When I was in high school, I participated in what we called at the time “declamation contests.”  The idea was to read and say out loud the speeches of great leaders throughout history.  One year I recited Susan B. Anthony’s speech on women’s right to vote. And from that time on I was hooked paying attention to great women’s declamations that changed the world.

From Elizabeth I about the Spanish Armada to Elizabeth II this past year on the pandemic. From Hilary Rodham Clinton at the United Nations declaring women’s rights as a human right, to Malala Yousafzai addressing that same institution about girls’ rights.

And then there are the poets who have moved us not only with their written words but by sharing them out loud in their unique voices, from Maya Angelou to Elizabeth Alexander. To that list we can add the remarkable Amanda Gorman. Her words on that bright sunny day were beautiful, but it is also how she shared them aloud that made them hugely impactful.

And what is even more remarkable is that Amanda Gorman shared that she has a speech impediment and that she used the musical Hamilton to help her overcome it.

Just as great writers are great readers, great leaders need to feel the words of great communicators in their mouth and on their tongue to emulate the beauty of well-conceived rhetoric. Just as great athletes watch plays over and over, great leaders need to watch the performances of other leaders who inspire them. 

Whenever I work with a client, I always ask who are the leaders who inspire them. The answers range from those they know intimately like family members, to great leaders in history who have inspired their behavior.  Finding your leadership voice is as much about studying, hearing, and even practicing the voices of others, as it is about developing your own.  

Remember your voice is an integral part of your leadership.  Do the hard work to ensure that it’s uniquely yours by understanding what makes other great leader’s voices uniquely theirs.  What values do you hear in their words and how do those values show up in performance and tone?

Outlaw Leadership™ is about raising your voice to make an impactful noise that changes the world.

I’m an Outlaw Leader - are you?