was two years in the writing and five years in the making. After going to countless workshops, seminars, and conferences, both Sook and I felt that there must be more to leadership training than the same old, cookie-cutter application. The message was always the same — leaders lead — followers follow. If you’re the leader, you use techniques to influence people’s behavior. If you’re the follower, you do what the leader wants you to do. Never mind about input and feeling as if you're part of a decision-making team. Initiative is praised if it’s what the leader wants and ignored if it doesn’t. What we wanted, no yearned for, was leadership training that empowered everyone — Not just the organization’s monikered leader. We wanted to learn how to feel like and be a contributing leader irrespective of where we were in the organization’s hierarchy. The question that haunted us was, “How can we help those who want to make an impact at their work and in their lives?” This answer to that question is what inspired this book. Sook and I believe that everyone can develop their authentic inner-inspired leadership style, regardless of who they lead or follow. And we know this flies in the face of all conventional leadership training. We also know that the leadership style in this book works! Anyone can learn it. Everyone will benefit from it. Who’s Leading Who? We believe you can’t lead others if you don’t first know how to lead yourself. After working with many individuals and groups, we’ve witnessed how powerful this inner leadership style is, both to the organization and the individual. And seen how workers flourish when freed from the traditional top-down leadership protocol. If you’re sick and tired of looking to others for leadership and feeling undervalued when trying to contribute at work, this book is for you. If the voice inside your head is screaming, “I want to make a difference!” You Lead You serves as a pathway to inner leadership, supporting men and women everywhere who want to make a difference at work and in their lives. What You Need to Know There are four things you need to know at the start of your leadership journey. 1. How we define You Lead You leadership. 2. What authentic leadership means. 3. What we mean by inner-inspired leadership. 4. How the GRA3CE acrostic works. Knowing these things will help you navigate this book and enhance your reading pleasure. What is You Lead You Leadership? Leadership is one of those words that people think they know, yet few can articulate. As Elaine and I were writing this book, we grappled with defining this vexing word. So, we looked at it from its opposite. Here’s what we decided leadership isn’t: Leadership has nothing to do with seniority or one’s position in the hierarchy of a company or organization. It doesn’t have anything to do with titles or a type of personality. And most significantly, leadership and management are not synonymous. Managers manage things. Leaders lead people. You Lead You leadership isn’t about someone or something ‘out there.’ It’s about something ‘in here.’ It’s internal inspiration and motivation, not reliant on external validation for goal achievement success. And when expressed outward, You Lead You leadership is an inner attitude of conviction that inspirits and inspires a team to achieve goals. Only you can lead you — in life and within an organization. You Lead You leadership is how you influence, inspire, and help yourself and others become their best leadership selves. You Lead You Authentic Leadership You Lead You authentic leadership has as its core value — integrity. It means honoring your leadership style will respecting the leadership style of others. It means being cognizant of how your decisions and actions impact those around you. You know you’re authentic when what you say and do is congruent with how you feel and respectful to others. You operate in accordance with your unique set of values and qualities and accept yourself — warts, dimples, and all. You can instantly recognize when someone is leading authentically by how they lead. You Lead You leaders have an internal sense of purpose and are aware of and connected to their core values. They are reflective, growth mindset leaders who learn from mistakes. They’re goal-oriented and organically collaborate with others. They create collective empathy and leave a ripple of positive influences in their wake. Inner Inspired Leadership At its core, inner-inspired leadership is a pathway to personal wholeness. It’s about being true to yourself. It’s about self-awareness, self-knowledge, self-management, and self-improvement. You Lead You leaders know that it’s their inner vision that counts. They lead from their heart and think with their head. They’re strong enough to do what’s right for themselves and the organization for which you work. Being an inner-inspired leader means that you’re committed to mastering your own set of leadership skills and inspiring others around you to do the same. It means using time, dedication, consistency, and inner purpose to achieve your goals. When you harness your power to lead you, you’ll strengthen the leadership opportunities of others. The GRA3CE Acrostic At the heart of You Lead You is the acrostic GRA3CE — It’s how you’ll develop your authentic leadership style. The first letter of each initial stands for a word. And each word has a corresponding message that encapsulates the chapter. It’s designed as a mnemonic to help you remember the GRA3CE authentic inner-inspired leadership model. You’ll find them at the beginning of each chapter and at the end in the Appendix. Although numbered according to the acrostic, the chapters don't need to be read or applied in sequential order. Once you’re familiar with the message of each chapter, you can pick and choose what resonates with you and then let your inner leadership guide you to the next chapter.