white paper - connect-in leadership

www.tonicourtney.com

© Toni Courtney 2015

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About Toni Courtney

Toni drives the results, profitability and team development of every business with which she works.

Her mission is to empower leaders and teams to lean in and play a bigger game. Toni engages leaders supporting them to excel, particularly through leadership transitions.

Transition has been a central theme in both Toni’s personal and professional life. She has led teams through significant organisational change and has held a range of roles within emerging and mature

businesses. She is known for her drive, resilience, and high energy.

Toni is engaged to instigate growth and improve performance. Her conviction is that people are capable of much more than they think—her practice is to help them achieve it.

Toni empowers leaders and teams to fast track their leadership and performance, and prepares leaders for starting new roles, accelerating within current roles, or getting role ready for a step-up position.

With an extensive blue chip commercial background, Toni brings over 20 years’ experience in building and leading high-performance teams. She has served in senior leadership roles in New Zealand, the UK, the USA and Australia working for brands including ANZ, Westpac, American Express and Deloitte.

Toni is a certified Executive Coach, Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and a Thought Dynamics Consultant. She holds a Bachelor of Business Management (First Class Hons).

Toni balances working life with being mum to her two small children.

Toni CourtneyLeadership and Performance Coach, Facilitator and Consultant0431 971 [email protected]:au.linkedin.com/in/leadershipcoachmelbourne

Table of ContentsTo what degree are you connected? ........................................ 53 common problems mid-level leaders face ........................... 8PART ONE: Who you are for you ...................................................11Bring your best self to work: connecting into you .................. 11PART TWO: Who you are for your team .......................................17Bring out the best leader in you: connecting into your team 17

Level 1: Directive Leader .....................................................19Level 2: Personable Leader .................................................21Level 3: Action Leader .........................................................23Level 4: Legacy Leader ........................................................25Level 5: Transformational Leader .....................................27

PART THREE: Your leadership voice: Develop your connections ........................................................................................28Developing Connect-IN leaders is a game changer ................ 31Creating Connect-IN Leaders through step-change improvements ............................................................................. 31

To what degree are you connected?

We live in a complex, ambiguous and volatile business world. Take the digital and social revolution as one example: it has changed, forever, the way we connect and communicate with customers and prospects.

Your leadership success is the degree to which you can connect meaningfully with others, for others.

Today, people want more than a job. They want to be part of something bigger. They want to contribute to something meaningful. They want to be inspired. They must have a ‘purpose’ for being, which extends further than their job. They need to feel safe and valued so they can gain significance from what they do. People want to connect—to themselves, each other, and the things they value most.

How we connect with people, across all spheres of business, demands new approaches to leadership and change. It’s the bold and brave leaders—prepared to put their people and customers first—who are changing the game in every sector. The winning businesses support their people to bring their best and be their best, and they are doing this through real leadership: no BS, jargon or hidden agendas. Their leaders connect with others in a way that engages, influences, and inspires, and they achieve this within

the context of culture, organisational structure and short-term goal setting. This approach is the heart of Connect-IN Leadership.

Your ability to connect with others is a major determining factor in reaching your potential.

Your success relies on your partnering with others. This means you have to know how to truly

connect. Success is never achieved alone—it’s always achieved through others.

There is a growing divide across the Australian leadership landscape between leaders who can truly connect with others to lead effective change, and leaders who waste untapped potential in others and weaken their personal brand identity (refer to The State of Business Leadership in Australia below).

Leadership is hard and people are complex. 90% of effective leadership is self-leadership—where the journey starts. We can only be for others who we are for ourselves. For things to get better, we need to get better. We can’t affect change in others, unless we’ve experienced it first.

Connecting-IN starts with who you are for you, who are you as a leader and why your leadership journey will be worth it.

The State of Business Leadership in Australia

75% of Australian employees want better leaders (2015). We are disconnected, disparate and desperate for real leadership.

Australian leaders:

• Care more about the short term (53%) 1

• Care more about their self-interest (75%)2

• Afford low trust levels (38%)3

• Rank last out of OECD countries, for collaboration.

These statistics prove we need leaders to transform their organisational cultures in which creativity, teamwork, problem solving, collaboration and innovation are commonplace. However, none of this can happen without leaders who can truly Connect-IN to their organisations and people.

1 Centre for Workplace Leadership. (2014).Centre for Workplace Leadership 20142 Swinburne Leadeship Institute. (2014). Swinburne Leadership Survey. Swinburne University of Technol-

ogy. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.swinburne.edu.au/leadership-institute/our-re-search/leadership-survey.html

3 AI Group. (2015, June). Addressing Enterprise Leadership in Australia. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.leadershiprevolution.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/AI_GROUP_LEADERSHIP_POLICY_JUNE_2015.pdf

3 common problems mid-level leaders face

1. I’m too busy to lead my team

Today’s leaders juggle many—and often competing—priorities and projects. When leaders are thinly stretched with back-to-back meetings, they often default to the directive of ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing’ their team how to do something.

Implications for leadership: Disconnected leaders stop listening and empathising. They focus on the implementation and not the why. Along the way, they miss opportunities to teach and empower their team to think critically and creatively.

2. I don’t have enough resources

Leaders are expected to do more with less. Leaders have to make do with the resources available (eg systems, budget, and tools) even though the issues associated with the lack of resources are known.

Implication for leadership: Leaders are in a difficult position. They hold the corporate line with frustrated team members who can easily disengage over time.

3. It’s just the way things are done around here

Leaders often operate within siloed environments where short-term financial goals, low appetite for risk, and slow out-dated internal processes hinder productivity and performance.

Implication for leadership: Silo work environments breed scepticism and lack of

trust. People ‘do their bit’ to look good and get the job done, so they can move onto the next task.

When leaders are caught in a rut and don’t know how to identify their own leadership gaps and stretches, they often ask themselves:

• How can I be the leader I’m meant to be?

• Do I have what it takes?

• Is dealing with all of this what I really want?

• What if I fail?

How Connect-IN Leadership addresses these questionsWe are all worried about whether we’re good enough. Everyone is trying to look good, which perpetuates the silos and attitudes that keep us in our comfort zones. As a result, we create layers around ourselves: who we believe we need to be vs. who we really are. We judge ourselves for never being good enough. We all carry shame; we all make mistakes—none of us are perfect.

Connect-IN Leadership is about having the courage to be you; to be confident and self-certain; and to bring your best self to work, so you can truly connect with others to create extraordinary results.

When we change the relationship with our self and our internal frames of success, we can transform how we lead others and the positive impact we can have upon them. Only when you believe in yourself as a leader, will others have the opportunity to believe in you.

CASE STUDY90% of effective leadership is your ability to lead yourself

Ross was newly appointed as Head of Sales. He found his first six months, while transitioning into his new role, challenging. He quickly became involved in many projects, but never seemed to adapt to the culture or fit in. His actions, while learning to deal with multiple demands on his time and his inexperience with being busy, led others to perceive him as blunt—to the point of being rude–and lacking empathy. He didn’t develop trust within his team and was disconnected from them. His peers pushed him around and his team didn’t consider him a senior leader. They felt he was a ‘yes’ leader who wasn’t prepared to back the team.

Ross’s first team engagement scores weren’t great. A team meeting was called to seek feedback. Ross realised that his team wanted to be heard and understood, and to know that their contributions and opinions mattered. He realised that he needed to step up and learn to connect genuinely with others in order to build effective relationships.

Ross knew he had to start leading by example. For the first time in years, he evaluated his own leadership stretches and decided to commit to a new set of expectations for himself based on how he wanted to show up for others. As a result, he turned things around and earned the right to lead his team.

PART ONE: Who you are for you

Bring your best self to work: connecting into youThe first step in becoming a Connect-IN leader is being consistently able to bring your best self to work. This means being connected into who you are for you, what you want to experience and how you want to show up for others. The more you know and understand you, what motivates you, and what makes you tick, the more self-aware you will become. After all, leadership is a journey of personal growth and self-mastery—no one can teach you how to be you.

This section covers critical elements to help you become more self-aware so you can empower you to bring your best self to work.

Stop waiting to become empowered

For most of us, our careers are our biggest commitment. On average, we spend 46 years at work. That’s a whopping 90,000 hours—longer than most marriages.

Leaders concede that while a large chunk of their careers are still ahead of them, if they wait, things will change in their favour and they will become more empowered. Waiting is a redundant strategy that simply wastes time. Leaders fool themselves into thinking they will become more empowered and turn up the dial on their leadership by remaining in the status quo. For example:

1. If they overcome or hide their weaknesses and flaws (or solve what’s wrong with them), which means they’re busy ‘hiding’.

2. If they chase new and exciting projects (thinking this ‘thing’ will solve something).

3. If they focus on themselves: What am I going to get out of this? I’m entitled to this.

These strategies for empowerment are flawed.

In focusing on ‘getting’ and ‘fixing’ we forget we are whole. We believe we are unworthy. We hide

behind ‘stuff’ and ‘busyness’ because we don’t know how to fill the void within us. We think the past is

our future, and we become trapped.

You can empower you right now. If you want something to change then the change needs to start with you.

Knowing and understanding how to empower you starts with appreciating that you are whole and complete—right now, and exactly as you are. The greatest gift you can afford yourself is to stop judging the leader you were and focus on the leader you want to become. This is how you will empower yourself to bring your best self to work.

We can’t control anything at work (even though we like to believe we can). The only thing we can

control is ourselves and our experiences.

Whether it’s the CEO or the new graduate, ultimately, we all want to experience the same three things at work:

- Doing what we love (with people we enjoy being around).

- Feeling happy (knowing that we are valued and that we have a sense of belonging).

- Beingfulfilled (believing our contribution is helping toward a greater good).

We can only experience true fulfillment at work when we’re prepared to bring our whole selves to work—our best selves—in an environment that supports openness and diversity.

When leaders show up authentically, it enables others to do the same.

Many leaders are unwilling to bring all of themselves to their leadership. They believe they need to be bullet proof; always have the right answer; present finished and complete thinking, rather than the skeleton of an idea; and to not show vulnerability or emotion. This approach can only fail with today’s demographic. Gen X and Y are looking for leaders who are authentic, prepared to show emotion and be vulnerable.

We are not human doings: we are human beings. People want to feel safe and valued, and connect to

real leaders who show who they are.

Leaders develop themselves first. The degree, to which you can lead others, is the degree to which you can lead you.

To empower you to bring your best self to work, you need to understand and connect with what makes you, you. We all want to have the same core experiences but how we define ourselves and create these experiences is unique to each of us. It involves becoming self-aware and starts with knowing your personal mission (your why for what’s important to you), your values, beliefs, attitudes, standards, and strengths. Only once you are clear on who you are and how you define yourself against your own measures of success can you then bring your whole ‘best’ self to work. When you bring your best self to work you can:

- be clear and certain about what you want to achieve and why it’s important

- bring the passion that can ignite the same in others

- step into your best performance and realise your potential sooner

- thrive, and feel a deep sense of self-pride and self-respect.

DOING what you love with people you love being with

Feeling happy

Being fulfilled

DOING what you love with people you love being around

Figure 1: Bring Your Best Self to Work Model © Toni Courtney 2015

It’s your job to bring your best self to work. No one else can.

For the most part, leadership is learned (notwithstanding it takes a fair amount of natural ability to reach senior leadership levels). However, what cannot be learned is that which separates effective leaders from those who will never make leadership ranks.

Passion, purpose, performance, potential, and pride are elements of your best self. They are brought to life through qualities like determination, persistence, and courage. No one can teach you these qualities; they are in us all. However, some people simply turn them up when they are needed—especially in the face of fear.

When a leader is clear about themselves as a leader, their team have more trust.

Research has shown that when a leader is clear about their values and leadership philosophy, their team’s sense of commitment to the organisation’s success is stronger, and the trust in its leader is deeper.4

The team also rates the leader as being 40% more effective. As a leader, you’ll only find out what your next leadership level is, and what you actually have in you, when you take positive and proactive development action outside your comfort zone.

Your attitude about what’s on your plate, your belief about what’s possible, and what you believe

you can do will be the making of you—as a person and a leader.

4 Bunting, M. (2002, December). ‘Who are you?’ How to be authentic as a leader. WorkSmart. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://worksmart.net.au/blog/who-are-you-how-to-be-authentic-as-a-leader/

You win people over when you admit mistakes and show your humanity.

Empowerment comes through the journey of setbacks and stuff-ups, and what you learn by experiencing it, not ‘getting’ it. Empowered leaders, who bring their best, appreciate that leadership is a journey of failure and success—in equal measures.

Self-aware leaders who bring their best selves to work and lead by example, make it safe for others to do the same.

PART TWO: Who you are for your team

Bring out the best leader in you: connecting into your teamLeaders ask two common questions:

1. Where do I start if I want to take my leadership to the next level? 2. How do I become a more effective leader?

To build your leadership development blueprint, it’s essential you have a clear awareness of where you’re at; what you want to achieve; what you need to get there; how you are progressing; what needs to change; and what will prevent you from getting there.

You need to focus on bringing your best, as you are right now. This means forgetting about being the best leader or the leader you may not be ready for—yet. The leadership levels in this section show you the leadership development journey.

Leadership is dependent upon perception and context

The people around us perceive us differently when it comes to leadership competencies. There is often a gap between how we think we are perceived and the actual perception others have of us. For example, you may think you’re demonstrating a competence but if it’s not coming across to someone in your team, then for them, you don’t have it. This is why 360-feedback reviews are an effective starting point in assessing where you’re at across leadership benchmarks.

Figure 2: Levels of Leadership Model 2015 © Toni Courtney

As a leader, you will be judged by your results. More importantly, you’ll be remembered for

who you were for others.

Why do some leaders impact and influence, while others struggle to achieve – even when both have the same potential and past success? Ultimately, a leader’s ability to connect within their organisation and build effective relationships creates this divide.

Think of it like a game of chess, where all the pieces are connected. How you co-ordinate and centralise the pieces (ie, communicate, and collaborate in an organisation) affects how the pieces work together. The ability for the pieces to connect is the strategy that will win the game. This model explains how:

Level 1: Directive Leader Known for the title they have. Ability to connect = 0

What’s good for me is good for you. Playing the game of being the boss.

Directive Leadership is where new, inexperienced leaders begin—usually through promotion. It is where the technician who can generate results is offered the opportunity to step up and lead team results.

Directive leaders have little or no idea of how to manage and lead people. They want and hope people will do their job. As leaders, they believe they need to prove themselves so they make things all about them, which disconnects others around them.

What they do:

• use their positional power to influence• expect people to do as they are told• rely on processes, rules, and bureaucracy to get work done: It’s the way we

do things around here• ‘tell’ rather than ‘show’• notice what’s not right and what’s missing in team performance• put their own needs before the teams.

The environment they create:

• They have no understanding of how they contribute to a lack of results and to the team environment/culture.

• Because Directive Leaders are about themselves, every team member makes it about themselves too. This creates a group of individuals, not a connected team.

The example they set:

• They demonstrate ego (eg need to be right, justify, and get even). They are seen to dominate or retreat to the background. They don’t have the self-awareness to know how to be different.

• They love positive feedback and take credit for great results, I’ve achieved this – even if it was a team effort. They pass the buck when things go wrong and play the blame game.

• They seek to be understood before they understand.• Team results are reflective of the technical competence of team members.

Self-awareness is low

Self-confidence is low

Low accountability

Low influence

Low trust in the team

Level 2: Personable Leader Known for what they know. Ability to connect is growing (low–medium)

What’s good for us is good for me and you. Playing the game of getting it done through people and being a mate.

Personable Leadership is where the leader begins to support, engage and influence people through genuine relationships and connection, not just position. They set the example others want to follow. When people feel liked, included, and valued they begin to work together—with their leader and each other. The whole working environment reflects this shift.

What they do:

• position themselves as the go to person in the team, potentially creating an overly high reliance on the leader and little empowerment of team members to act (they typically have the right answer)

• refrain from having the hard/tough conversations, including team member feedback—they want to be liked

• support team members proactively, but when under pressure and stressed, their support can be patchy and directive

• work within high ‘busyness’ in day-to-day implementation.


• Results are achieved because everyone ‘gets along’ and gets the job done. There is appreciation of team. Team morale is driven by how people ‘feel’ about being in the team, and the strength of relationships and team dynamics.

• The team maintain belief in the leader rather than belief in the mission—values.

• Team dynamics are based on the leader’s EQ.


• A high leadership performance level is based on leveraging technical ability. The team revolves around the leader and the KPI’s that need to be achieved.

• Results are dependent upon the results of the leader and within their ability to make effective decisions showing sound judgement.

• Leaders give praise but miss most opportunities to coach, mentor and develop team members.

• Team strengths are often the leader’s strengths.

Self-awareness is growing (as long as results are there)

Confidence growing/level of connectedness growing

High reliance on leader’s results

Growing accountability

Trust starting

Team morale improving/positive

Level 3: Action Leader

What’s good for you is good for me. Playing the game to do better, be better and make things happen.

Action Leadership is where the leader sets the example, and others are engaged and motivated to follow to achieve great results. The leader is a visible and trusted high performer who can connect effectively through the organisation to engage and influence.

What they do:

• set the direction of the team• effectively engage and influence to push the team. The leader’s

performance means the team can step up it’s own performance and set the standard for everyone else

• challenge the status quo • encourage creativity and opportunity to improve and expand core business

to grow their market position• think critically and see a bigger picture• focus on the goals that matter and discern what’s important• achieve great results, which builds their credibility and reputation• give useful feedback; however, this can misfire or be misinterpreted

depending on the leaders EQ• develop others based on their own strengths and can miss training/mentoring

coaching opportunities/gaps across the team.


• There’s a buzz around here. Momentum is the team is building.• People want to Connect-IN and join the team.• There is a high-performance team environment (a high learning environment

Known for what they achieve. Ability to connect med–high

when there is openness and transparency). There are genuine connections based on trust.

• There is a high reliance on the leader’s performance.


• They make an impact on the organisation and others around them. Great results are expected but the focus is on how the results are achieved. Action leaders believe, I am the change I wish to see in others. They appreciate that they set the tone and the lead for others to follow.

• They are a positive leadership role model who makes progress over and above the day-to-day execution.

High self-awareness (embrace uncertainty)

High credibility

High competence

Building a high-performing team

Starting to see a bigger picture

Med–high influence

Trust is building

High engagement

Attract great people who believe what you do

Create an environment where people belong and find meaning

Team performance improving

Level 4: Legacy Leader

What’s good for us and what’s good for everyone. Playing the game of inspiring others into their potential.

Leadership is where the core focus moves from achieving team results to developing other leaders. This is the primary goal of all ambitious leaders keen to demonstrate their growth, contribution and abilities within their organisation.

What they do:

• create the strategic direction• refresh how the organisation thinks and views itself• believe in their team • live their values and uphold their standards without exception• share themselves authentically• rely positively on their own abilities• create opportunity for others to step up• develop others through coaching and mentoring• set the standard for how others engage with them based on their standards• are clear about what success means for them, the team and individually• develop leaders through straight, constructive feedback. No BS• align leadership teams on where they need to be• develop critical and strategic thinking in others• focus on the future and think inductively: what’s the new game vs. what’s a

better game.

Known for who they are and the difference they make. Ability to connect is high.


• The high-performing team is fiercely loyal and gives 100% consistently. People are empowered to step up. They are inspired to improve and come first.


• It’s more than results. It’s about the journey and ensuring everyone is engaged and inspired to bring their best. It’s about putting people first.

High self-awareness (others focused)

High confidence

High accountability (it’s always me)

High-performance culture

High trust

Inspires team/team members inspired about what’s possible for them

Leaders believes in team/team believe in themselves

Leader knows how to develop team

High transparency and openness

Level 5: Transformational Leader Known for the mark they make within the larger community. Ability to connect directly or non-directly is extremely high.

What’s good for us and what’s good for everyone. Playing the game that makes a difference to the way we think about life and what’s possible. Who they are as a leader influences and inspires beyond their organisation and direct community.

This is the pinnacle and aspirational level of leadership that is rare.

Examples: Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, Nelson Mandela.

What they do:

• inspire the masses • influence industries and communities• maintain strong and compelling leadership messages • proactively take responsibility, as role models, for making a greater difference

and leaving their stamp on society for the greater good, and change lives without ever knowing it

• know with absolute certainty who they are and live their values with volition.

PART THREE: Your leadership voice: Develop

your connections

Here is where you learn what it takes to connect to others in a meaningful way.

We work in a complex and ambiguous world where constant change is the norm. We all want to experience the same things at work: to feel Connected-IN and valued, to feel a sense of belonging and to know that our contribution serves toward a greater good.

From a leader’s perspective, your team wants to feel safe and significant. These needs can only be met in the spirit of trust and collaboration.

Subtly, good leaders are able to earn the trust of others quickly. What they say, how they say it and how they follow through on the commitments they make are the small but key indicators that people accumulate as they form their perceptions of others. For example, when people first unite to work together, there are key questions that underpin the quality of their first interaction: Do I like you? Do I want to work with you? Do I trust you?

Trust is a change currency. Trust enables everything.

There is a vast trust gap across Australian business:

• Only 6% of leaders are successful in influencing employee behaviour.5

• Only 38% of leaders are rated as trustworthy.6

5 Greeny, J et al., 2013 s.l.:s.n.6 Swinburne Leadeship Institute. (2014). Swinburne Leadership Survey. Swinburne University of Technology. Re-

trieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.swinburne.edu.au/leadership-institute/our-research/leadership-sur-vey.html

When people complain about a lack of communication within their organisation, it’s really a symptom of a lack of trust.

What does this mean for you as a leader?

Most importantly, you need to be trustworthy. This is also about having integrity, walking your talk, being congruent and having the courage to act in accordance with your values and beliefs. If you don’t trust and back you, why should others trust and back you? What’s the trust level within your team?

Building trust is a learned skill. Here’s a model that explains how:

Open and honest COMMUNICATION

Emotional EQ

Communication Purpose

Clarity

Respect Confidence

Figure 3: The Connect-IN Trust Model © Toni Courtney 2015

Trust &Collaboration

As a leader, you are always communicating (verbally and non-verbally) and your attitude is constantly on show. Leading by example means you need to be open, transparent and empathetic. For example, you’ll have productive conversations that stay on track; say what needs to be said, with conviction; keep others informed of progress and concerns; and give feedback straight away.

Shared PURPOSE

People don’t accomplish big things without a big ‘why’.

When the purpose is clear, everyone heads in the same direction and for the same reason. Shared purpose includes individual needs and aspirations, as well as common goals that provide win:win outcomes for the team and the organisation.

EMOTIONAL EQ

Learning to become self-aware is probably the most important leadership lesson. Self-aware leaders willingly show genuine compassion and empathy. They are able to build rapport and be flexible in their communication style and tone, so they influence and inspire with confidence and certainty.

Developing Connect-IN leaders is a game changer

Creating Connect-IN leaders through step-change improvements

You need leaders who are Connect-IN leaders. When your leaders can bring their best selves to work they will lead by example and encourage and inspire others to do the same.

Connected-IN leaders develop others and create high-performance organisa-tions. They build a culture where people are passionate and excited about what they do, and where people are energised and happy to come to work—they create organisations where others want to work.

Strong leadership drives creativity, innovation and growth, and elevates everyone along the way.

Toni Courtney collaborates with leaders and teams to build performance and leadership capability. She works with mid-level managers and leaders who want to lean-in and play a bigger game. Her Connect-IN Leadership programs and services have an ROI model based on step-change improvements in:

Personal effectiveness (self-leadership and emotional EQ) Core leadership capability Building a high performance team environment

Developing direct reports into their potential Effective communication and influencing skills Relationships and alignment Planning, critical thinking and decision making Creativity and innovation.

How many of your managers and leaders are truly connected into your organisation? How many would you like? What is the untapped potential across your team worth?

Praise for Connect-IN Leadership

‘Toni presented at our senior leadership conference and I found her thought leadership to be provoking and inspiring. She challenges traditional mindsets. Toni’s Connect-In Leadership methodology and tools have provided the clarity and that our leadership team at St Andrew’s need to continue to further their leadership development. I happily recommend her.’

— Patrick Moore, St Andrews Australia, Sydney

Speak with Toni today and find out how she can enable you and your leaders to become Connect-IN leaders. Let your next game-changer be to maximise your people’s potential.

Contact her on 0431 971 790, or [email protected] or visit tonicourtney.com

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