FINDING YOUR VOICE

"One word expresses the pathway to greatness: voice. Those on this path find their voice and inspire others to find theirs. The rest never do." ~ Steven Covey
One of the expressions bandied about by political commentators this season has been of a candidate "finding a voice." In fact, in the space of about two months, seemingly every candidate found his or hers.
On November 11, 2007, TIME contributor, Ana Marie Cox, wrote about Senator Barack Obama "finding his voice," at a Democratic dinner party in Iowa.
During post-debate coverage on November 28, 2007, CNN's David Gergen asserted, "I think that the most presidential tonight was John McCain, who's found his voice again."
On January 9th 2008, Jack Horowitz of the New York Observer wrote about Hillary Clinton's primary election victory in New Hampshire. The headline? "Hillary, Triumphant, Finds Her Voice."
On January 16, 2008, Ana Marie Cox raised the question, "Has Romney Found His Voice?" in her article on Mitt Romney's first-place finish in the Michigan presidential primary.
In an April blog post, Stephen Covey tackles the nebulous concept of a leader's "voice." He feels that leaders "find a voice" when they 1) Tap into Talent 2) Find What Fuels Their Passion 3) Are Burdened with a Need 4) Take Action to Meet the Need.
Step 1: Tapping into Your Talent
Tapping into your talents starts with understanding where you excel. It involves recognizing your strengths and positioning yourself to leverage them. To tap into your talent consider the question: What am I good at doing?
Step 2: Fueling Your Passion
When you take part in activities that fill you with positive emotion, you are fueling your passion. Pursuits that spark your passion bring excitement, enthusiasm, joy, and fun. To fuel your passion, ask yourself: What do I love doing?
Step 3: Being Burdened with a Need
When a problem in society lodges itself in your heart and won't let go, then you have been burdened with a need. Perhaps, the need is an injustice you wish to remedy. Maybe it's a disease you would love to cure. Whatever the case, a burden gnaws at your conscience. To take stock of your biggest burden, wrestle with the question: What need must I serve?
Step 4: Meeting the Need
Once a need has arrested your attention, then you can find your voice by taking action. A need compels you to do something besides criticize from the sidelines. To meet the need, think about this question: How can I align my talent with my passion in order to meet the need that burdens me?
For more discussion about finding your voice, visit Stephen Covey's blog
Five Questions for Leaders With Newfound Authority
The most revealing chapter of a leader's journey begins when they ascend to their first position of influence. Much can be deciphered about a person's character by observing how they wield authority.
Don't misinterpret me; leadership transcends titles, and influence cannot be confined to positions of rank or seniority. Nonetheless, newfound authority carries the weight of responsibility. How a leader responds to that responsibility can be a measuring stick of their overall fitness to lead.
When leaders are handed authority, they enjoy broader latitude to exercise their leadership style. As positional leaders, they are able to implement their ideas more freely and instill their values more directly. The decisions they make at this critical juncture may either launch their careers or stunt their development.
In his blog for Harvard Business Publishing, Bill Taylor poses five questions aspiring leaders should consider as they assume the reigns of authority. For rising leaders, or those mentoring a leadership rookie, his material will be particularly beneficial.
Five Make-or-Break Questions for Aspiring Leaders
1) Why should great people want to work with you?
Money without mission attracts mercenaries. Talent "for-hire" flows to the highest bidder, and refuses to drop anchor. In the absence of a compelling vision, leaders find themselves presiding over a collection of individuals rather than leading a team.
As Bill Taylor writes, "great people want to feel like they're part of something greater than themselves." By offering more than a paycheck, an aspiring leader attracts values-based performers. Such employees are likely to forge emotional ties to the organization, take ownership of its mission, and invest themselves to accomplish its vision.
2) Do you know a great person when you see one?
"When it comes to evaluating talent, character counts for as much as credentials," writes Taylor. Aspiring leaders are wise to hire people who, in addition to being competent, fit smoothly into the company's culture. To do so, it may be necessary to endure the inconvenience (and extra work) of a longstanding opening until a suitable candidate surfaces.
3) Can you find great people who aren't working for you?
Aspiring leaders may want to polish their sales pitch to attract star performers from outside the organization. According to Taylor, "Leaders who are content to fill their organizations with people actively looking for jobs risk attracting malcontents and mediocre performers."
Talent will not beat a path to your door. The best leaders are actively on the lookout for key contributors. They look to hire, not when the need arises, but whenever they locate peak performers.
4) Are you teaching great people how your company works and wins?
In an effort to showcase their leadership skills, insecure leaders may rally their team to outperform others within the organization. The result: a counterproductive spirit of competition instead of togetherness.
Smart leaders are wary of silos. They define the win for their team and connect that win to the company's overarching strategy. They recognize the power of a "we" mentality. As such, they prioritize connecting the performance of their people to the overall success of the company.
5) Are you as tough on yourself as you are on your people?
Bleed your creed. Undemonstrated or uncertain commitment on the part of a leader has a corrosive effect on that leader's influence. Followers resent leaders who are unwilling to make the investment they demand of those they supervise.
Oppositely, leaders who pay the price to fulfill lofty self-expectations earn the right to place high standards on their people. By doing so, they are imbuing their authority with authentic influence.