How Successful People Lead
What does it take to be a great leader? Drive, confidence, perseverance—these common characteristics can be found among many good leaders, but what are those special traits that make them great? Vulnerability— it’s what sets great leaders apart from the rest. It is their willingness to know themselves, to own (and learn from) their mistakes, to listen to others, and trust their guts.
People who embrace vulnerability understand themselves and strive to empathize with others. That doesn’t just translate into good managerial skills, but also a deeper appreciation for the customers and clients who can benefit from your product or service. These kinds of leaders have more direction, motivation, influence, and overall success—in both their professional and personal lives.
So how do you get there?
- Self-awareness
“We need to have a beginner’s mind to think about what is happening.” Mark Benioff, founder of Salesforce,
Good leaders pay attention to the details without getting caught up in them. You stay informed and on the pulse of your business, but also know when to delegate and trust the professionalism of your employees and colleagues. As you strive to climb the leadership ladder, it is important you pay attention to the details above you, below you, and right at eye level. You can do your due diligence by:
- Keeping track of your employees’ workloads with capacity tracking software that automatically sends out reports and analytics like T-Sheets by Quickbooks.
- Avoiding micromanaging employees who need more support. Instead, take on the role of coaching.
- Pay Attention to Details
“Early-stage entrepreneurs shouldn’t forget about [due diligence]. It almost stopped everything for me.” —Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx
Good leaders pay attention to the details without getting caught up in them. You stay informed and on the pulse of your business, but also know when to delegate and trust the professionalism of your employees and colleagues. As you strive to climb the leadership ladder, it is important you pay attention to the details above you, below you, and right at eye level. You can do your due diligence by:
- Keeping track of your employees’ workloads with capacity tracking software that automatically sends out reports and analytics like T-Sheets by Quickbooks.
- Avoiding micromanaging employees who need more support. Instead, take on the role of coaching.
- Strive for Self-Improvement
“People assume they are most creative at a certain age. But if you look at truly great artists, they always get better.” —Jeff Koons, American sculptor
Leadership is not a finish line you cross. It is a lifelong journey that involves continually growing and developing. If you cultivate an outlook on life that thirsts for knowledge, you will be able to lead anywhere and at any time. Leaders who won’t learn how to adapt won’t be leaders for very long. You can strive for self-improvement by:
- Returning to school for an MBA or different certifications.
- Focus on improving a specific niche in leadership, such as business management, management, and leadership, or marketing.
- Read books and listen to podcasts on leadership development.
- Empowerment of Others
“Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.” — President Dwight David Eisenhower
A leader is able to empower people to feel comfortable and confident working toward their goals. You have to know the strengths and weaknesses of each person on your team and know how to motivate them in a genuine and authentic way. Setting your business up for success means setting the individuals on your team up for their own success. You can motivate and empower others by:
- Designing job descriptions based on their interests, strengths, and career goals.
- Giving them opportunities to take the lead on projects and clients.
- Offering support and checking in regularly, while avoiding too much looking over their shoulders.
- Transparency
“My biggest mistake was thinking I shouldn’t show my mistakes — I learned I should.” —Jack Dorsey, CEO, Twitter, Square
Being secretive with your team is the quickest way to create distrust and sow discontent—two things that also lead to high turnover. Being open with your team—including owning mistakes that you have made and miscommunications you are responsible for—will lead to a more productive environment for your team. You can increase your own transparency by:
- Acknowledging when your instructions weren’t clear enough.
- Bookending critical feedback between genuine, heartfelt praise.
- Showing your own accountability by showing how you problem-solve a mistake, crisis, or process breakdown.
- Calculated Risk-Taking
“No business school graduate would recommend gambling as a financial strategy, but sometimes it pays to be a little crazy early in your career.” —Fred Smith, founder, FedEx
Good leaders need to be innovative in order to create a competitive advantage for their business. Whether you come up with a new product or a new way of doing things, you need to take calculated risks that set you apart from other leaders and your business apart from other competitors. It can be hard to know when to take a risk, so take your time and:
- Ask people and professionals you trust for their insight and perspective.
- Create a plan of execution that includes how you will recover from a risk that might not pan out.
- Be willing to stretch out of your comfort zone a bit, but not so far that you cannot recover.
- Don’t hide from the lessons mistakes can teach you
“If you’re great in this business you’re right six times out of ten.” —Peter Lynch, former portfolio manager, Magellan Fund
Always try to improve your business by being honest about what is and is not working. When you are constantly analyzing your business, you never miss mistakes that could turn into big disasters. You also learn how to turn around a mistake so it is still profitable, whether it can actually be salvaged or helps drive future decision-making. Good leaders know the value of proving themselves right and proving themselves wrong. Mistakes can teach you:
- How to show others ways to approach mistakes gracefully, which improves morale and teamwork.
- A different perspective on a problem or pain point.
- Gaps in processes and workflow that could be improved or addressed.
- Learn to Listen
“I’d said to my partner Stedman, ‘What am I going to talk about for ten days and ten nights at Nelson Mandela’s house?’ And Stedman said, ‘Why don’t you try listening?'” —Oprah Winfrey, founder, Oprah Winfrey Network
Good listening is about more than just being silent. Many people actually perceive good listeners as those who ask clarifying questions to encourage discovery and insight. A leader who is a good listener learns about the things needed to build your employees’ self-esteem and your customers’ trust. A strong leader is one who listens:
- Actively, passively or overly critically
- Without an agenda or waiting for their own turn to speak.
- Keep the Ego in Check
“No task is beneath you (even menial tasks). Just because you are a high up executive does not mean that you are above cleaning the extra dishes in the sink, or clearing off the table after lunch. Take the initiative to do small tasks around the office– lead by example.” —Zvi Band, Co-Founder and CEO of Contactually
A distinctive strength of successful leaders is a balance of humility and confidence. Unfortunately, our culture often rewards people who overestimate their virtues while underestimating their limitations. CEOs are, because of the trajectory of their career success, highly confident. Confidence is important but can cause leaders to over-appraise their strengths, without considering the people who supported their growth and journey. Lead by example by:
- Taking on tasks that put you side by side with other people in your business— people who might not otherwise work alongside a leader.
- Keeping a gratitude journal. Every morning make a list of people you are grateful for.
- Trust Your Gut
“When the decision is finally made, I’ve found my reaction is always the same: I should have done this a long time ago!” —Louis Gerstner, Jr., former chairman, and CEO, IBM
When it comes down to the bottom line, you are the leader. This business is yours, the company is yours and you are responsible for every success or failure because it was your leadership that set the direction. It’s important to get insight and advice from others, but it is also important to trust your own business savvy. Listen to your gut and find confidence in your decision-making by:
- Know the difference between a gut reaction that is defensive and a good instinct on a sound business opportunity.
- Know your goals and make sure your decisions always support them.
Some people say leaders are born, while others say they are made. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Moving into a new level of leadership requires higher productivity, proven results, and an inspiring management style. In return, your business will experience these benefits as well.
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This article was edited by The Trusted Automation Advisory team, provides advisory services for leaders worldwide. If you have any questions, you can contact us via email at inquire@thetrustedautomation.com, from their website at https://thetrustedautomation.com, or phone at (949) 333-7200.
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