Lead Your Experience: Alignment for Leaders

By Laëtitia Gnago MBA CPTM MCCT PPPC

Lead Your Experience, Alignment for Leaders, is your go-to resource if you are a true leader or aspiring to be one. Leadership is an art. Our ability to maintain our alignment is not only our competitive edge, it is the key to success. The art of leading from a place of alignment is what leaders can leverage to maintain their position of power and influence. When we set our tone before connecting with others, depending on the frequency level we are on, our vibrational outputs evoke certain behaviors and willingness from those we surround ourselves with where they actually want to follow our lead. As leaders, our greatest influence is in our own alignment.
That is the reason strategic thinking acumen is one of the best tools true leaders hold yielding a return on investment economies at large benefit from. Simply put: this worldwide contribution is the value their alignment yields resulting in healthy practices and a strategic impact on their environment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9798369420614

Laëtitia Gnago MBA CPTM MCCT PPPC

Laetitia Gnago is a passionate Talent Development and Talent Management Practitioner, Strategist and Leader who spent 20 years in the corporate world working with people from all walks of life, cultures, and professional levels within a variety of industries. She learned how people think in professional settings and what makes few of them powerful and influential. Those who do well tend to have something special in them. That common denominator is Alignment. Laëtitia Gnago is also the founder of Aligned Corporate Experiences (ACE). She is a Thought Leader, Talent Experience Enhancement Strategist, Alignment Success Architect, Author, and Podcaster who serves as your Partner for Success. She teaches and coaches her fellow professionals strategic thinking acumen via the skill of Alignment as a competency through her platform: Alignment University. Her goal: to support organizations by helping High Performing Professionals & (emerging) Leaders operate as the best version of themselves. Laëtitia holds a master of business administration and several certifications in the talent development and management industry. The first two books she published are Ace Your Professional Journey (2020); and Master Your Alignment (2022).

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Copyright © 2024 by Laëtitia Gnago.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Rev. date: 04/26/2024

Xlibris

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CONTENTS

Dedication Page

Preface

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1 The bigger picture

Chapter 2 Elements for Aligned Leaders

Chapter 3 The game of leadership

Chapter 4 The correlation

Chapter 5 Alignment around the unaligned

Chapter 6 Making the choice to reconnect

Conclusion

DEDICATION PAGE

This book is dedicated to all the professionals I have reported up to or have been assigned to in my corporate career professionally, those who I have interacted with informally in my personal life, and those whose path will cross mine in the future. Most people might love to say they have only experienced dealing with true leaders. However, we all know that can not always be the case over the course of one’s career lifetime. When we are not fortunate in this regard, we must acknowledge the variety of components that impact these experiences. First, we learn a great deal from being mismanaged by unsuccessful professionals. Second, there are a variety of leadership styles and those are important to recognize. Not all styles work for or with all people, and that is okay. There is value in this diversity. Just because someone is experienced and has been successful does not mean they are compatible in leading everyone, and that is okay and normal. For me in particular, my reality was that the times that did not result in me feeling led appropriately, understandably, the alignment element might have been missing on enough occasions that I felt it was important to explore this biggest missing piece. In my case, in these times, I felt that some of the people in positions of leadership I have interacted with didn’t really get it, as far as I was concerned in regard to how to best lead me. I dared to have expectations, not realizing how high my standards might have been perceived by others, in general. In some cases, I might not have understood where they might have been coming from as far as their leadership skills and levels, and their associations with what leading meant to them were concerned, back then. Generally, it appeared that there was no strategy in place as a form of practice for leading me. The skill set of alignment as a competency would have been helpful, had it been taught in schools, or as a Leadership training option by those in charge of leading me in the organization. So I realize the importance of having had these unmet needs and experiences was purposeful, so that I would be the one to develop it as a solution to my own experience issues, knowing it would help millions of others too. Growth and professional confidence would be some of its outcomes. That’s where I come in, today. I have made it part of my mission to expose and share this competency to, for and on behalf of all leaders, so that they can decide if that might serve as a tool they can use. The truth is, leadership isn’t easy and it isn’t for the weak, either. It isn’t for groupthink. In fact, it is a unique and solitary experience, first. It seems that this notion may have been forgotten or skipped in some environments. True leaders who lead themselves effectively first are able to manage how and when to follow the experts they sometimes get to choose as contributors to their teams. And, when that is combined with genuine cooperation and discernment for the purpose of accomplishing goals, whatever those may be, these leaders tend to operate from a place of Alignment. When they do, collaboration, harmony and a focus on experiential success lead the experience of all involved. From direct reports, to team members, to cross-functional associates, to clients and to the leaders themselves, all stand to benefit. This book is written to serve our professional leadership communities in ways that will elevate their approach to business and other organizational dealings while affirming the benefits of leading from a place of Alignment. My goal is simple: to impact the professional cultures of our organizations because ultimately, they make for a better world, altogether. And that starts with each and every single one of us. When we invest in ourselves and in our Alignment first, before expecting those in our charge to perform at a high level of performance, we lead by the clarity of our example and we are able to operate from a well-adjusted, well-rounded, balanced approach that has the potential to be influential in a healthy manner. When that happens, it’s official: we are aligned leaders. We hold professional confidence. That is because our capacities to do so with care, purpose, honor and positive expectations are amplified. Then, when we execute, we are able to navigate contrasting experiences with grace the majority of the time, and recognize the times when it is called for. Even when things appear not to be going our way. Otherwise, things tend to be messier than they need to be. People lose their focus and take scores of the things that are not important and contribute to the creation of unhealthy environments. They take liberties to prioritize and express their egoistical needs or their lack of (self) care in environments meant for strategy, co-working and healthy standards. They act as if they are owed something, personally, beyond the normal expectation of a management or professional relationship. Non-leaders tend to use (narcissistic) tactics to the extreme to evoke productivity. That makes space for employees to create chaos and hold side-meetings, even sometimes in efforts to take the leader and everyone else (on the team) down and at the emotional expense of those they target. Colleagues can become excessively competitive at the detriment of team projects and sacrifice the potential for all involved to be able to thrive. And the costs start with the best players, the superstars, who don’t even attempt to make their points anymore, and instead take their distance and resign, removing themselves from such environments because they know their value can be appreciated elsewhere in a way that is actually conducive to their successes. Those who practice the art of complaining realize the long road ahead. And that is what we don’t want because once the momentum takes its way with that, the amount of work it takes to turn things around takes a mental exhaustion toll on all involved, including the high-functioning ones, all while acknowledging some have been known to become quite proficient at being unhealthily competitive as a way of life. A best practice to reduce such nonsense from being too regular of an occurrence within our own teams is by incorporating the skillset of alignment as a competency, referring to its applied skills and knowledge that enables high performance. We are in the drivers’ seat of our experiences and hold a level of influence that impacts the experiences of those we are assigned to lead. Therefore, we must consider our own. Alignment helps master strategic thinking acumen and leads to an abundant mindset. To leaders everywhere, see if this can work for you in some way. Let us make better-feeling environments a staple so that those we are assigned to lead have a chance at remaining high performing professionals, creative and innovative, knowing they will in turn make our collaborative experiences better-feeling so that all of us can profit. When they can feel supported and appreciated, the performance we will evoke from them will remain solid, for the most part. And we will thrive as their respected leaders because it is a responsibility we enjoy leading all the way to the bank of career wellness.

To those watching from above, I know you are still very proud.

PREFACE

This book serves as the third installment of the Alignment series books. Ace Your Professional Journey - The Ace Mindset Alignment Paradigm, and Master Your Alignment - The Ace Mindset Alignment Blueprint Framework serve as prequels. The privilege to lead other professionals is one that must be taken on with clarity. Clarity for the role we play in ensuring they have the tools they need to perform well, as much as their capacities will allow. Clarity for supporting them so they can have the chance to get up to speed with the happenings in regard to projects, networks, efforts and all that is involved, especially at the beginning of joining a new team or group. Clarity for helping connect and match them with opportunities where they can learn, develop their skill sets, leverage their gifts, talents and strengths and hold a fair chance to use those to advance the work. Clarity for understanding that leadership involves a dance between all parties, and that it is an ongoing negotiation. Clarity for what success can look like in a particular environment, understanding that each one may look different and may require a different set of skills to make the most of that experience due to its unique culture. Clarity for addressing concerns that are inevitable, understanding how navigating and managing those impacts the atmosphere and creates a sense of actionable items that are of strategic nature and purposeful. Clarity for the importance of the work we are involved in, its impact and the potential it can create to further advance the causes we care about. And finally, clarity for the value of accomplishments and the experiential cycles those bring about. The conditions and expectations set forth by its leader are key. Simply put: leading from a place of Alignment helps those in our charge build upon the foundation needed and advance in ways that impact all of our experiences. And, when we do so, we too remain solid in the process. For now I leave you with this: Being in Alignment is a Powerful place to be.

Laëtitia Gnago

Founder

Aligned Corporate Experiences

www.AlignedCorporateExperiences.com

FOREWORD

Are you ready to take your leadership to the next level? This book will give you the tools to do just that. Knowing Laëtitia personally and professionally, she has an authentic drive to equip leaders with strategies to be in alignment with themselves first, to in turn fully influence their teams to high performance. As leaders we work in ever changing environments with a range of professionals, impacting us and our leadership in a variety of ways. Within you will find a guide to help you navigate the experiences on your leadership journey to maintain your alignment through this range of fluctuating energies you encounter daily.

As Laëtitia states Being in Alignment IS a powerful place to be. You owe it to yourself and your team to read this book to elevate your leadership skills to reach higher credibility and success. Invest in yourself.

Aimee Beyette,

Regional Director

INTRODUCTION

About Aligned Corporate Experiences

At Aligned Corporate Experiences we believe that every single professional has gifts and talents to offer to a variety of entities in unique ways. Everyone has the potential to be successful. Some just need to figure out the areas in which they are naturally gifted and put themselves in the right environment so that they can expand. And that is a process in itself. Our purpose is essentially to promote healthy corporate citizenship by creating a culture of alignment at the individual level. That is one of the ways we contribute to the employee experience. We believe every professional can manage a measure of control over the course of their careers and their professional journeys beyond the status quo. In order for them to reach the level of success they desire, whatever that may be for each of them, having a set of standards that are sensible, pragmatic and manageable is a great foundation to leverage as a set of best practices. Aligned Corporate Experiences serves as a partner to professionals at all levels, from Line Employee support staff to those at the Executive Leadership level and beyond at the Board level, including the Innovative Architecting types. We serve the professional in their quest for maintaining their alignment and succeeding in whatever endeavor they choose to pursue, valuing self experience and taking into consideration that success may mean different things to different professionals. After a couple of decades in the world of work, I, Laëtitia Gnago, the company’s founder, took upon myself to try and make a difference in the careers of my fellow professionals. At the time I started pursuing this mission, generally, it appeared that there was something missing in the way in which people with good intentions and companies with good intentions just the same, were not aligning in ways conducive to them both succeeding harmoniously. I believe that the success of organizations does not need to happen at the detriment of those serving them with their work. At the same time, professionals entrusted with the intellectual property of the organizations by way of those they hire are expected to handle their positions with accountability and in good