Tag Archives: leadership style

What a Recent Food Trend Teaches Us About Leadership

Posted in Branding, Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success, Uncategorized by

What a Recent Food Trend Teaches us About

Leadership

niche

                If you cater to everyone, essentially you cater to no one!

        There’s a recent food trend around the country that can be examined to illustrate how important it is to define (ie Brand) your Leadership style. I came across this post on Mashable that discusses small businesses carving out a niche for themselves. If you own a small business, are the face of your small business” as a solopreneur or if you hold a leadership role in a larger company, it’s important to understand how finding and establishing what you are really good at, your niche, works to your advantage.

              If you cater to everyone, essentially, you cater to No one! – As a leader you must be consistent in those things that make you the best leader you know how to be. While every team you lead will have its own flavor, it’s the direction of the leader that sets the tone for the rest of the group. That’s why it’s important for leaders to Understand their own  individual leadership style and Deliver it really well! In this Mashable article, each of these New York City restaurants focuses on one item and becomes really creative with that one item! Who knew you could make grilled cheese so many different ways? What about Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches? These aren’t your 3rd grade lunch box PB&J Sandwiches we’re talking about! Some of these PB&J sandwiches are going for more than $9 each!! Guess what? Customers are paying that price because they know what to expect from the restaurant. They count on the restaurant to be really, really good at PB&J because, essentially, that is what they specialize in!

                 What does your Leadership brand say about you. Does your team know what to expect from you? Are you consistent in how you deliver visions and measure results? You can’t be everything to everybody. You must narrow in on a a specific leadership style that is true to you and work to become the best reflection of that individual style you can!

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

               Dr. Carmen April is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is a 2014 Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for College Students and Young Professionals.

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Power Under Control in Leadership

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success by

Power Under Control in Leadership

               Defining your Leadership style early in your career or community involvement can sometimes be tricky. You have to balance being a leader whom people respect by being likeable, with the confidence in your capability to lead your team toward the intended goal. It’s a delicate balance that those who are new to leadership positions have to establish early on. There is the fear by some that if they are too “meek”, their teams won’t take them seriously or trust their leadership decisions. You should remember, however, that “meekness is not weakness. It’s power under control.”

              Leadership should not be an ‘in your face’, aggressive method of influencing others. Garnering trust from your team and leading by example is a perfect way to exercise leadership power under control. Sometimes, simply verbalizing your own version of this quote below is necessary to remind people of your capabilities.

               Has your “power under control” in Leadership ever been confused with you being less capable? If so, in what ways can you use your leadership skills to convey your strengths to your team?

– Dr. April

life coach, nashville life coach

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

          This post is part of a series on Leadership presented by Dr. Carmen April. She is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is currently a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements Entrepreneurship for college students and young professionals.

Leadership Power

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success by

Leadership Power

life coach, nashville life coach

               Leadership is an action. Leadership is something you give, not take. Leadership is designed to empower others, not take power away. Power can be abused by those in leadership positions and we’ve seen it abused by politicians, celebrities, managers, educators, coaches, parents, etc. Anyone in a position of influence over others has the choice to use their leadership position for good or abuse it for bad.

             History is full of people who where leaders in the sense that they influenced others to follow them, but who abused the leadership position they had. Adolf Hitler and Fidel Castro were both able to round up a slew of followers and influence them to follow their lead. However, I don’t know many who would agree that they were admirable leaders due of the pain and suffering they caused large populations of people.

             Abuse of power is an easy trap to fall into and leaders on any level should do self-evaluations regularly to ensure that their leadership style is working to empower and not devalue the efforts and work of their teams.

What are you doing to ensure that your leadership style is empowering, not harming, your team??

— Dr. April

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

 

This post is part of a series on Leadership presented by Dr. Carmen April. She is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is currently a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for college students and young professionals.

You don’t have to hold a position to be a leader

Posted in Leadership by

You don’t have to hold a position to be a leader

life coach, nashville life coach

          You don’t have to hold a position to be a leader. Many times, the work you do when you don’t have a leadership title or position is as genuine as it gets! When you are going above and beyond the call of duty in your work and it’s not because you “have” to, your due diligence probably won’t go unnoticed for long.

          I sit on the Board of Directors for a couple of non-profit organizations in Nashville and was approached for each of these positions because others admired the work I was doing in my career and community. Without a specific leadership title such as “Board of Director’s Member”, I was doing the work that those currently on these boards sought out. I was showing my leadership abilities without the official title and so can you. Find a career-related or community organization you have a passion for and work with them/volunteer because you have a genuine interest. Volunteer to participate on committees and for special events. Not only will you learn more about activities that interest you, you will probably start to discover your own “leadership style”!

— Dr. April

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

          This post is part of a series on Leadership presented by Dr. Carmen April. She is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is currently a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for college students and young professionals.