What do you see when you are a mile high?

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Executives often use the phrase “let’s look at this situation from 30,000 feet…” as a technique to help employees rise above daily minutia to see the bigger picture. Dilbert would counter: that’s why executives are lost in the clouds.

A mile high perspective is probably a good compromise. Perched on the eastern slopes of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Denver is known as the “Mile High city.” It’s a popular leadership retreat destination because of the scenery and we can appropriately use the high-up-in-the-air metaphor.

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Last week I was a speaker and coach at the leadership conference for The Private Client Reserve of US Bank in Denver.  The President, Michael Boardman, asked his leaders to look at their leadership in the context of the big picture in the banking and wealth management industry. According to the world’s most credible source, trust in the banking industry has never been lower. The Edelman Trust Barometer articulates what bankers and financial advisers already see and feel: they are climbing a really steep cliff.

The good news: while the public trust in national banks is at historic lows — we Americans have a high degree of trust in the people in our local banks. And for the first time in the history of the survey, consumers say how bankers treat us, is more important than the terms of our loans or the returns on our portfolio. In summary, the personal leadership of local bankers is what matters most today.

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We define personal leadership as: the mood and tone you create that compels people to work together and give their best…or not.

The ultimate expression of our personal leadership is to radiate goodness.

I’m proud to say The Private Client Reserve leaders were willing to let me drag them through the details of their personal leadership.  We came down out of the clouds and dug into “how we show up” in specific personal leadership moments. And we coached one another on blending our faith, family, finances, fitness, friends, fun and future — as a path to radiating goodness.  That’s important because the data shows personal leadership is literally a competitive advantage in business today.

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The highlight of the conference was cocktails on the sideline of the world famous Mile High Stadium — the home of the two-time world champion Denver Broncos.  Retired quarterback Brian Griese was our host: he inspired us with his humble personal presence and his bold commitment to serving underprivileged children in the Denver area.

Good leaders make a habit of coming down out of the clouds every once in a while to examine our own personal leadership.  And we work on blending our faith, family, finances, fitness, friends, fun and future as a strategy to receive trust.

Share with us: what are you doing to come down out of the clouds and work on your personal leadership?

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