Self Leadership and
The New Leadership Playbook
Blog by Andrew Bryant

A CEO's role is akin to the captain of a ship. They are tasked with setting the course and ensuring that the entire crew is working cohesively to reach the destination. This involves transforming a vision or strategy into tangible results - a task that is easier said than done. A vision without execution is just hot air, and it is in the execution phase that many CEOs encounter significant obstacles.

The challenges CEOs face during this transformative process can be multifaceted. They range from clear communication and coordination, navigating conflicting personalities and priorities within their own Executive Leadership Team (ELT), to creating a cohesive culture.

In this article, I aim to delve deeper into these issues and highlight a few examples from industry leaders as well as my own experience as an Executive Leadership Coach and my research on Self-leadership.

1. Communication and Coordination

One of the most crucial elements in executing a vision is clear...

Leadership cannot be summarized in a simple meme, that says leaders do this, and don't do that. Leaders face multiple complex challenges in today's rapidly changing environment. In addition to external challenges, they must navigate the complexities of bringing their own people together to work collaboratively while managing their own physical, social, and mental health.

In this post, I aim to summarize some of the challenges leaders face in 2023 and beyond and offer some insights about what is required and what can be done.

What Keeps C-level Leaders Up at Night?

McKinsey's State of Organizations 2023 report identifies many of the challenges keeping leaders up at night, These include economic volatility, geopolitical instability, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

C-level leaders must address questions about how to organize for speed, the balance between in-person and remote work models, and mental health concerns among employees.

Deloitte's Human Capital Trends...

The Executive Leadership Team (ELT) typically consists of the most senior leaders of a company, often with a CXOs title such as CEO, COO, CFO, CPO, CTO, and CRO. When the ELT works as One Team, the positive impact on culture and performance can be phenomenal, unfortunately, the majority of ELTs aren't even a team, they are a workgroup at best.

The Myth of the Executive Leadership Team

Just because your call it a team doesn't make it a team. A team operates with mutual accountability. Team members work together towards a common goal, tasks are shared, and success depends on collective performance. In a team, leadership is often distributed, and communication is more collaborative.

A workgroup operates with individual accountability. Each member has their specific tasks, and the group's success is the sum of the individual efforts. There is less interdependence compared to a team, and the focus is more on departmental or vertical achievement than collective...

In the 1996 Movie, Jerry Maguire, the titular slick sports agent played by Tom Cruise has a crisis of conscience, he pens a heartfelt company-wide memo that promptly gets him fired. 

Jerry Maguire provides an example that speaking up at work can be a career-limiting move, and taking an unpopular public stance can result in being attacked or canceled,  but if we don't speak the consequences can be just as devastating.

When we keep quiet or don't speak the truth, we are out of integrity. Integrity goes beyond mere honesty. It encompasses the consistency between one's thoughts, words, and actions. Individuals with integrity not only speak the truth but also live their lives in alignment with it. 

When you practice self-leadership and live with integrity people know that you are trustworthy and accountable. You will have gravitas which is the cornerstone of Executive Presence, which in turn provides you with Influence Capital.

“Living with integrity...

The leader-employee gap is not new but as the workplace is transforming and employee expectations have changed, its impact can be more readily seen in misalignment reduced productivity, diminished engagement, and The Great Resignation.

Bridging the leadership-employee gap is crucial for fostering a thriving work environment, maximizing human capital potential, and delivering accelerated results, yet many managers and leaders struggle to acknowledge or address this issue. Fearing a lack of control and not trusting their employees to take ownership and responsibility can transform the gap into a chasm.

Leadership Styles and the Leader-Employee Gap

Way back in the 1950s, Douglas McGregor proposed Theory X and Theory Y. These two theories contrast assumptions about human nature and their impact on leadership styles.

1. Theory X: Theory X assumes that employees inherently dislike work and will avoid it if possible. It suggests that individuals are primarily motivated by...

"You can't lead others unless you first lead yourself"

Whether you are a leader, of managers, professionals, or salespeople, understanding and practicing self-leadership will increase effectiveness, and collaboration, and help you to scale.

I was recently interviewed by Wendy Weiss on her podcast  Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders where I shared how to build self-leadership and insights from my latest work, The New Leadership Playbook.

You can listen by clicking the image.

Leadership for Sales Leaders

In the world of sales, leadership plays a pivotal role in driving success and achieving business objectives. While most discussions on leadership focus on leading others, there is an equally vital aspect that often goes unnoticed—self-leadership. Sales leaders who possess self-leadership skills have the ability to inspire and empower their teams, drive innovation, and consistently achieve outstanding results. In this blog post, we'll delve into the...

Whatever your field of expertise Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to impact you, in the near future, if it hasn't already. To put it bluntly, you will either learn to use AI tools or your work will be replaced by them.

A mindset shift that will help you to embrace AI, is to see it as Augmented Intelligence rather than the more ominous Artificial Intelligence. With this mindset, AI tools can help you take charge of your personal and professional life like never before.

In the context of self-leadership, AI tools such as OpenAI's ChatGPT can play a significant role in nurturing your self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-learning. These are key components of self-leadership and fundamental in setting personal goals, decision-making, and problem-solving.

AI and Self-Awareness

One of the first principles of self-leadership is self-awareness - understanding one's emotions, strengths, weaknesses, values, and goals (Bryant & Kazan 2012).

ChatGPT and Bard, with...

The problem with leadership development is that everybody will agree that it is essential but nobody wants to admit that it's their leadership that needs developing!

Imagine if dentists approached you in the street and said, "Your teeth need fixing", you would likely be highly offended and unlikely to book an appointment. Dentists wait until you are in pain and come to them.

Chiropractors are more proactive in marketing their solutions. You will find them in shopping centers with two bathroom scales, offering a free health assessment. When you see that you are not balanced they offer you a package of adjustments.

In companies, the realization that leadership is 'out of balance' comes in the form of an engagement survey, from a great resignation, or loss of market share.

A New Approach to Leadership Development

As we emerge from a forced experiment in hybrid and remote work, it is essential to rethink the practice of leadership when employees have made it abundantly clear, through...

Effective Leadership has always required embracing ambiguity but today's leaders must face new nuances that are fueled by digital society's collective behavior and opinion. Cancel culture has emerged as a force that can threaten and undermine leadership effectiveness by creating an environment of fear and intolerance of mistakes.

As a response to perceived injustice, cancel culture can hold leaders accountable for their actions. However, when misapplied, it also has the potential to stifle ownership, reason, and learning.

A firm grasp on self-leadership can act as a powerful antidote to this. By developing their self-leadership skills, leaders can navigate the stormy seas of cancel culture, effectively manage their reputation, and maintain their integrity, even under the most intense public scrutiny.

Cancel Culture: A Double-Edged Sword

Cancel culture is a modern form of ostracism where an individual, often a public figure, is thrust out of social or professional circles...

I imagine you like to laugh, but how do you feel about being laughed at?

We will all be laughed at by others for something, at some time, whether that is for our actions, our words, or our beliefs. Rather than 'going postal', we usually laugh it off and get on with our day, but it is my experience that even the calmest people have a sensitive spot that doesn't respond well to ridicule.

Can You Take a Joke?

I am English by Birth and married to a Brazilian. Just this sentence often evokes laughter, because the cultural differences are so obvious. When we first met, my wife expressed a Brazilian idea:

"It's better to lose the friend than lose the joke".

This means that nothing is out of bounds and in today's PC Culture where people are easily offended, this is a radical concept.

I bravely accepted the challenge but was unprepared for the realization of the number of 'sensitive spots' that I was carrying, and the challenge to my self-image when these were pointed out. This post would...