Let's talk about Gravitas

[Transcript]

[00:00:00] Welcome to the finding gravitas podcast brought to you by gravitas Detroit, looking to become a more authentic leader. Finding gravitas is the podcast for you. Gravitas is the ultimate leadership quality that draws people in it's an irresistible force, encompassing all the traits of authentic leadership.

[00:00:26] Join your podcast. Host Jan Griffiths, that passionate rebellious farmer's daughter from Wales, entrepreneur leadership, coach keynote speaker, one of the top 100 leading women in the automotive industry. As she interviews some of the finest leadership minds in the quest. For gravitas.

[00:00:51] Jan: [00:00:51] Hello? Finding gravitas, the audience. Let's talk about gravitas. What is it? How do you get it? [00:01:00] Why do you need it? And why is it more important now than ever before? Let's go back to the beginning. Shall we? The word itself gravitas comes from the word gravity, meaning. weight, solemnity as seriousness. That's really the technical definition of it, but I'm using it in a slightly different way.

[00:01:25] I go back to Roman times. Do you know the gravitas was indeed a characteristic that Roman leaders, people in positions of power or any type of leadership role strived to achieve. This idea of gravitas. So what exactly is it, as it relates to leadership? I like the idea that it comes from the word gravity, because gravity is a force and really [00:02:00] great leaders have that sense to them.

[00:02:02] It's a force where they just pull you in. You want to be around them. You know that when they speak, you want to listen, they have credibility, they have integrity. There is a certain presence that they have in the room, but they're also comfortable in their own skin. Gravitas is not somebody who comes in overly confident and overly aggressive.

[00:02:33] That's perhaps fake gravitas and you can't fake gravitas because gravitas is something that comes from within it's who you are. It's about being authentic. It's about living your life in line with your values. It's about leading the way that, you know, you need to lead as a human being and not being afraid to step [00:03:00] into.

[00:03:00] Your authentic leadership self, a leader with gravitas is not somebody that wears a corporate mask because they believe that that's the leadership model they're supposed to follow. That would be fake gravitas. And you can tell when somebody is operating with that model and with that type of aura, to them, you feel a sense of safety and security around somebody that operates with gravitas.

[00:03:30] You know that they've got your back, you know, that they will encourage you to take risks, but they'll be there to support you to help you if you fall. And yes, if you fail, they're not afraid to use the term failure. They see failure as an opportunity to learn. They see it as being resilient. Hand in the words of [00:04:00] Nelson Mandela, he says, do not judge me by my success.

[00:04:04] Judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up. And that's so true too often today in the command and control model, we are all afraid to make a mistake. We fear failure. It's seen as a sign of weakness. And lead out with gravitas. Doesn't look at failure that way they look at it as a sign of growth.

[00:04:35] It's respected. Somebody actually had the guts to go out there and make a decision and maybe push themselves outside of their comfort zone. And if they fail, it is our responsibility as leaders to help pick them up, put them back on track learned from that experience. We talk about innovation all day long and creativity, and we are not going to get there [00:05:00] unless we start to encourage people to take risks.

[00:05:05] And that means supporting them when they fail leaders with gravitas. No. That they have to connect with human beings at a very deep level. They know that there's no real sort of cookie cutter approach to leadership. You have to connect at a very deep level individually with each human being on the team.

[00:05:30] And indeed each stakeholder around you leaders with gravitas have a reputation for being somebody that is not only competent, but you, you want to have their input on the team. They're that kind of person that you want on the team. You want them to lead the team, but you also want them on the team because they have a sense of how do I say this?

[00:05:56] There's an, a natural influence that they [00:06:00] have just their presence in the room. The energy that they have will influence the room. And we all know as human beings, we have the power to change the room. They're not going to be the kind of person that gets into the pity party. You've all been there where you go into a room and people might be bitching and complaining about something.

[00:06:20] And you make a choice. Don't you as to whether or not you're going to join in. Or whether you're going to try to change the energy in the room. A leader with gravitas will do exactly that will change the energy in the room. And we all have that power as human beings. It's something that's so.

[00:06:43] Underestimated underrated. And we just don't talk about it as much as we can and should it can change the culture of a company. A leader with gravitas is not somebody who's down in the weeds every single [00:07:00] day. I've worked in companies where. It was worn as a badge of honor. If you will, you were more respected as a leader.

[00:07:12] If you knew every little detail about everything and that's not a bad thing, but is that really what leadership is about? I don't think so. I think that leaders have many tools in their toolbox. They're one of their first and foremost, his responsibility is to look onward and upward. It is to inspire a group of people.

[00:07:40] With their vision to galvanize people around that vision to keep looking forward, to keep looking ahead. That's what leadership is about. Whether it's an industry accompany, a function, a department, or a team of people, the leader has to be looking forward and looking ahead. [00:08:00] Now I firmly believe that great leaders lead from behind in a servant leadership type approach, because that's how they bring people on board and inspire people and coach people.

[00:08:13] But they have that responsibility to look forward, to be able to articulate a vision, to focus on the long-term. And if your head is down in the detail in the short-term every single day, you can't do that. Now there is a time when leaders have to be down in the detail. I get that. But if you're down in the detail too often, then you have to ask yourself the question, are you really empowering?

[00:08:44] Your people? Are you really empowering your team leaders with gravitas, know how to balance that? And it's not easy. I've been there. And I've been on a few of those [00:09:00] conference calls where you have to be seen to be on the call for the issue of the day. And then it ends up being a call between two or three vice presidents and maybe 15 people directors or senior level managers on the call, just listening to three VPs, having a conversation.

[00:09:20] Is that really any good? Is that really driving value? I don't think so. I like to support the people on my team. I like to be there really more behind them, supporting them with what they need. Again, it's a difficult balance because if it's, if there's a significant issue for the business as a leader, you need to be engaged.

[00:09:46] Of course you do. But finding that balance between. Not being on every single issue and giving yourself the time and space to look forward and appoint a leader with gravitas has figured [00:10:00] that out mindset in energy. To me go hand in hand, a leader with gravitas has a growth mindset. They're always growing and learning.

[00:10:15] They never have all the answers. And they're very self-aware. They know who they are, they know what they know, and they know what they don't know, and they build the team through collaboration. And when we talk about diversity and inclusion, diversity is one thing and it's diversity of thought a leader with gravitas understands and respects diversity of thought, but they encourage.

[00:10:43] The people on the team who are perhaps a little reluctant to bring their voice forward. A leader with gravitas knows that because somebody is quiet on the team doesn't mean. That they don't have a [00:11:00] voice. They don't have anything to contribute. It just means that that's not their thing. They're not comfortable putting their voice forward.

[00:11:07] And a leader with gravitas knows how to encourage that voice, how to make them feel included. And part of the team, the leader with gravitas is indeed collaborative, not only with their own team, but with other stakeholders. They don't operate in a strict silo approach where it's all about their function or their business.

[00:11:31] They know how to reach out and build relationships and alliances with other stakeholders. And that's partly because they have this growth mindset and they're always learning and they want feedback. They're looking for feedback. They're not afraid to show their vulnerability. They're not afraid to say, Hey, you know what?

[00:11:56] I made that decision and it wasn't the best decision I've ever [00:12:00] made or we've made, you know, let's regroup and let's do something different. They're not afraid to say, Hey team, what do you think about this approach? Here's an example that came up recently on a podcast that a podcast interview I did with Tim Fiore, CPO of Ryder systems.

[00:12:18] And when we started talking about working from home in the pandemic and what should the new work life look like? Should we be, it shouldn't be a hybrid model. Should it be in the office? What should it be? Most leaders. Okay. Bit of a generalization there, but a lot of leaders would have put their recommendation forward perhaps to the senior leadership and then it wouldn't be a decision.

[00:12:42] And then it would come down to, um, everyday workers and people in the organization. Tim didn't do it that way. Tim took this, this, uh, idea and he threw it out to his team and he said, you tell me what you think [00:13:00] is the best way to approach the working model. Moving forward. Now that's a leader with gravitas.

[00:13:09] He's not afraid to ask the team for their input. Then collectively come up with a direction and decision and then take that forward. As a recommendation leaders with gravitas are kind that's right. They're actually nice. There's this grave misconception out there, certainly in the early part of my career that you have to be tough.

[00:13:38] You've got to be tough with people. You gotta tell people like it is tell them the way it is. Tell them that you got to have to hold them accountable. And if they don't deliver that they're outta here, that leadership model is dead and buried. Well, maybe not so much buried yet. There's still evidence of it out there.

[00:14:00] [00:13:59] Leaders with gravitas lead with kindness. Being nice to people and being kind is not a weakness. It's a strength. It's a way of providing connection and security and safety. And you've heard me quote, many times Google project Aristotle. What is the number one trait that high performance teams have in common?

[00:14:28] It is indeed psychological safety. When you rule with an iron Fest and you drive fear through an organization, people won't bring you problems. They won't trust you. It will drive issues underground, and it certainly will not build a high performance team leaders with gravitas are not afraid to be nice and show [00:15:00] kindness.

[00:15:01] The very first podcast interview I did was with Don. Akery an amazing authentic leader. He is president and senior VP of TTI electronics, and it's a Warren buffet owned company, a Berkshire Hathaway company. And you'd think that, you know, maybe Warren buffet is a bit of a tough guy and certainly he's a no nonsense guy.

[00:15:27] But Don has had experience leading a company that is part of his portfolio and Don ends the interview with it's okay. To be nice. And that's something that I see with all the great leaders that I interview. Yes, they are. Laser-focused on where they're going and they have vision. They know exactly who they are and what they need to do.

[00:15:55] But they're nice people. They're nice to be around. You want to be around them. [00:16:00] And that's what a leader would gravitas is they draw people into them. And I believe that this quality is something that we are going to need more of. There's a foundation of trust there. Um, there's a, there's a whole heaping of credibility and integrity, and it's not just with the teams that they lead it's with everybody it's with all stakeholders.

[00:16:33] So why is it the gravitas that I claim is indeed the hallmark of authentic leadership. It is all the traits of authentic leadership combined. Why is it that this is more important now than ever before? The way we work is changing, we know that the pandemic has forced us, whether we liked it or not into working [00:17:00] from home.

[00:17:00] We'll probably end up with some form of a hybrid model who knows, you know, every industry, every company will be different, but we're all, we're all in this together. Doesn't matter what industry we're in. We're all, we all have the same dilemma, how to figure out what this world of work will look like.

[00:17:18] Moving forward. As we look at attracting and retaining talent in our organizations. The leadership model that we employ, the vision that we have as a company, the brand that we've established. And let's not forget that a brand is not just the brand of a product like Coke or Starbucks. A brand is about how you behave.

[00:17:50] Every employee in the company is and ambassadors for the brand and represents the brand. And that is even more important now [00:18:00] than ever before, because in the world we live in today, technology demands, transparency, something happens in the workplace. It's on glass door, it's on Facebook. It's on Instagram, within about four seconds.

[00:18:15] The way people behave, determines the brand gen Z wants to understand the brand. They need to know what company they're working for. They need to know what the leadership is like in that company. They need to know the culture that they're engaging with and they will not work. They will not tolerate a command and control type of environment.

[00:18:44] So if we are really going to embrace a new way of working for the future. We'll need a leadership model that is right in line with the culture that we want for our companies. And those [00:19:00] leaders are indeed leaders with gravitas. I have just finished working with my business to develop a workshop because around developing gravitas, because I believe that it's about establishing your leadership style.

[00:19:19] Early on. So when you start with a new company or you have a new team, it's about getting those people together and establishing who you are as a leader, making those deep connections, understanding the strengths of your team and figuring out how this team is going to behave and work together, moving forward.

[00:19:41] And that's why. I have a workshop that's simply called the gravitas workshop and I'm sure it will evolve over time and it will twist and change because I'm not afraid to change things as the environment changes around me. Take a moment to think about your [00:20:00] gravitas. I believe we all have it within us.

[00:20:04] It's a choice. Do we choose to embrace it and operate? With gravitas or not to my wonderful finding gravitas audience. I hope this podcast has given you something to think about. And I would love to continue the conversation. Email me jan@gravitasdetroit.com and let's continue the conversation.

[00:20:36] If you enjoyed listening to this podcast and you found something of value that will help you on your quest for your gravitas, then please share with your friends and colleagues and subscribe. Visit us@gravitasdetroit.com to find out more. [00:21:00] .