Leadercast Lead DallasWhen we started Authentic Leadership Dallas, we didn’t know what would unfold. We had dreams of leaders gathering to exchange ideas and experiences, delivering insights and challenges to be better leaders. There were times when we weren’t sure it would work, and there are times we were amazed! Yesterday was one of those days.

A few of our leaders had attended Leadercast in the past and found it to be inspiring and engaging. We talked about hosting a site in 2014 but were not sure we were ready. We did it though, not knowing if we would even get 50 people to register. Yesterday, we had close to 160 leaders gather!

This was my first Leadercast event, and I was amazed by the diverse group of talented people that gathered and by the quality of the speakers and the challenges they laid down for us to lead up to.

Leadercast: Beyond You

Leadercast Beyond YouLeadercast: Beyond You was the theme of this year’s event. It delivered.

Each speaker offered a different perspective on what Beyond You really means and a different action for us to take as leaders. When you get a mix of inspiring and challenging, the combination fires up leaders to carry forward and act.

The call to act and to change are what will really determine what took hold after Leadercast: Beyond You. This is the challenge for every attendee.

As I read through some of my notes and tweets, some thoughts really stood out.

Empower others! A Beyond You leader is one that says “You Decide” @AndyStanley

Give! The value of a life is always determined by how much of it is given away. @AndyStanley

Trust! Do your people know that you understand them? Connection is how you build trust. @DrHenryCloud

Let go! If you want to empower people to be engaged, you have got to let go! @DrHenryCloud

Empathy! “A person is a person through other persons.” Archbishop Tutu

Act! Kindness changes lives! Laura Schroff aka @aninvisibletrd

Purpose! “We are instinctively hardwired to want to stand and fight for something bigger than ourselves.” @Randall_Wallace

Change! Take what you think is possible and then double it! @BillRMcDermott

Respect! You earn legitimate leadership with respect, fairness, and trustworthiness. @Gladwell

Lead ahead! You can’t always immediately see the benefits of leadership on a daily basis. @simonsinek

Each of the above bolded words are simple. In simplicity, there is power. The critical element is to put these simple thoughts and principles into action. By doing this, you then become a leader. Words don’t make a leader. Putting meaningful words into meaningful action make a leader.

Leadership: You Decide

There is something really special about simplicity. Beyond You is a simple statement yet it means so much. Leadercast delivered the substance behind this simple statement.

Another simple thought that really stood out for me is You Decide. These two words were delivered as an essential way a leader empowers others. When we say “you decide,” we place the responsibility and accountability within another individual or team. These words say “I trust you.” These words say “I know you have the talent and capability to do the right things in the right way.” These words say “I know mistakes will happen and how leaders recover is how they will grow and be better leaders.”

You decide. Imagine the power of those words when delivered in a meaningful way to another person. Once spoken, the receiving person needs to embrace them and do the best they can with all they have. And, remember, just because someone said “you decide,” it doesn’t mean you cannot ask for help or seek advice.

There is another angle to “you decide.” You Decide means you determine the type of leader you will be and want to become. This is your responsibility, and you need to take it seriously. There is no switch to just turn on and say “I am a leader.” People will know you are a leader when they see you act like one. Consistently matching your actions to your words is one way people will see. Another way is to see the words below come through in what you say, how you say it, and in the way you lead.

Our Leadership Challenge

Leadership is many things in different organizations. For businesses, we need to make a profit while developing people and focusing on the purpose in what we do. For schools, we need to embrace learning and uniqueness of students and find ways to let their talent shine through. For nonprofits, we need to engage an organization and volunteers to deliver the highest impact with the lowest overhead. Whatever our organization, we need to really think about what is Beyond You and find ways to lead in a You Decide way.

Lead well!