Have you ever stopped to consider and evaluate your leadership stance?
If so, does your individual leadership stance reflect and represent the true essence of your leadership style, your core values, and how you are perceived and received by others? Is it aligned with your leadership love language and way you choose to show up and serve others?
Or, are you wondering, Candy, what the hell are you talking about? What the heck is a leadership stance anyway, and why should I care about mine?
Stay with me for a moment, as I will explain …
Let’s start by defining the word “stance”
Stance (from the Italian word stanza) means the way in which someone stands; a person’s posture. It’s the attitude of a person or organization toward something; a standpoint. (credit: Google dictionary)
Taking that a step further, Merriam-Webster defines stance as: “a way of standing or being placed; posture; intellectual or emotional attitude.”
So, let’s talk about stance as it relates to leadership.
A leadership stance refers to the set of beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and characteristics that an individual adopts and actualizes in their role as a leader. It represents an approach, a way of guiding and mentoring others, along with an overall leadership style.
It is both a philosophy and a demonstration; it’s a noun and a verb.
The Importance of a Leadership Stance
A leadership stance is not merely a physical posture but a metaphorical positioning that reflects a leader’s values, principles, and commitment to both personal and collective growth. It serves as a compass, a leader’s due North, guiding leaders through the complexities of decision-making, unexpected challenges, team dynamics, and organizational evolution.
An intentional leadership stance sets the tone for the entire team and organization, creating a culture of trust, empowerment, innovation, and continuous improvement.
A strong leadership stance varies from one leader to another. However, there are several attributes that often are often present: confidence, integrity, vision, empathy, resiliency, courage, the ability to inspire and communicate with others, decisiveness, humility, and accountability.
Of course, we need to take a step back and create the context for how we define leadership. Too often in our culture, the definition of leadership gets warped or is outdated. Leadership is not about power over or dominance. It’s a function of power with and extracting from within (empowerment).
Leadership is about the three I’s: inspiration, influence, and impact.
It’s an illustration of love in action. Leadership is about lifting others into their highest potential and helping them to access their greatest gifts. Leadership is about extending your torch so that you can help others light their candles and the fire living deep within them.
Leadership is ultimately a choice
Over the course more than four decades, I have spent countless hours studying leadership from every angle, study psychology, sociology, mindset, and Human Design. What I’ve learned is that leadership is simple (I didn’t say easy). Leadership is fundamentally a function of three things:
- How you choose to show up
- How you choose to serve others
- How you choose to take personal responsibility
That’s it. Because inside that space are ALL the things. If you go back to the list above … these three aspects of leadership encompass all of them. For leaders are courageous and empathic. Humble, yet strong. Passion, yet steadfast. Decisive, confident, and accountable.
All from a place of integrity, alignment, vulnerability, and authenticity.
When we acknowledge the agency of choice we all have to step into our leadership, into the gifts we are here to share, the game, and thus, the stance, change. We shift the dynamics and begin to redefine leadership into something more meaningful than the current way we evaluate it.
When I think of leadership, real leadership … not the makeshift water-down version or power-hungry antics we often see in our culture today and in most organizations. I am talking about heart-centered, transformational leadership that feeds the soul of people, and of our businesses.
This type of leadership occurs ONLY when we choose to lead from love, with love. When we ask the question: How may I serve?
Imagine an illustration of this leadership stance as the truest form of a mighty superhero. One where you envision a leader who has one hand extended forward AND who also has one had extended back.
One Hand Forward
The notion of having one hand forward represents humility and having a learner’s mentality. It symbolizes a leader’s openness to learning, possibilities thinking, and evolving. Leaders who extend one hand forward are acknowledging that there is always more to discover, new skills to acquire, and perspectives to consider. They desire growth.
By reaching out to those ahead of them, these leaders seek mentorship and guidance, recognizing that leadership is a journey of constant development.
This gesture not only enhances their own capabilities but also fosters a culture of humility and collaboration within the team. The leader is reaching forward to the mentors and leaders ahead of them, seeking knowledge and wisdom from others’ experiences. They yearn to learn, stretch, be challenged, expand, grow, and evolve in their leadership.
Mentorship and guidance from those who have walked the path before provide valuable insights and lessons, helping leaders navigate challenges with wisdom and resilience. A leader with one hand forward is one who values the collective knowledge and experiences of their mentors, understanding that leadership is a shared endeavor.
They know how to ask for help and admit when they falter. They’re open to feedback as they understand feedback is essential for mastery. They listen, observe, explore, and stay curious.
Always remaining the student as they grow.
One Hand Back
Equally important is the hand extended backward, signifying a commitment to lifting others as the leader climbs the ladder of success. This gesture embodies the essence of real servant leadership 9not the lip service version), where a leader’s focus is not only on personal growth and achievements but on empowering and uplifting their team members, as well. A leader with one hand back invests time and effort in developing the potential of those they lead, creating a ripple effect of growth and success throughout the organization and creating richer, more connected cultures.
The leader’s hand back represents an understanding that for every step forward, one must also be willing to reach back to bring others along the way.
Lifting others as you climb involves mentorship, guidance, and creating opportunities for the entire team to flourish. A leader who extends one hand back understands that the true measure of success is not only personal accomplishments but also the collective achievements of the entire team. This approach fosters a culture of support, collaboration, and shared success, positioning the leader as a catalyst for positive change.
Thus, they help others climb as they climb.
These leaders recognize the value of giving back, of mentoring, and in guiding others to shine, as well. They aren’t selfish or degrading. They maintain a level of patience, compassion, empathy, and understanding. They learn how to be both the student and the teacher.
Aligned AF, transformational leaders get they have a responsibility to lift and raise other leaders.
For one truly cannot lead, if they are not giving others opportunity to lead. Leadership is a choice, and it’s a team sport (not an individual one). It’s everyone’s opportunity. For each of us can lead from where we are, with what we have, standing in our gifts and light, and share that with others.
Leadership is an act of service … an act of love.
Adopting an aligned stance is the key to navigating challenges and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, creativity, and sustainable growth. A leader with one hand forward seeks growth through mentorship and learning from those ahead, while the hand extended backward signifies a commitment to lifting others as they climb.
A truly aligned leader understands that their stance is not one that is static but adapts to the changing dynamics of business. This adaptability fosters resilience, enabling leaders to navigate uncertainties with a composed and strategic mindset. The ability to adjust their stance reflects a commitment to staying relevant and effective in the face of ongoing evolution.
Aligned leaders understand that empowering others is not a one-time act but a continuous investment. By creating nurturing environments where individuals feel seen, heard, valued, respect, and supported, these leaders stimulate creativity, initiative, innovation, new solutions, and a sense of ownership within their teams. This empowerment, in turn, fuels a positive feedback loop of success, satisfaction, and sustainability.
The leadership stance is instrumental in shaping the culture of an organization. One hand forward signifies a leader’s vulnerability in seeking guidance, fostering trust within the team. Simultaneously, the hand extended backward builds trust by demonstrating a genuine commitment to the growth and success of each team member. Trust becomes the cornerstone. This delicate balance creates a powerful synergy that propels both the leader and their team into unprecedented levels of success.
Embracing the stance of an aligned AF leader ensures a legacy of growth, collaboration, and purpose, along with creating a positive impact on the organization overall.
The impact of an aligned AF leadership stance extends far beyond simply foucing on the bottom line and the profitability of the organization. It creates an energy that focuses on impact and leading a living legacy. One that contributes to the sustainability of an organization
A leadership stance goes beyond being a mere symbolic gesture; it is a philosophy that shapes individuals, teams, and organizations. When we come from humility and humanity, extending one hand forward, and reaching one hand back, the leadership stance then become a truly powerful demonstration and embodiment of love.