Some Other Leadership Traits

A few thoughts about becoming a good leader…

– It’s no longer about “just barking out orders” or always/only giving directions.

It’s about listening to ideas and comments. It’s about engagement, communication, teamwork and collaboration.

– Having a culture that is open, welcoming and supportive is no longer just an option for companies. No longer, just something nice or an added plus.

Today, employees consider those values as much as they consider salary and benefits when deciding on a desirable workplace.

– While leadership still involves giving directions on what to do, it is just as important to explain why…and that often requires stepping out of the office to show the staff how to do it.

– “Walking the floors”…it’s about cultivating a positive environment to let employees’ opinion be heard.

I previously spoke about the importance of MBWA…Management By Walking Around. What was new & fresh 40 years ago still works today!!!

– To become a profound leader, there are usually four general traits…Clear direction, good communication, empathy and the ability to lead from the front.

– Employees want to work in an organization that offers the opportunity to develop new skills sets…and to grow into leaders.

Have a lot of training programmes for staff.

Put them on task forces.

Create special groups or digital councils whereby ideas are put together.

Allow high potential staff to do cross-business projects, which are often not in their area of comfort.

As such, there is always the opportunity to learn and to grow.

On a personal level, I STRONGLY recommend that you not only become a LinkedIn member, but that you join several of the hundreds & hundreds of industry-specific groups as well as follow some of the best & most well-respected companies out there.

There is SOOOO much to learn out there. And just as valuable, it’ll help you remember stuff that you once knew so you can just dust them off & put them back into use.

It’s not just to look for new job opportunities…it’s to network with people & absorb some of the shared knowledge that’s just waiting out there for you!

And there’s one particular group, Leadership First, that I highly recommend. (They have almost 2MM followers & I definitely know that some of you guys are included there as I often see you reposting various pieces they’ve published!)

And since “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, I’ll often read their stuff, then comment, “Damn, I just wrote a story about that very same topic!!! Of course, they used much nicer words & not as many apostrophes but basically, we both covered the exact topic…each in our own inimitable fashion!”

If you spent 1/10 as much time on LinkedIn as you might on some other social platforms, you’ll come away a much better businessperson & leader!

 

As always, thank you so very much for listening!