Great leadership is indeed a difficult thing to pin down and
understand. You know a great leader when you’re working for one, but
even they can have a hard time explaining the specifics of what they do
that makes their leadership so effective. Great leadership is dynamic;
it melds a variety of unique skills into an integrated whole.
Below are 12 essential behaviors that exceptional leaders rely on
every day. Give them a try and you can become a better leader today.
1. Courage
“Courage is the first virtue that makes all other virtues possible.” - Aristotle
People will wait to see if a leader is courageous before they’re
willing to follow his or her lead. People need courage in their leaders.
They need someone who can make difficult decisions and watch over the
good of the group. They need a leader who will stay the course when
things get tough. People are far more likely to show courage themselves
when their leaders do the same.
For the courageous leader adversity is a welcome test. Like a
blacksmith’s molding of a red-hot iron, adversity is a trial by fire
that refines leaders and sharpens their game. Adversity emboldens
courageous leaders and leaves them more committed to their strategic
direction.
Leaders who lack courage simply toe the company line. They follow the safest path, the path of least resistance, because they’d rather cover their backside than lead.
2. Effective Communication
“The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” - Joseph Priestley
Communication is the real work of leadership. It’s a fundamental
element of how leaders accomplish their goals each and every day. You
simply can’t become a great leader until you are a great communicator.
Great communicators inspire people. They create a connection with
their followers that is real, emotional, and personal, regardless of any
physical distance between them. Great communicators forge this
connection through an understanding of people and an ability to speak
directly to their needs.
3. Generosity
“A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share
of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit.” - John
Maxwell
Great leaders are generous. They share credit and offer enthusiastic
praise. They’re as committed to their followers’ success as they are to
their own. They want to inspire all of their employees to achieve their
personal best – not just because it will make the team more successful,
but because they care about each person as an individual.
4. Humility
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” - C.S. Lewis
Great leaders are humble. They don’t allow their position of
authority to make them feel that they are better than anyone else. As
such, they don’t hesitate to jump in and do the dirty work when needed,
and they won’t ask their followers to do anything they wouldn’t be
willing to do themselves.
5. Self-Awareness
“It is absurd that a man should rule others, who cannot rule himself.” - Latin Proverb
Contrary to what Dilbert might have us believe, leaders’ gaps in
self-awareness are rarely due to deceitful, Machiavellian motives, or
severe character deficits. In most cases, leaders—like everyone else—view themselves in a more favorable light than other people do.
Self-awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence, a skill
that 90% of top performing leaders possess in abundance. Great leaders’
high self-awareness means they have a clear and accurate image not just
of their leadership style, but also of their own strengths and
weaknesses. They know where they shine and where they’re weak, and they
have effective strategies for leaning into their strengths and
compensating for their weaknesses.
6. Adherence to the Golden Rule
“The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become.” - Jon Wolfgang von Goethe
The Golden Rule – treat others as you want to be treated – assumes
that all people are the same. It assumes that, if you treat your
followers the way you would want a leader to treat you, they’ll be
happy. It ignores that people are motivated by vastly different things.
One person loves public recognition, while another loathes being the
center of attention.
Great leaders don’t treat people how they themselves want to be
treated. Instead, they take the Golden Rule a step further and treat
each person as he or she would like to be treated. Great leaders learn
what makes people tick, recognize their needs in the moment, and adapt
their leadership style accordingly.
7. Passion
“If you just work on stuff that you like and are passionate
about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play
out.” - Mark Zuckerberg
Passion and enthusiasm are contagious. So are boredom and apathy. No
one wants to work for a boss that’s unexcited about his or her job, or
even one who’s just going through the motions. Great leaders are
passionate about what they do, and they strive to share that passion
with everyone around them.
8. Infectiousness
“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a
vision. It’s got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on
every occasion. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.” - Reverend
Theodore Hesburgh
Great leaders know that having a clear vision isn’t enough. You have
to make that vision come alive so that your followers can see it just as
clearly as you do. Great leaders do that by telling stories and
painting verbal pictures so that everyone can understand not just where
they’re going, but what it will look and feel like when they get there.
This inspires others to internalize the vision and make it their own.
9. Authenticity
“Just be who you are and speak from your guts and heart, it’s all a man has.” - Hubert Humphrey
Authenticity refers to being honest in all things – not just what you
say and do, but who you are. When you’re authentic, your words and
actions align with who you claim to be. Your followers shouldn’t be
compelled to spend time trying to figure out if you have ulterior
motives. Any time they spend doing so erodes their confidence in you and
in their ability to execute.
Leaders who are authentic are transparent and forthcoming. They
aren’t perfect, but they earn people’s respect by walking their talk.
10. Approachability
“Management is like holding a dove in your hand. Squeeze too hard
and you kill it, not hard enough and it flies away.” - Tommy Lasorda
Great leaders make it clear that they welcome challenges, criticism,
and viewpoints other than their own. They know that an environment where
people are afraid to speak up, offer insight, and ask good questions is
destined for failure. By ensuring that they are approachable, great
leaders facilitate the flow of great ideas throughout the organization.
11. Accountability
“The ancient Romans had a tradition: Whenever one of their
engineers constructed an arch, as the capstone was hoisted into place,
the engineer assumed accountability for his work in the most profound
way possible: He stood under the arch.” - Michael Armstrong
Great leaders have their followers’ backs. They don’t try to shift
blame, and they don’t avoid shame when they fail. They’re never afraid
to say, “The buck stops here,” and they earn people’s trust by backing
them up.
12. Sense Of Purpose
“You don’t lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case.” - Ken Kesey
Whereas vision is a clear idea of where you’re going, a sense of purpose refers to an understanding of why you’re
going there. People like to feel like they’re part of something bigger
than themselves. Great leaders give people that feeling.
Bringing It All Together
Becoming a great leader doesn’t mean that you have to incorporate all
of these traits at once. Focus on one or two at a time; each
incremental improvement will make you more effective. It’s okay if you
“act” some of these qualities at first. The more you practice, the more
instinctive it will become, and the more you’ll internalize your new
leadership style.
Souce: Dr. Travis Bradberry
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Showing posts with label how to lead others. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to lead others. Show all posts
Great Books on Leadership
Leadership
is about what you know and how you apply that
knowledge. Some people are born leaders but for the rest who aren't that lucky, here are some of the best books on leadership so you can have an arsenal of great information to build your skills upon.
Resilience is critical to success in leadership
Resilience as the one defining skill and behavior that allows some to stand out from the rest. In the face of adversity, some are able to pick themselves up and brush themselves off and move on, while others are not. Denise Brosseau in her book Ready to Be a Thought Leader: How to Increase Your Influence, Impact, and SuccessBridge the communication gap created by leadership
Most successful people have little interest in listening to those individuals who cannot add value to a situation or topic but force themselves into a conversation just to hear themselves speak. Good communicators address both the what and how aspects of messaging so they don't fall prey to becoming the smooth talker who leaves people with the impression of form over substance. Mike Myatt in his book Hacking Leadership: The 11 Gaps Every Business Needs to Close and the Secrets to Closing Them QuicklyLeadership is, at its core, about the mobilization of ideas
Leadership is about setting a direction. It's about creating a vision, empowering and inspiring people to want to achieve the vision, and enabling them to do so with energy and speed through an effective strategy. In its most basic sense, leadership is about mobilizing a group of people to jump into a better future. John P. Kotter in his book Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility for a Faster-Moving WorldGood leaders are highly aware of their own vulnerabilities
The role played by blindspots is to meditate between the poles of self-confidence and self-doubt. A leader with too many blindspots can be overconfident, even blindly arrogant, and exposed to a range of risks. Robert Bruce Shaw in his book Leadership Blindspots: How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That MatterLeaders equip people for success beyond their own purview
Entrepreneurial leaders foster in people the feeling that they are personally successful--the hallmark of leadership. Derek Lidow in his book Startup Leadership: How Savvy Entrepreneurs Turn Their Ideas Into Successful EnterprisesThe role of a leader is primarily to care for others
When a leader embraces their responsibility to care for people instead of caring for numbers, then people will follow, solve problems and see to it that that leader's vision comes to life the right way, a stable way and not the expedient way. Simon Sinek in his book Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don'tReflect and lead in the moment without just focusing on problems
Most leaders can barely breathe through the blur of activity, much less reflect on and register the best of what is happening in the present moment. And on the rare occasions when they do step back to assess the situation at hand, they focus on the problems, ignoring the opportunities. Kathryn D. Cramer in her book Lead Positive: What Highly Effective Leaders See, Say, and DoTrust in leadership can be distilled down to four basic elements
Trust in others (and their trust in us) depends on four elements: reliability, congruence, acceptance, and openness. Joanna Barsh and Johanne Lavoie in their book Centered Leadership: Leading with Purpose, Clarity, and ImpactBody language trumps spoken instruction
Remember, every communication is two conversations, the spoken content and the body language. The body language always trumps the content when the two are in conflict. So in planning your content and failing to think much about your emotions, which drive your body language, you're leaving that to chance--the more important of the two conversations. Nick Morgan in his book Power Cues: The Subtle Science of Leading Groups, Persuading Others, and Maximizing Your Personal ImpactAnalyzing success and feedback
To increase your chances of moving toward your ideal self, challenge any self-defeating thoughts. Keep in mind your past accomplishments, candidly assess what has stopped you from achieving goals, as well as your personal beliefs about your abilities. Consider relevant feedback from others about what you have achieved and what your potential is. This helps increase your sense of hopefulness, which research has shown is critical in imagining and realizing the ideal self. Stewart D. Friedman in his book Leading the Life You Want: Skills for Integrating Work and Life
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