Influencing Excellence atEvery Level

Influencing excellence is a raretrait, and it is never defined by a corporate title. From the frontline groundfloor to the executive suite, true leadership is shaped by your communicationskills, your presence, and how you show up for your people. Yet, when you arefacing an overwhelming mountain of shifting priorities, it is impossible tofind a single playbook that fits every challenge, especially when you are a newor young leader trying to find your footing in a diverse corporate landscape.

I remember my early days in corporate,coming home on a Friday evening completely exhausted from a week on the flooras a frontline teller. Back then, simply trying to function after a chaoticweek was a hurdle. I used to look up at management and wonder what it wouldtruly feel like to step into those shoes and lead.

Thirty years later, after navigatingalmost every level of the corporate ladder, I find myself sitting with thoseexact same Friday night thoughts. But today, I look back through the lens ofthree decades of diverse experiences, roadblocks, and breakthroughs. Thatjourney gave me something I didn't have as a teller: a universal solution thatapplies to leaders at any stage of their career. It is a concept I call ThePodium Leader.

A Podium Leader steps back from theoperational grind, leads from the top, and looks out over the entire business.Standing on the podium means your team deeply understands the businessstrategy, is clear on expectations, and your operating model is runningsmoothly without you needing to turn the gears yourself.

Getting to that podium requires amajor shift in mindset:

●    From managing toinfluencing: You no longer direct daily tasks, asyour team is fully accountable for their roles and responsibilities. Instead,you guide the vision and influence the direction.

●    From solving problems tosetting expectations: You don't fix the issuesyourself. You empower your team to define what excellence looks like and trustyour people to deliver.

●    From working in the systemto shaping it: You step out of the daily machineryso you can design it to align with the organisation’s goals.

When I first went through thistransition, I hit significant roadblocks and often thought, “This is all toohard.” My default reflex was to think, “I’ll just do the task myself andshow them later, it’s quicker than waiting for a response.” It wasn't alack of capability that tripped me up, but rather the lack of a structuredframework, which kept me trapped in the operational weeds. Moving to theexecutive level can be a lonely shift. I had to learn that when the pressuremounts, it is okay to pause, reset, and find a better way, rather than allowingyourself to get pulled back down into the daily chaos.

Ultimately, becoming a Podium Leaderisn't about looking down on your team or micromanaging their every move. It isabout creating a strategic vantage point that allows you to empower them. Myteam members possessed a wealth of experience from years in their roles. Bygiving your people the space and clarity to leverage that experience, you allowthem to bring out the best in themselves and naturally raise the bar to achievehigh performance.