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In a conversation with a good friend and highly respected retained search professional, the topic of a “leader’s frequency” was raised.
I like the metaphor, although my friend might describe it as much more real than metaphor. For my own interpretation however, I’ll describe the leader’s frequency as that invisible but palpable energy and unspoken message that he or she clearly broadcasts on about their work, their values, their team members and their confidence or positivity in succeeding at the mission. It’s not words…it’s that innate sense of energy and clarity for the work that we perceive when we work with these individuals.
No Static at All:
Jim Collins describes a Level 5 leader as someone whose profound humility and fierce sense of commitment enables them to pick up an organization on their shoulders and carry it through difficult times or from good to great. This leader’s frequency is particularly palpable and free from static. In my own experience, the leaders who stand out…the ones who moved the needle for teams, individuals and organizations all broadcast on a frequency that is easy for us to hear and to understand with minimal amounts of noise to distract us from the message.
Frequency isn’t about volume, it’s about clarity. Effective introverted leaders broadcast on their own, clear, powerful frequency without the noise of their extroverted colleagues. The signal-to-noise ratio is just right for easy interpretation by the rest of us.
For those leaders who are less effective, engaging with these individuals is like trying to tune your car’s AM radio around power lines or when that great song on the FM fades in and out as you move further and further away from the source. You get split seconds of clarity interrupted by static and crossover from other sources. The result is stressful and your reflex is to reach for the dial and change.
Attitude Drives Frequency and Clarity:
What you broadcast and how clearly you broadcast starts with your core attitude. And while we cannot control our DNA, I’m a firm believer that we all control our attitudes. Operate on a frequency with a message that says and shows failure or negativity, and you’ll likely encounter a good deal of both. The opposite holds true, in my opinion, when your core attitude is positive and reflects one of striving for success. The frequency is particularly perceptible when your core belief in success and in the abilities of others to achieve success is strong.
The Bottom-Line for Now:
With apologies to physicists and radio hobbyists for my abuse of the notion of frequency, I still like the metaphor. If one of the definitions frequency is, “the particular waveband at which a radio station or other system broadcasts or transmits signals,” I’m ascribing leaders to “other system.” We all broadcast on our own frequency and the clarity of what is perceived is a function of our own attitudes and of course our core beliefs in ourselves and our colleagues. Those who broadcast on a clear frequency with a message that supports building and growth are the ones who propel organizations and teams.
What are people hearing on your frequency?
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