What I learned from Leading from the Inside Out

2 minutes ago
16 min read

By Claribel Coreano

When I began my journey in leadership, my employer prepared me by assigning me the task of taking 3 different leadership certifications paid by my employer. The first one was a one-year leadership program offered by the local community college in 2000, this program was an intensive interactive learning from A to Z about leadership, managing a company and supervising others. This program was facilitated by a retired CEO and world renown speaker in mentoring and building leaders who travelled across the USA teaching leadership skills. This course was intensive and helped me grow in my role as a leader through the mentorship of the professor who guided me into realizing that I was a born leader who had the potential to exceed and grow in my career along with mentorship support. I always believe that we never stop learning and that there is always room to grow and being a lifelong learner, I embraced the opportunity. During my learning journey, the Professor was always pushing me to get out of my comfort zone during group discussions, and many times assigned me the leader position in the group discussions. I felt out of place at times, as I did not know what I had in me, but I was able to help other leaders whose titles, roles and salaries were beyond mine. He saw something in me that I needed to bring out and so did my peers during the group assignments. They appreciated the insights I shared and the coaching guidance which I did not yet know I had in me. The second program I completed was in 2007-2008, and it took place at a major University again paid by my employer. This new opportunity helped me understand the role of a non-profit leader and what the employers need to be successful in the non-profit work culture. Some of the content of this article is part of a presentation I had to do for the course completion, on foreseeing the future for nonprofits emergent leaders. The third program took me a step higher during 2012-2016, as it involved more complex parts of leadership which had to do with the financial managerial part of running a program or agency. This included all Human Resource laws, hiring, firing, retention, and coaching. As well as yearly evaluations using coaching and career development skills. Through these investments in my leadership role it afforded me the emotional intelligence to be an effective leader during my tenure as one, and the affordability to use all the leadership skills learned in many roles that I had in the agency. I appreciate my employer for investing in me as this has helped me during my leadership journey. And to make a long story short this is what I learned about leadership.

First we must ask the question “So what makes a good leader?” There are many attributes to being a good leader but the ones that stood out the most for me were Character and authenticity. Whether you are a business owner, a CEO, CFO, President, or Billionaire investor is not really about the titles or influence you may possess but it has to do more with character and being authentic with not only your peers but all of the employees. I considered this to be a strength not a weakness. In fact, many leaders often focus on working hard to maintain their company or business all while neglecting their wellness, sense of clarity and purpose. This can result in burnout, disconnection and leadership that may be seen as stagnant or unapproachable rather than demonstrating transformation.

Leading from the inside out requires for the leader to conduct a complete introspection or inner work that derives from emotional intelligence, aligning your values with actions and showing up with humility as your main strength. When leaders work on making themselves whole they lead from a place of healing, growth and servitude and they don’t just manage people; but become inspired by their own transformation that also trickles down to others. This knowledge or expertise does not flourish without putting in the work. No, not all, it requires dedication and openness to accept that you do not have all the answers, you are not always going to be right, or make effective choices all the time, you are bound to make mistakes. But you must have a willingness to learn and practice what you learn to increase your emotional intelligence in order to lead from a good heart posture without feeling insecurities. Don’t get me wrong it is a tough learning journey that doesn’t happen overnight and one that requires commitment to become better. After all it is not only about how you represent the company but how you support, protect, defend, walk the talk, demonstrate with action. And most importantly how you cultivate your employees for growth. This is why in my opinion, investing in leadership is an important investment for any for profits or nonprofits agency as a whole. As this will help maintain a culture of wholeness and balanced the equilibrium within your agency to place in leadership role those who can and are willing to learn how to become better leaders through learning all the facets that makes a good leader who exemplifies what they want their employees' performance to look like. However, keep in mind, there is not one mold for leaders, but freedom for them to use their unique perspective, cultural worldview, learning styles, and communication skills to align with the agency without feeling restricted or feel like they have to fit into the old leader’s mold or someone else who had the same role. No, it should be uniquely different. With this being said, I want to share the example of good leadership in action by sharing a story that I shared during this presentation so stay with me so far.

What is Leadership in Action?

This story is about leadership in action titled “The soldiers and the trench story” The story goes that sometime, close to a battlefield over 200 years ago, a man in civilian clothes rode past a small group of exhausted battle-weary soldiers digging an obviously important defensive position. The section leader, making no effort to help, was shouting orders, threatening punishment if the work was not completed within the hour. "Why are you not helping?" asked the stranger on horseback. "I am in charge. The men do as I tell them," said the section leader, adding, "Help them yourself if you feel strongly about it.“ To the section leader's surprise the stranger dismounted and helped the men until the job was finished. Before leaving the stranger congratulated the men for their work, and approached the puzzled section leader. "You should notify the top command next time your rank prevents you from supporting your men - and I will provide a more permanent solution,"said the stranger. Up close, the section leader now recognized General Washington, and also the lesson he'd just been taught. (This story is allegedly based on truth. Whatever, similar examples are found in history, and arise in modern times too, so please forgive the mythical possibility of the above attribution; the story's message is more important than its historical accuracy.) Retrieved on: June 29, 2008, available at: http://www.businessballs.com/stories.htm#the_soldiers_and_the_trench_story

Why is Investing in Leadership Important?

From this story we can see two things: one the leader assumes that leadership was just about giving orders, threatening, and watching others work. Another thing that is obvious is the communication was faulty as he did not report that those under him were struggling nor was he demonstrating walking the talk as he was not getting his hands dirty whereas George Washington had a higher rank than him did not allow himself to be defined by his title nor be intimidated to lead by example. This story has always been one of my favorites because I truly believe that leaders need to lead by example and be open to get your hands dirty even when your role is above those whom you lead. This doesn’t mean doing this all the time as it is understandable that it will absorb all of your time, but to keep in mind that there are definitely circumstances in which leaders have to act fast and be proactively involved to become supportive of their employees. This is sometimes necessary in order to keep a morale or work culture that is centered on positivity within the company which then promotes and increases collaboration. Therefore, leaders are not only born but must also be taught the right foundational skills in leadership that will help build them into a strong, successful manager of people. Without these skills you are bound to fail because you will then be a leader only by giving orders. What do companies, nonprofits, and private sector businesses need to do?

Invest in Middle Management Now Before They Leave!

This is important not only for Nonprofits but also in the private sector. They must be willing to invest in emerging leaders who have the potential to excel in the company through the proper mentoring and training. Why? Because you already have them working for you, and why search elsewhere? Also, retraining new people wastes the company more money than investing in creating emergent leaders. It is more financially costly for the company to hire new leaders as opposed to training employees who have the potential for leadership as they will be more loyal and internal prospective leaders are less likely to leave the company.

Another thing to consider when hiring new leaders is cost effectiveness. So, rather than investing in someone new, how about creating a leader out of someone who may already be demonstrating leadership potential within the company? Keep in mind that you will need to pay higher salaries for new leaders who have been leaders elsewhere. Training cost can vary by the agency size, financial status etc. time needed to train, and other hidden expenses like traveling and accommodations as well as loss of productivity and time needed for them to network. The average training cost is about 1, 252.00 for training new employees again this varies by size of the company, cost of training, and other variables. Whereas Leadership development may run an average of 444.00 annually for leadership programs which are a positive investment for companies to consider. Companies should be able to evaluate the cost of hiring new employees versus training potential staff for future leadership roles. In my experience, I have seen acting employees who have been overlooked all while they had already been performing the role. Then a new person comes in with no guarantee if they will be an effective leader and who sometimes don’t even stay too long in the company because they are chasing the money not really focused on becoming a good leader. And what happens next is that the employee who was once overlooked then leaves the company altogether. Losing someone who is loyal and who has demonstrated the skills to become an excellent leader is a loss for the company and a gain for whoever hires them. Consider this…….

The majority of the nonprofits and for profits are led by baby boomers and are moving towards retirement, and what’s going to happen when this leadership leaves?
What would we as Gen X, Gen Y and Z do differently?
Do you think there is a different management style that will evolve?
Will they be looked at differently in society…and how will they be paid…??
How do we quantify our missions, measurable results are important…
You are the driving force for Emerging Leaders, now what?
What do mentors/investors need to know?

Here’s everything you need to know!

”A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.”- Rosalynn Carter

These investments have to be part of the financial infrastructure of the company or agency. And of course they also have to be part of the strategic goals that align with the company’s financial budget. Planning now for the future saves companies from losing loyal employees who will become the leaders of tomorrow. I strongly believe that companies should invest in middle management now before they decide to leave for growth elsewhere! Through creating competitive salaries, investing in a culture of creating leaders and most importantly allowing the autonomy to create change and think big, offer opportunities for professional development so that they stay in the company rather than leave seeking growth opportunities elsewhere.

From high enough salaries, valued leadership and allowed autonomy to create change and think big, opportunities for professional development.

Teach Better Communication Skills:

When people hear about ‘learning better communication skills’ they assume to learn how to speak better or express themselves in a convincing monotone, command or to relay detailed orders and prompts. No it is more than that…. And the reality is that it takes more than just communication skills but an emotional intelligence style in the form of communication and approach. Jih Rohn provides a perfect example of excellent communications skill for a leader to have, and he also emphasizes on learning communication skills as a priority. He recommends 3 things to do “The greatest weapon you can have is learning communication skills” and he divided it into 3 parts: The first one, training: showing someone how the job works, teaching somebody how life works, and the last communication skills for inspiring other people.” Learning communication skills also requires collaboration and a positive forum in which the future leaders can gain insights, share resources, and have open non-restricted dialogues on what they are currently struggling or Forsee struggling with as a leader.

Collaboration is needed. We envision a forum where people can share resources, and dialogue about Leadership issues…

Companies should envision more collaboration across all organizations which will hopefully create more opportunities for leadership mentorship. Creating partnership for leaders to learn from other leaders in other private sectors or nonprofit sectors. This allows the emergent leaders to not only learn from their company higher up leaders but also learn from other community leaders with different perspectives or leadership styles that they can value learning differences and banking on similarities that they can then bring back to their own companies or agencies. This freedom will encourage autonomy, trust, and loyalty to their company. The new generation comes in with a different mindset on what collaboration looks like, different learning styles and different personalities therefore, they need to be supported with a strengths-based approach to leadership and valuing of their weaknesses to be turned into strengths.

Tips:

Funders could fund annual collaboration meetings, retreats and discussion groups to keep the emerging leaders connected, informed, and motivated to stay.
Capacity building around many leadership issues not only are you going to supply the training but also the support for them to do their jobs effectively.
Keep a sort of a regional approach
Collaborate more on ways we can all use resources more efficiently and the ways we can reduce paper production, and be more “green” in our approaches. Adding Environmental policies into the mix… I decided to keep this part of the presentation to demonstrate how much progress in this area we have already made from 2007-2025, we are almost paperless.

Strong Board of Directors: Companies are held more accountable for their results: Evaluation Process

The other important part of all this is to have a strong board of directors. By recruiting board members who are completely vested and invested in the company, who are loyal to the mission, committed to fundraising and hold accountability to themselves as well as the company.

This also requires that they, too, be willing to get their hands dirty to ensure the company thrives and grow with exemplary leadership. By creating goals that can be quantified and also provide more reporting on how it will affect project design within the company. This is more of an administrative burden, but we need to find ways to support non-profits or private sector companies as they go into this way of thinking. They need to be willing to help with this transition to make it happen and understand that there will be a cost to resources and be mindful of this.

Why is this needed?

There is a deficit of emerging leaders in Non-profits and private sectors
There is too much competition
There is not a one size fits all rule book, it has to be tweaked to the mission, vision, product, and services your company provides to others.
Use better recruitment methods that captures future leadership potential skills
Use your imagination to create better offers for those who exemplify this potential
Collaboration is needed

“There is a powerful driving force inside every human being that once unleashed can make any vision, dream, or desire a reality.”

- Anthony Robbins

What could stakeholders and investors do differently/to support leadership development?

Be open to mentoring an up-and-coming nonprofit professionals “be the change you want to see in the world”
Invest in leadership development
Be prepared to be active board member and be prepared to train future board members
Plan how you can recruit others to join a Leadership role in your organization
How can you become a mentor and give back to the community
Become an evangelist for the cause of your company that inspires future generations
Accept the community responsibility on ‘it takes a village to raise a child model’ It takes a strong community collaboration and support to create great leaders.
Support training opportunities but also seek the right training that align with your company needs, services or mission.
Fund coalitions networking events that provide new leaders an opportunity for growth and networking.
Look to the schools to create more leadership programs development and become a mentor that teaches others leadership skills

What’s next?

There are tons of leaders waiting who need the assistance to get to their leadership destinations. After the leaders are discovered don’t just stop there, but continue to help them involved with the changing times. Think of it as a loaded bus, the drivers are ready, the question is will you provide the gas (skills that they need)? We know that gas is expensive, but nothing else will run the bus, therefore is an investment that will produce an outcome for your company.

Admiral James B. Stockdale said it best "Leadership must be based on goodwill. Goodwill does not mean posturing and, least of all, pandering to the mob. It means obvious and wholehearted commitment to helping followers. We are tired of leaders we fear, tired of leaders we love, and of tired of leaders who let us take liberties with them. What we need for leaders are men of the heart who are so helpful that they, in effect, do away with the need of their jobs. But leaders like that are never out of a job, never out of followers. Strange as it sounds, great leaders gain authority by giving it away.“The following are some recommendations and tips on how to create a blueprint on how it can be achieved for both nonprofits and private sector companies looking into creating more effective leaders.

Action Steps for Investors:

Invest in Leadership Development
Support training opportunities (Support includes financial, spreading the word, involved in planning)
Work with undergraduate and graduate schools of business administrations, or leadership to educate students about the non-profit field or private sector, have leadership development be part of the curriculum and encourage the use of interns as part of leadership growth for both non-profits and private sectors.

”If there is a trait which does characterize leaders it is opportunism. Successful people are very often those who steadfastly refuse to be daunted by disadvantage and have the ability to turn disadvantage to good effect. They are people who seize opportunity and take risks. Leadership then seems to be a matter of personality and character.”- John Viney

Action Steps for Investors:

Create action steps for investors to consider investing in this venture of building emergent leaders and how it will benefit everyone.

Encourage Collaboration:
Organize or fund networking opportunities for non-profit or private sector leaders to encourage people to work together.
Value Mentoring:
Be open to mentoring an emerging leader
Create opportunities for people to meet and connect with other leaders to develop a mentoring relationship i.e., the networking events .
Have mentoring discussed and encouraged in the leadership development trainings

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Evaluate what’s important: and don’t let the competitors cloud your vision
What’s important are the people you services
The leaders of the company are the guide or the primary role models
The catalyst is provided by mentors/investors to get the wheels moving forward to prepare the leaders of the future.
There are tons of people needing what you offer and who need help getting to their leadership destinations.
After the leaders are discovered and hired, give them the freedom to lead.
Now that you have built a strong foundation, you have equipped your leaders. You are now ready, responsible, accountable to stay motivated to find the people needing your services.
- Focus on the future results and the impact that the companies will be making.
- Be open to hearing about the failures as well as the successes and work with all stakeholders on what you have learnt together from past experiences, how you can improve and how you can bring it to the next level.
- Fund the evaluation process, like anything else it needs in business. It needs to be tracked, evaluated and measured not only for any windows of errors, risks management, or future legalities. This will require everyone to hold fidelity to the company and accountability to any mistakes in the company, or its leaders.
- Encourage Flexible funding to meet these goals, if you don’t add it to the lien item in the budget, it will not be approved. Make sure it is designated especially if it is being funded by private funders or grants.
It is important to discuss with non-profits ways that they can become more flexible with funding leadership development so all other costs that are typically difficult to get funded for can be covered, such as staffing, evaluation, and overhead. The private sector may have more wiggle room in this area that allows them to be more flexible than non-profits who depend on grants, or funding.

Invest to Sustain Impact: Some of these recommendations are based from the Forces of Good book 6 practices for High Impact Non-Profits all of which are relatable and applicable to the private sector companies as well. I decided to include them as well for planning sustainability.
- Focus on what, then who, then how and when it will be implemented
- Pay to play- Pay top talent relatively well, ideally at or near the top of your field. This includes market research top salaries for leaders and creating your own tiers of salaries.
- Find sources of ongoing funding to diversify risk- Find the right mix of funding and manage your risks. Create a risk management evaluation system in your company.
- Fuse fundraising with your theory of change-Integrate your fundraising strategy with your overall vision for change; government, business, and the public that are potential sources of funding as well as means of leveraging social impact.
- Resist pressure to look lean - Don’t let funders or the media dictate how you choose to spend money on things like overhead.
- Find the right balance for your organization. Decide on what your organization needs to sustain its impact, and invest heavily on it.
- Hire based on cultural fit and mission alignment and then give people latitude and development they need to succeed as an emergent leader.
In conclusion, I originally wrote this article for a presentation that I did for a one-year leadership certification program at one of the local universities in Fairfield, County, CT. During 2007-2008. Today, I find the message feels more relevant than ever. For one the work culture has dramatically evolved over the years, however the insights shared in this story now hold greater significance and practical value for the designed modern workplace of today.

Claribel Coreano, Transformational Life Coach