Episode 39
Let's talk about Gravitas
More importantly, now than ever before, effective leaders need to demonstrate the quality of Gravitas. Why is that? And what is Gravitas, anyway?
In this episode, Jan answers those questions and more, exploring the meaning of Gravitas, how it can be developed, and why the changing landscape of business demands an upgraded approach to leadership, now.
00:51 What is Gravitas?
04:04 Judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up
05:56 Join the pity party?
06:53 In the weeds
10:07 Growth mindset
11:16 Being collaborative
13:22 Being kind
16:46 Why do we need Gravitas now?
17:29 The brand
19:05 Start early
19:41 The Gravitas Workshop
Transcript
[Transcript]
[:[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.
[:[00:01:25] 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.
[:[00:02:33] 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.
[:[00:03:30] 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.
[:[00:04:35] 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.
[:[00:05:30] 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?
[:[00:06:20] 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.
[:[00:07:12] 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.
[:[00:08:13] 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?
[:[00:09:20] 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.
[:[00:10:15] 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.
[:[00:11:07] 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.
[:[00:11:56] 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.
[:[00:12:42] 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.
[:[00:13:38] 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.
[:[00:14:28] 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.
[:[00:15:27] 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.
[:[00:16:33] 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.
[:[00:17:18] 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.
[:[00:18:15] 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.
[:[00:19:19] 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.
[:[00:20:04] 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.
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