![]() He held regular meetings with a strict agenda to communicate changes and information consistently. I used this model with the retail leader, which helped him put concrete plans in place to change his shadow. The concept is based on the premise that leadership starts at the top, and if leaders want to make a difference, they must understand the shadow they cast: Originally developed by Goldman Sachs, the Leadership Shadow Model below is simple and practical. He cast a shadow of unreliability, poor communication and lack of accountability. He role-modelled badly, and his team, whilst complaining about it, adopted his behaviour. He constantly missed cascading important information from the head office, had poor time management and didn't follow through on tasks which held his team back to finish projects or reports. Self-reflection and comments from his 360-feedback revealed that it was he who had to start making changes first. There was low morale, a lack of collaboration and his team was underperforming. I was working with an area leader in the retail industry who struggled with leading his team. ![]() 'A leader doesn't just get the message across he is the message.' - Warren Bennis It's not just what people say about us when we leave the room it's the collective behaviour and, ultimately, the culture we create through our actions, decision and communication. Leadership Shadow goes beyond our personal brand and reputation. A leader's shadow may be cast so wide that it affects the culture of an entire organisation.' 'This concept of the unconscious influence of a manager is known as 'The Shadow of the Leader' which, as the name suggests, relates to the influence – for better or worse – of the leader on their team. Here is a definition of Leadership Shadow: So I thought I would share with you what a leadership shadow is and how you can create your own with intention. I am working as part of a Females in Leadership program in the finance industry, and the goal of 'creating my leadership shadow' has come up a lot recently. A team follows their leader, and it's up to us if we lead the way or get in the way. It's hard to see our own shadow - its shape, reach and strengths - so creating it with intention must be the focus. It is important to understand our own impact on others – the shadow we cast. The thing is that, as a leader, everything we say and everything we do has an impact not only on the outcome of our action, but it also influences the people around us. 'Every leader casts a shadow, so be aware of the fact that people will do what you do.' - David Novak And maybe we even find ourselves guilty of falling into any of these bad behaviours. I think it's safe to say we all have experienced someone like this at some stage in your working life. Have you ever worked for a boss who was full of promises but never delivered on them? Or was always excited at the start of a project but then went completely silent with no follow through? Or had really high expectations of you but would not meet those themselves? Or someone who would be quick to point out mistakes but never give any praise?
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