The Power of One Simple Unexpected Act

Your personal brand is defined by what others say about you. Knowing that, it makes sense to create a leadership brand experience that is reflective of your personal brand standards and how you want to stand out.

Doing what is expected positions you to blend in. To stand out and create an experience that screams ‘high standards’ you need to be willing to do the unexpected. 

Here are a few ideas of simple unexpected acts that can help you stand out for how you want to be known and make a difference in how others experience you as a leader: 

• Express appreciation for a job well done 

• Make an introduction that can be a benefit to someone you know

• Extend yourself to help in an unexpected way

• Greet everyone when you walk into a room, not just the people you know

• Look at people in the eyes when you greet them

• Ask colleagues or team members for a coffee and don't talk about work 

• Learn something new and share it

• Pick up the phone to talk to someone instead of sending an email

• Help someone without being asked

• Arrange a face-to-face meeting instead of a phone conversation

• Be fully present when you are speaking with another person 

• Take time to make a phone call you have been putting off

• Show up for your meetings early

Perform one simple unexpected act a day, everyday. Make it a habit and imagine the impact and shift you can create. It will change you and those around you. It is also an amazing way to be talked about in a good way and be remembered.

Love to hear what acts you are performing on a daily basis to make a difference in your life and the lives of others.

Align yourself with what matters most to you. Live your brand fully expressed with intention and purpose to play bigger!

Dorothy Lazovik is President of Authentic Leader’s Edge. She is a Personal Brand Strategist, Personal Empowerment trainer, speaker and coach. If you are interested in learning more go to: www.authenticleadersedge.com.

Balancing Feedback (+/-) and Staying True to Your Brand

There are moments in life when everything feels right in our world and things fall into place. We accept this and typically think nothing of it. There are other moments when things continually go wrong and mistakes are made. It is more often these moments we typically acknowledge and not necessarily in a way that best supports our brand. 

For Instance…

If a team member submits an important piece of work on time things keep moving along. However, if this same team member misses the deadline, it is often addressed in a way that expresses how he/she is putting the project in jeopardy.  

Balance is Key

The above example is typical. Positive and negative feedback are both powerful; balancing them makes a big difference in motivating others and achieving results.

Addressing what doesn’t work needs to be done, no question. How it is done is key. On the flip side, it is of great importance to acknowledge what is being done right. The negative feedback you provide (or lack of positive feedback) could be affecting you more than you realize! 

Relates to Your Brand

These are some words I’ve heard employees, peers and outside business partners use to describe leaders during confidential conversations: negative, unsupportive, uncaring, disrespectful, and insensitive. 

These are NEVER the brand descriptors chosen by the leaders themselves.

When we provide positive feedback to others, even if it is thanking them for completing a basic expectation, it changes how they see themselves AND us!   

Research Tells Us

Studies reveal that people perform better, have a higher level of engagement and achieve greater intimacy when there is more positive feedback than negative. It is really that simple.

Marcial Losada’s (Director, Center of Advanced Research, Michigan, USA) 1999 study discovered the magic ratio for high performance is five positive forms of feedback to one negative form of feedback. 

Don’t you notice that when you compliment someone or acknowledge something that they did right their energy shifts? They appear more positive, motivated and receptive? Aren't you? 

Making a Change

Breaking the cycle of neglecting what works is crucial. Start by simply responding with gratitude for what others contribute. It is through this expression of gratitude – “I appreciate your efforts in submitting your work on time as it is a valuable piece of the project” – that allows for better results.

Constructive and timely feedback when something isn’t right is necessary, though incorporating more positive feedback daily is motivating. The benefit you enjoy is having others willingly extent themselves...priceless! 

Here are three quick tips to keep in mind when striving for feedback balance:

• Increase your awareness of how often your comments are negative. Strive to create a ratio of five positive comments to every one negative comment.

• Speak up for what is being done right by expressing appreciation and gratitude. Discover the power of reinforcing good behaviours in both your professional and personal life. 

• Share generously and without expectation to produce results beyond what you initially can even imagine.

Incorporating these tips can alter the previous perceptions of negative, unsupportive, uncaring, disrespectful, and insensitive TO caring, compassionate, considerate, positive and empathic. What best reflects your brand?

I’d love for you to share your tips in how you have provided more positive feedback to others. 

Align yourself with what matters most to you. Live your brand fully expressed with intention and purpose to play bigger!

Dorothy Lazovik is President of Authentic Leader’s Edge. She is a Personal Brand Strategist, trainer, speaker and coach. Interested in learning more and wanting to connect with Dorothy you can at www.authenticleadersedge.com.