We become overly reliant on the strengths that got us where we are today. We also become isolated as we move up in the organization. Unless we have the benefit of assessment, and unless we invite feedback on our leadership, we continue to lean on strengths that can actually work against us, and fail to expand our leadership style in a way that makes us more effective.
Suzanne BatesAs we started working with leaders, providing them with assessment feedback, noticing the impact it was having on them, and their teams, a real story unfolded, and the book All the Leader You Can Be became what it is now - a guide to leaders who want to understand their strengths, and also appreciate how to enhance their leadership.
Suzanne BatesThe core philosophy we share with leaders is that everyone can develop the qualities in themselves. We all have strengths, but where we have gaps, we can make small changes in our behavior that make a big difference in how others see us as leaders.
Suzanne BatesOne of my favorite quotes from Thomas Edison is, "If we all did the things we are capable of doing we would astound ourselves." I believe leadership is a journey of learning and growing.
Suzanne BatesFor years when we went into companies to discuss how we could help their leaders be most effective, we heard people say, "Our leaders need to develop executive presence."
Suzanne BatesI'm the CEO of a small growing company, and at each stage of our growth, it's become apparent to me that I need to adapt my leadership style and learn new approaches. When I completed the assessment, asking my own team to provide feedback on the 15 qualities of presence, I learned a lot about the leader I have yet to become.
Suzanne Bates