Choosing To Lead - Alan Stein Jr. - The Impactful Leadership Show - Episode # 048

It seems as though as long as sports have existed, people have drawn comparisons between what happens on the gridiron, pitch, rink, courts, etc., and the world of business. Get ready to learn from a speaker, coach, and author that has a more-informed opinion than most when making these types of observations. Having spent 15+ years working with the highest-performing basketball players and also becoming an IES 2022 Speaker of the Year Finalist this guest is a priceless resource for anyone interested in growing as a leader. Alan Stein Jr. is the author of Raise Your Game and Sustain Your Game, Host of the Raise Your Game podcast, and a speaker, coach, and consultant. In this profound episode, Alan discusses how to choose to be a leader on your team, why leaders need to know when to be followers, and how to recognize the signifiers of a high-performing organization.

 

Takeaways:

• Leadership is simply a choice. You don’t need an official position of authority to be a leader. No matter where you are in your company’s organizational chart, you can make a choice to be an impactful and influential leader.
• Leaders don’t have to have all of the answers for every issue they and their teams may encounter. Honest leaders shouldn’t mind sharing some of their vulnerabilities with the members of their team as they find they don’t have the answer but work to find it.
• By admitting that you don’t know an answer, you’re sharing your humility and vulnerability which actually helps you connect more deeply with the individuals on your team and your other followers.
• Simply having authority does not make you a leader. “Leadership is the desire to have an influence or an impact over somebody's behavior.” Leaders use their vision to help others reach goals they might not be able to imagine themselves reaching on their own. 
• In basketball, if the only leader on the team was the head coach, which is a position of authority, then that team would severely underperform. Looking beyond sports, in high-performing teams, every member feels a sense of ownership and leadership. 
• In order to be an effective leader, you have to know when to follow and allow other members of the team to take point. Effective leaders have the confidence and humility to recognize the great wisdom and experience of those around them.
• If your voice is the only voice that your team hears, your voice can become numb and lose its impact on your team because they will tune that voice out, regardless of message, tonality, and emotion.

 

Quote of the Show:

• “Self-awareness is the foundation to everything” - Alan Stein Jr.

 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-stein-jr/ 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlanSteinJr 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alansteinjr/ 
• Alan Stein Jr. Website: https://alansteinjr.com/ 
• Stronger Team Website: https://strongerteam.com/ 
• Sustain Your Game: ​​https://found.ee/SustainYourGame 
• Raise Your Game Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raise-your-game-show-with-alan-stein-jr/id1487498120 

 

Shout Outs:

• Coach K

 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b9436ea0-3e54-4c2d-a555-43e6ac890787
• Apple Podcast: .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}