806: How Great Leaders Find and Use Their Voice of Influence - Ask Denis

Speaker A: Hey there, listeners. Look, there was a time when I wasn't sure I'd ever speak again. This week someone said to me that I have a radio voice. And those words hit me differently. You know, when you've fought to find your voice and whether that be literally and as a leader, especially when you take into consideration my voice journey. So today I want to talk about what it really means to find your leadership voice and how great leaders use their voice of influence to rise above the noise. So let's discuss.

Speaker B: Welcome to, uh, Leadership is Changing. Each week, we and our guests provide information and insights through exploring leading change. This is taking your leadership to another level by finding the balance between executive excellence and personal well being through stories that inspire real change. It's time to adapt in our fast moving world when leadership is changing. With your host, Dennis Gianutsas, welcome to

Speaker A: the Ask Dennis episode. This is a freestyle episode where I'm asked a question by our listeners, where I share my thoughts, experiences and insights from working with many leaders around the globe. Hey, great to have you here with me on this episode of the Ask Dennis. And so, you know, earlier this week, someone said to me, dennis, you have a radio voice. When I heard those words, I smiled on my face, but also my heart smiled. In fact, I got emotional because that one simple comment meant more than that they could ever know. And after everything I went through with my voice, the tumour, the uncertainty, the silence, those words were music to my ears. There was a time when speaking was a struggle and when I didn't know, uh, if I'd ever have my full voice back again. And yet, here I am today, over 800 podcast episodes later, helping leaders across the globe find their leadership voice. It reminded me of something powerful. Sometimes what once felt broken can come back stronger than ever. And that's true for our physical voice and for our leadership, uh, voice. So let's talk about finding your leadership voice. You see, in leadership, there's so much noise out there. Opinions, egos, politics, pressures. And it's easy to lose your authentic voice or start to doubt that it has power. But your leadership voice is not about volume. It's about clarity. It's the alignment between your values, your message and your actions. And when those three things connect, people listen, I want to ask yourself this. I want you to ask yourself these three questions. What do I truly stand for? What do I want people to feel when I speak? Am I using my voice to lead change or stay comfortable? Three interesting questions for you to actually think about. And I'm going To encourage you to answer those questions and think about what does it mean for you. See, your voice isn't just how you communicate. It's how you influence. It's how you inspire. It's how, and it's how you impact others. So we talked about rising above the noise, and leadership today is filled with distractions and noise. Everyone's speaking. Few are being heard. To rise above the noise and use your voice of influence, you have to do three things. Number one, slow down to think before you speak, because clarity beats chaos. When you pause, you gain perspective. And I'm going to repeat this piece again. Clarity beats chaos. Number two, speak from conviction, not convenience. Leaders with influence don't echo, they anchor. Now, that's really important. So it's not just words or my voice being heard and it's empty or it's like an echo. In other words, they're not also repeating other people's words of what others are saying. They anchor. They know what they're saying, and they can influence that way. They also hold steady when others waver. I want to repeat all that again. Speak from conviction, not convenience. Because leaders with influence don't echo. They anchor. They hold steady when others waver. Uh, and the reason I'm repeating this is because that's really quite strong and important points. Number three is use your platform for purpose now, whether it's your team, your boardroom, or a podcast mic like I've got in front of me, use your voice to build others up and not to compete for attention. Number three around what we talked about is the voice of influence. You see, influence isn't about being the loudest in the room. As I said earlier on, it's about being the most authentic and consistent. It's when people say, when you speak, I listen. Those are really, really powerful. Because, you see, great leaders find their voice through republic, reflection and growth and courage. They use that voice not to dominate, but to elevate others. See, true influence comes from when your voice reflects your values, your experiences, and your integrity. And when you use that voice not just to talk, but to, uh, lead, change. So, to the person who said this to me this week, you know what? It's actually happened a few times where people have actually said this to me. And every single time, every single person that says it to me, I smile. Because, you see, when they say that you have a radio voice, the one thing I'd say to them is, thank you for saying that. Because, you see, what they do is they remind me how far I have come and. And you reminded me that every leader, and this is the person that said it to me this week, they reminded me that every leader, no matter what they've been through, has a voice that can make a difference. What I'm going to say to you here, listeners, is never take your voice or your purpose for granted. Because when you find your true voice, the world listens. And it's that true voice that's really important because for some people, they haven't found what their leadership voice is and it's not quite strong, but when they do, wow, it's amazing. Look, I've got to say to you here is that as I've brought these episodes to you, the voice for me has got stronger, uh, and stronger. If you go onto Google and so forth about the podcast, go to chatgpts and so forth, what they say about leadership is changing podcasts. This podcast, they're calling it a go to asset now. Somewhere where leaders go to to learn certain things as well. That all comes about by using my voice, by using the voice of my guests and helping them bring out the best in themselves. But also it's about you as the listeners because your voice, because your messages to me, the way that you tell me it's helping you what you're getting out of episodes and things like that, it shows me that you're taking time to develop yourself and to develop your leadership voice. Listeners, if today's message resonated with you, what I'd love you to do is share it with someone else who you think needs to be reminded that their voice matters. What I'd love you to remember is in a world of noise, great leaders use their voice of influence to bring clarity, courage and change. Here's your call to action this week. If you need to book a 30 minute strategy session with me, it's free. But for you to sit down with me online and we have a chat about where you're going in your leadership and how I might be able to help you. Then go to my website, LeadingChangePartners.com to book a call and there's buttons on there on the homepage that you can click and it takes you onto my booking system and we can find a time when I'm available and you're available and you click it and the booking system will send you all the details. If you're also wanting to send me a message, a private message on social media, feel free to do that or my email, DennisadingChangePartners.com Dennis has got one N in it. Okay, listeners that's it for this episode. It's always a pleasure being with you. Thanks for joining me on the Leadership Is Changing podcast. Until next time. Bye for now.

Speaker B: Thank you for listening to this episode of Leadership Is Changing with your host, Dennis Gianutsas. Each week, we and our guests provide information and insights that through exploring leading change, inspiring executives and leaders to adapt and lead a bigger game in, uh, a fast moving world.