E115 - Crafting Your Leadership Style featuring Simon Kardynal

Leadership isn’t just about being in charge; it’s about showing strength and resilience when the stakes are high. 

This episode of Trench Leadership: A Podcast From the Front, explores the essential elements of crafting your authentic leadership style that stands strong in the face of adversity.

At the core of exceptional leadership lies mindset—the perspective that transforms challenges into opportunities for growth.

Authenticity emerges as the rare currency that establishes genuine connection with teams. When leaders operate with transparency, admitting their vulnerabilities while maintaining clear direction, they earn the trust that powers collective resilience. This honesty creates an environment where team members commit not just their compliance, but their hearts to the shared mission. Meanwhile, resilience becomes the backbone that sustains leadership through inevitable setbacks.

The most impactful leaders understand that while position grants authority, true leadership operates through influence earned by integrity and consistency. 

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Land Acknowledgment

Transcript

Simon Kardynal: 0:07

I would like to begin this episode by acknowledging that I am located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and I am privileged and honoured to live and learn on the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabeg Algonquin Nation.

Glen: 0:24

Hello, you're listening to Trench Leadership: A Podcast From the Front, a show for emerging leaders from all professions to hear from other leaders who have led from the front, made the mistakes, had the triumphs and are still learning along the way. Produced by Jennifer Lee at It's a Legit Business, a podcast launch and management company. And now here's your host, Simon Kardynal.

Simon Kardynal: 0:52

Hello everyone and welcome to episode 115 of Trench Leadership: A Podcast From the Front, a show for emerging leaders across all professions. I'm your host, Simon Kardynal, and today we'll explore how to craft your leadership style, providing quotes and insight from proven leaders, equipping you with the mindset and strategies necessary to stand tall when it matters most. So gear up, because our journey into what it takes to lead from the front begins right now. Leading people is more than just giving orders. It's about embodying the values that inspire courage, trust and resilience. And when crazy hit, every decision counts, and the way you handle adversity will rally your team or fracture it. To rally your team, you must show up consistently, embody calmness amidst chaos and model perseverance regardless of the obstacles. I'm not suggesting you need to change who you are, but what I am suggesting is that it's important to learn how to focus your energy in a calm, clear manner, because during difficult times, authenticity becomes your strongest asset. People follow leaders they trust and respect most often when they're staying calm and providing clear guidance, and this doesn't matter what sector you're in. Whether it's military, a corporate crisis or overcoming a personal hardship. Surviving and thriving depends on your ability to remain steadfast and focused on the purpose so up.

Simon Kardynal: 2:25

First, we're going to talk about mindset, because the mindset a leader adopts determines their resilience and effectiveness. It's easy to become overwhelmed when faced with setbacks, but success comes to those who see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. Developing mental toughness involves cultivating optimism, staying focused on the long-term goal and reframing failures as lessons. I know it sounds hokey sometimes that we just say be strong, be positive, but we're not saying it's always important to be positive. What's being suggested here is to look at all of the failures and all of the successes as ways to learn and grow, to evolve, because that's what leaders are expected to do. This resilience is what sustains leaders when everything appears to be falling apart. Brian Tracy famously said the real test of leadership is how well you function in a crisis. That means staying composed, making decisions with clarity and inspiring confidence despite uncertainties. Building this mindset is a continuous process, reinforced by experience, reflection and the willingness to adapt.

Simon Kardynal: 3:35

The next thing we'll talk about is authenticity. In the chaos of leading, authenticity is a rare and powerful currency for leaders. When leaders are genuine, admitting, rick Warren said. Instead, they communicate with honesty and integrity, showing vulnerability where appropriate. Rick Warren said honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway. This highlights that true leadership involves embracing vulnerability as a strength, when people see their leader is real and consistent and that they are also a person they are more likely to follow with commitment and loyalty, especially during those most difficult times.

Simon Kardynal: 4:32

I like to talk about resilience and perseverance because in high-pressure environments, resilience is the backbone of leadership. It's about the capacity to withstand setbacks, recover quickly and maintain a focus on the objectives. Leaders often face situations where quick thinking and emotional fortitude are necessary and perseverance becomes even more paramount. Vince Lombardi, one of the greatest football coaches of all time, once famously said, "it's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up, and his words are a way to remind us that failure is inevitable. But what really matters is how we choose to respond to that failure. Resilient leaders see failure as temporary setbacks. They see them as a learning opportunity and motivate their teams to keep pushing despite the hardships.

Simon Kardynal: 5:20

Cultivating resilience requires discipline, resilience, training and a strong support network to lean on during those tough times. But when we're leading, we have to do it through influence, because while being in charge ultimately means you give the orders. True leadership is about influence earned through integrity, respect and consistency. When the stakes are high and the environment is uncertain, people look to leaders who set the temper of the group. Influence is built through active listening, showing genuine concern and demonstrating commitment to shared goals. Nelson Mandela said, "he greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall. Mr Mandela exemplified resilience and he continues to inspire others to do the same through his example.

Simon Kardynal: 6:08

Leaders who use positive influence often foster an environment built on initiative, strong team morale and ignite a collective effort to overcome obstacles, creating a cohesive team that pulls together in tough times. Leaders also have to have the vision, especially in the chaos, because leaders are expected to have that vision to meet the company's goals, but also to take that vision and aptly use it for the team. Visionary leaders communicate their purpose passionately and consistently, keeping everyone aligned. When team members understand the why behind their efforts, they're more motivated to persevere through hardship. Well, that's a wrap from the front.

Simon Kardynal: 6:52

In this episode, we talked about the various aspects to consider while you are crafting your own leadership style. Remember, leading from the front is about more than just making decisions. It's about embodying resilience, authenticity and purpose in the face of adversity. Whether you're navigating a personal challenge, guiding a team through uncertainty or facing a crisis head-on, your leadership will be the beacon that guides others through the storm. Keep forging your path with courage, conviction and integrity. If these insights resonated with you, be sure to subscribe and share this episode with fellow leaders who are shaping their own way in the trenches. As always, I'm Simon Kardynal, your host of Trench Leadership: A Podcast From the Front. Thank you for joining me and remember, "eadership without passion limits the depth of your vision.

Glen: 7:42

Be sure to join us next week with your host, Simon Kardynal, for another episode of Trench Leadership: A Podcast From the Front, produced by It's a Legit Business, music provided by Ashamaluev Music.

Glen: 7:56

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