What if everything we have been told about leadership is wrong
The Revup Conference: Inspiring Leaders was like a breath of fresh air amid chaos and uncertainty.
To quote the conference’s moderator, Georgiana Ghiciuc, we have been going through some troublesome times, following the pandemic and continuing with the current social and economic context. So, it’s no wonder that we sometimes feel overwhelmed and in need of direction and more clarity, especially if we are, or striving to become, leaders.
I arrived Saturday early morning at the Palace of Culture shaking with excitement and full of hope for a day of learning, connection and awe-inspiring discussions. It is safe to say that my expectations have been exceeded.
Redefining Leadership: Asking the right questions
The keynote speaker of the conference was Andrew Bryant who opened his talk by challenging us to look at leadership through different lenses. In an eloquent, witty – and British-posh at times – speech, he explained that leadership is dependent on context, culture and followers. What made Churchill a good leader during World War II will make him an underperformer in today’s corporate world.
That being said, when we talk about good leaders the question we need to ask (ourselves) is not what makes a good leader, but rather what we can do today to become better leaders tomorrow. We were lucky enough to find out the answer to this question in the second part of the presentation - You cannot lead others unless you lead (love) yourself first. Self-leadership is intentionally influencing your thinking, your feelings and your actions towards your objectives.
Own Your Leadership Story
Jenny Garret is one of the most authentic people I have ever met. Everything about her says ‘I know who I am and I own it without reservation’. When preparing for the interviews I had with the speakers, I did some research on all of them to be able to better understand them as individuals and professionals. Needless to say, they all have an impressive career so far and have done amazing things, yet I was particularly impressed with Jenny’s work. She is relentlessly working to promote women, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and in the world using her own experiences and struggles.
Jenny Garret’s presentation speaks about the courage to empower ourselves to develop a leader mindset and step into our leadership stories with confidence and grace. The 3 pillars of any successful leadership story are:
Awareness of self - understanding who we are and where we are at any given time
Articulate your story - knowing how we have become who we are, and how we got where we are
Act confidently - risking being ourselves… only better 😊
If you think the audience sat down in complete silence and without moving a muscle during the first two presentations, guess again. Both Andrew and Jenny helped us boost our energy while talking about two key concepts in leadership: understanding who’s responsible for our story (as you’ve probably figured out, it is always us - or as Andrew nicely put it - “Mine”) and visualizing achieving (as Jenny described it – if you see yourself doing it, you’re halfway there).
It’s the Little Things that Matter
When I first started leading teams I was constantly thinking about doing some big gesture that would prove to my team how great of a leader I am. I always felt stressed because I did not know if the things I did were as amazing as I thought they should be. Until I started to ask for feedback on our individual discussions and I realized that it’s actually the small things that have the greatest impact.
In his lively and inspiring presentation, Magor points out that even though we might be tempted to believe that great leadership comes from exceptional decisions, real creative spark, or even luck, things are actually the opposite. Habits drive results. It is the small things that we do day in and day out, building on a clear vision, healthy culture and sustainable objectives, that lead to great results. Authentic leadership does not lie in superhuman efforts, but rather in smaller, consistent, genuine behaviours.
Be the Author of Your Own Life
Although the conference did not have a common theme other than Inspiring Leaders, all speakers addressed similar topics centered around challenging our current view of leadership and having the courage to own our stories. Tamara Markova’s take on leadership is no exception. Using her expertise as a psychologist, she delved into the traits and behaviours that define successful and happy leaders.
Throughout the talk, she encouraged us to step up, challenge the status-quo and be the main characters of our story. This includes even deciding that maybe being a leader is not what we want or need to do - "Not wanting to be a leader is also a choice and there is nothing wrong with it."
Regarding happiness at work or in life, Tamara points out there are 4 main pillars that we should balance: work, health, love, fun. If one of them is neglected, neither of them is acceptable; we can't make up for our poor health with more work or vice-versa.
Good Leadership means Strong Employer Branding
Last but not least to take the stage on September 30th was Doru Șupeală who re-energized the room by talking about what a good brand means. Through well-chosen examples, he pointed out that much of a company’s reputation lies in what others say about it. In their struggle to stand out most companies only manage to blend in, missing the opportunity to create a unique and authentic identity.
Quoting a McKinsey research, Doru highlighted the top ten organizational aspects that matter the most for employees, I’ll mention just a few among them: respect, job security, supportive leaders, common values, learning and development, knowing the toxic behaviour in managers is being addressed, etc.
The key to stronger employer branding is continuous investment in genuine and authentic leaders, promoting loyalty, psychological safety, innovation, motivation and performance.
‘Till next Year
This wasn't just another conference where speakers talked about the same leadership concepts in the same pedantic manner that would make us feel like we were in school. The refreshing ideas that everyone tackled challenged us to rethink how we view leadership and our day-to-day behaviours. And, hopefully, if we find ourselves putting out little fires every day, we have the courage to accept accountability and become better leaders.
Looking forward to the next edition(s)! The community in Iasi (and not only) definitely needs this conference to support us in building a greater tomorrow.
During the conference, I had the opportunity to chat a bit with the speakers about leadership, what success looks like for them, what it’s like to be a role model and how to overcome challenges. Stay tuned for the written interviews on the Revup website.