The Impression Leadership System

I approach leadership differently than most...

There are two sides to being a successful leader in any company: people skills and systems thinking. You need both, and you have to implement the systems through people. So I start with the people.

From 2006 to 2020 I led people in high-stress, people-centered environments, and I’m still studying. The Impression Leadership System gives you three pillars that work like a triangle.

The Right Mindset (how you think) sits on top, because it applies to both sides. Learn People & Humans (what you know) is the people side. Goals & Direction (what you do) is the systems side. Together they make leadership for business.

Learn People & Humans

There’s a difference between learning humans and learning people, and in a business you need both.

Learning humans is understanding the things we all share. Everybody wants to be respected. Everybody gets defensive when they feel cornered. Everybody works harder for something they believe in. Know those, and you stop being surprised by things that happen every day.

Learning people is understanding what makes each of us unique. Every person on your team walked in with a history: the bosses they had, the mistakes they paid for, the things nobody ever taught them. That history is why the same words land one way with one employee and a different way with the next.

Humans tell you what to expect from anyone. People tell you what to expect from this one. I start with you, the traits you bring to every relationship, then one-on-one, then the whole team.

Goals & Direction

Goals & Direction is the systems side. Systems thinking means creating repeatable solutions to recurring problems, so the same fire doesn’t need you every time it starts.

It covers three things. Goals your team wants to follow through on, not goals they put up with. A direction everyone can see, with mile markers that show how far you’ve come. And an environment where people know they can be successful, because the expectations are clear, the tools are there and progress gets noticed.

Promises live here too. A promise kept on time, every time, is a system: you say what you will do and by when, and you check it at the next meeting.

You leave with a goal your team wants to chase, the steps to get there, and a scoreboard that shows everyone where you stand each week.

The Right Mindset

The Right Mindset is the ability to apply the most useful perspective for the situation you’re in. In leadership, that kind of mental flexibility is essential. As part of the Impression Leadership System, I introduce specific mindsets that give you better insight into people.

Reputation Model is the most useful actionable approach to leadership, which is a unique skill set because it is relational. If other people do not experience your leadership skills, then it’s a failure. By definition, leadership involves other people; it is enacted by you to benefit them.

Spectrum Thinking helps you see people (and yourself) as a mix, not a label. No one is always confident or always difficult. Traits exist on a spectrum, and the ability to recognize and work with those shifting ratios is critical for leadership, conflict resolution, and trust-building.

The Odd Approach shifts you away from rigid cause-and-effect thinking. People behave the way they do for many reasons, not just the ones that are most obvious to you. This outlook helps you work with uncertainty, read situations more accurately, and approach people in a way that raises the odds of a positive response.

Taking a calculated risk is a mindset too. Your people bet their paycheck on your judgment, so ground every risk in preparation and informed decisions, and own the outcome, even when things don’t go as planned.