Lost in unfamiliar territory, itâs a strangerâs guidance. Stressed and overwhelmed, itâs the colleague who reaches out. Worried and uncertain, itâs a compassionate friend. And when we feel as if we cannot take one more step forward, itâs the person who reaches for our hand. Weâve all had those moments of doubt when someone stepped in ⦠and believed. One of the most memorable for me was the first time I got caught in an ocean riptide. I was young, and my initial instinct was to swim to shore, but I never got anywhere. Instead, I sank lower and lower. Then suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, an older teenager popped up beside me. âYou need to swim the other way!â he yelled. âCome on, follow me!â Swimming side by side, we crossed the current and finally got to shore. I fell to my knees on the beach, completely spent and deeply grateful. It wasnât just what the other swimmer said, it was what he didâafter all, words motivate, but actions inspire. And thatâs the essence of leadership: inspiring others to belie [section1img] Lost in unfamiliar territory, itâs a strangerâs guidance. Stressed and overwhelmed, itâs the colleague who reaches out. Worried and uncertain, itâs a compassionate friend. And when we feel as if we cannot take one more step forward, itâs the person who reaches for our hand.
Weâve all had those moments of doubt when someone stepped in ⦠and believed. One of the most memorable for me was the first time I got caught in an ocean riptide. I was young, and my initial instinct was to swim to shore, but I never got anywhere. Instead, I sank lower and lower. Then suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, an older teenager popped up beside me. âYou need to swim the other way!â he yelled. âCome on, follow me!â Swimming side by side, we crossed the current and finally got to shore. I fell to my knees on the beach, completely spent and deeply grateful. It wasnât just what the other swimmer said, it was what he didâafter all, words motivate, but actions inspire. And thatâs the essence of leadership: inspiring others to believeâand enabling that belief to become reality. When others are drowning in doubt, thatâs when we need to step upâand believe for them. Because hereâs the thing: believing in someone is an expression of confidence but believing for someone is a purposeful action. Whether we want to admit it or not, doubts surface all the time and for everyone, including leaders. And thatâs OK. When others feel discouraged or disappointed, our willingness to believe for them changes everything. Fear turns into confidence, ambivalence into motivation, despair into joy. The fact is the leaderâs job is always to deliver belief. How they do that depends on leadership style, which is a function of a leaderâs personal characteristics, the styles used by others, and an organizationâs espoused values. Our firmâs research, drawing on assessments of hundreds of thousands of leaders in more than 2,000 organizations around world, has identified six overall leadership stylesâdirective, participative, visionary, pacesetting, affiliative, and coaching. Our research found that the majority of leaders only use one or two of those styles, but that the best organizational climates are created when leaders are proficient in multiple long-term leadership styles. In other words, the ability to toggleâto adjust the dial. Those leadership behaviors will then shape how others feel, think, and engage. Inherent in every behavior and style is belief. It must be our opening act of leadershipâand the encore that enables belief to become reality ⦠for others. In life and leadership, we all have stories of people who helped us face our fears, overcome our doubts, and enliven our spirits. Early in my days as a CEO, there was the board member who took the time to mentor me, saying: âI donât just want you to be successfulâI am going to ensure that you are successful.â And then there was my grandmother who, one dreary day after a funeral, uplifted me when she sang her favorite song, âYouâll Never Walk Alone.â But, if weâre honest, how often do we really go back and reflect on those times and those people who truly believed for us? More to the point, how often do we embody those beliefs for others? To be a leader, you walk with othersâoccasionally in front, sometimes behind, and always by their side. Indeed, thatâs when we think, say, and do, âIâll believe for youâ¦â [Image]() Weâre pleased to launch a new book from Korn Ferry, [Take Control]() â and itâs all about getting ahead and advancing careers. This latest book follows [The Five Graces of Life and Leadership](), offering imagery, emotions, and insights that capture the human side of leadership. Both books are now available. Regards, [Left Image] Gary Burnison
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