Leading With Conviction: The Courage to Say Amen - Part 1

"Every decision you make, every word you speak, and every action you take creates echoes that can inspire growth or instill hesitation."

I propose that leaders approach decision-making with a sense of reverence. It’s essential to recognize the long-term impacts of our decisions on others. This balance of confidence and humility involves fostering a culture of respect and conscious presence, underpinning the core of effective leadership.

I talk about the distinction between rituals and routines in leadership practices. Rituals are deliberate acts bringing structure, purpose, and emotional engagement to our daily activities. They transform our interactions and foster a sense of connection and meaning.

We then tackle the challenge of overcoming existential dread by grounding our actions in intentionality and purpose. I argue that transforming routine activities into meaningful rituals enhances engagement and reinforces organizational values through intentionality and emotional resonance.

Leadership must be conscious of the impact of their actions. Routine behaviors, if not managed mindfully, can diminish leadership effectiveness.

I introduce is the idea of reverence in leadership. Leaders must act with deep respect and intentionality, acknowledging the human element in every interaction. Leadership influence extends beyond titles, impacting family, community, and various other spheres of life.

I address leadership challenges including fear of judgment, failure, isolation, and sustaining energy and focus in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment.

Top Takeaways

1. Purpose-Driven Leadership: True leaders focus on meaningful, self-transcendent goals rather than just metrics, ensuring that their actions and intentions reflect deeper values and purpose.
2. Integrity Through Alignment: Integrity in leadership comes from aligning actions with declared goals. If there’s a misalignment, leaders should either adjust their goals or their behaviors.
3. Impact Beyond Self: Goals should aim for self-transcendence, benefiting others and contributing to a broader impact, aligning with Maslow’s idea of self-transcendence.
4. Heartfelt Goals: Meaningful leadership requires heartfelt goals—those deeply connected to personal values, emotionally resonant, clear in vision, non-negotiable, and challenging enough to motivate growth (HARD goals).
5. Daily Intentions and Assessments: Incorporate self-transcendent goals into daily life through setting intentions, aligning time and financial commitments, conducting self-assessments, and seeking feedback.

Key Moments

00:00 Discussing leadership, courage; experiment with two parts.

04:05 Interactions create impactful ripples regardless of intent.

07:50 Impact depends on actions, not positions or titles.

11:43 Judgment necessary for sharing, pressure to conform.

15:28 Leaders feel isolated, need understanding peer support.

16:54 Subconscious programs govern our behavior significantly.

20:00 Balancing metrics versus empathy and information consumption.

23:57 Relationships sustain health and enrich life longevity.

26:39 Reverent decision-making: balance, rituals, cultural impact.

31:12 Pause, notice opportunities, lead consciously, create energizing rituals.

35:04 Balance routines and rituals; promote meaningful engagement.

Perry Maughmer believes the world deserves better leadership; that in every human interaction there is the opportunity to either build others up or tear them down; and that leadership is the choice we make in those moments.

These beliefs led Perry to create the Potential Leader Lab. He wanted to...