With the end of the year comes the perfect time for self-reflection, and that is exactly what “On The Menu: Lead With Intent. Here’s How” was all about! December 3, we invited our in-house expert Brian Alvo to help us explore, shape, and define our leadership style. Brian is the founder of NextGen Center, a company dedicated to engaging and developing the next generation of leaders, located right here in Frontier 800. With his wide expertise, Brian led a lively discussion on how to be an effective leader.
Brian taught us two essential leadership qualities: adaptability and intentionality. It is easy to set goals, but in order to achieve them, you need to set an action plan and follow through. To demonstrate his points, Brian lead us through a three-part exercise.
- Reflect
Brian explained it is first important to define what a good leader means to you so you can set a clear path on how to become one yourself. After discussing this with a partner, we went around the room and shared our top leadership qualities. While there was some overlap, it was interesting to hear different interpretations. For instance, fairness and integrity are similar traits that describe a leader with a strong moral compass. However, each word can have different levels of importance based on what a person values. From this exercise I learned that we are molded into leaders from our personal experiences. To define your own authentic leadership style, it is beneficial to contemplate what motivates and inspires you.
- Build Awareness
During the next hands-on exercise, we evaluated our own leadership traits, then drew parallels to the list we created in the “Reflect” exercise. Brian stated that leadership is fundamentally challenging; we need the support of those around us to lead with intent. We often forget that our perception of ourselves may not be entirely accurate; we should always be open to feedback. Brian believes that business challenges often stem from personal challenges. The more we dig into ourselves, the more equipped we are to face them both.
- Take Action
It is common practice for a company to set a projected target and then create the best strategy for reaching it. Brian recommended that we apply this model to our own leadership growth. For our last exercise, we were asked to come up with specific actions that we can take to help us hone the qualities we hope to exude in our leadership styles. Brian advised us to think of a time that we overcame a personal challenge (for example, committing to a healthier diet) and apply the same principles. Understanding how to find these innate traits can help you implement accountability as a leader, both at work and in your everyday habits.
To end the discussion, Brian spoke on why we should even worry about being intentional leaders. In today’s world, where everyone is focused on what needs to be done, he encouraged us to turn the what into why. As a leader, you are the common denominator between the success of your company and the success of people you work with. A strong leadership style is fundamental to help your company achieve success!
Our next On The Menu will be focused on The Art of Self Discovery for Businesses. Does your business have the tools needed for success? Leadership? Manpower? This topic is a great follow up to our session with Brian, so mark your calendars and join us on January 10 to learn more!
What is On The Menu?
At The Frontier, we are constantly growing, and hope you and your business will come along for the ride with us! We developed On the Menu as a way of helping you and your business grow to the next level.
Each month, we’ll offer a lunchtime workshop on a special topic related to small businesses or startups. On The Menu will be taught by a diverse group of experts from around the Triangle (some of whom started their business here at The Frontier!) a small group setting.
Our hope is that these workshops will not only be rich in content, but spark dialogue, start relationships, and make your lunch break meaningful. Did we mention that lunch will be provided too?
If you would to present at our next On The Menu event, contact us at programming@rtp.org!