Leadership is a way of thinking, a way of acting and, most importantly, a way of
communicating. ~ Simon Sinek
Summed up, this is identity. Your leadership brand is about how others perceive you. It shapes
engagement and impacts results.
Understanding and embracing your leadership identity is fundamental to long-term success. It’s not just
what you do but who you are as a leader. This is where personal branding becomes pivotal.
- What do people say about you when you’re not in the room?
- Are you evolving through continuous improvement?
- How integrated are your values on a day-to-day?
Harvard Business Review found an obvious connection among firms such as Johnson & Johnson, General
Electric, PepsiCo, Goldman Sachs, Disney, and Boeing — they turn out strong leaders, in some cases
becoming “leader feeder” firms, whose managers are well equipped to run other organizations.
They observed 150 successful leader feeder firms of various sizes over a decade and found that most of
them developed a similar approach, which helps produce an excellent pipeline of leaders – generation
after generation.
Leadership brand is a reputation for developing exceptional managers with a distinct set of talents
that are uniquely geared to fulfill customers’ and investors’ expectations. A leadership brand inspires
confidence that employees and managers will consistently deliver on a company’s promises. For
instance, Nordstrom ensures white-glove service, Disney guarantees friendly and upbeat staff, McKinsey
provides strategic, fractional expertise, and Lexus embodies its tagline, “the pursuit of perfection,” by
expecting management to excel in quality processes like lean manufacturing and Six Sigma. Brand
identity is deeply embedded in these organization’s culture, policies, and employee expectations.
Leadership identity development is one of Sinek’s central ideas in the “Golden Circle”, which places
“Why” at the core of leadership. He argues that the most successful leaders and organizations
communicate and act from their “Why”—their purpose or reason for existing—rather than focusing
solely on “What” they do or “How” they do it.
Becoming clear with your WHY, how it aligns to the organization, and how that benefits others – is the
leadership trifecta you want to achieve.
Leadership Trifecta part 1
Define your own motivations, aspirations and identity using Archetypes as a Northern Star. Self-
awareness unlocks leadership brands. Consistency breaks down resistance. Leaders who show up
authentically, remain true to their personality and aligned with their values tend to inspire deeper
loyalty and commitment from their teams.
Practical Development Tips
- Do a self-assessment and then have your team guess your identity, versus theirs: Team
Alignment Quiz using 360-degree feedback exercises - Identify gaps or misperceptions and greenlight ways to establish understanding
- Develop your own leadership manifesto with KPIs that can be tracked over the year
Leadership Trifecta part 2
Become really purposeful at finding commonality between your goals as a leader, and your company’s
goals. Leader brands are reflections of their corporate brands. Done right, this alignment will serve as a
guide to ensure you’re putting resources in the most important areas.
Practical Development Tips
- Track your leader brand goals as a feeder to the company’s brand goals within 3 to 5 categories
- Ask for testimonials or examples of how your leadership has positively impacted workplace
culture - Ensure your leadership brand showcases not only what you’ve accomplished but the impact and
meaning behind it for the company at large
Leadership Trifecta part 3
Great leaders know it isn’t about them. Exceptional leaders know how to make it about others. How
does your leader brand make other’s lives better? What direct impact do you have on team members?
The infamous WIIFM (what’s in it for me?) will always be top-of-mind for your audience, so make sure
you are intentional about the benefits you provide.
Practical Development Tips
- Co-create a monthly or quarterly Good News Memo that highlights achievements within your
team or cross-functional teams - Ensure employees Performance Reviews capture important aspects of the brand and their
efforts to support it – bonuses or incentives can be linked to these categories - Use surveys and feedback loops to turn soft skills into tangible, measurable ROI
By sharing unique leadership brand attributes in meaningful ways, leaders at all levels increase
organizational value. Focusing on the-brand-behind-the-leader, not just leader, and viewing everything
through an external lens, allows companies to build sustainable identities for long-term success.