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Leadership Qualities That Matter
One of your primary goals is most likely to attract and
keep motivated workers. So let's explore the five key
traits that will help you become the kind of leader
people love working for.
#1: Vision. We've all heard the saying
"You must stand for something, or you'll fall for
everything." But what does that really mean? Standing
firm when it comes to your company's policies and
procedures is all well and good, but it doesn't speak to
having a vision. As a leader, you have to learn to
communicate your vision or the vision of your company to
the people you want to follow you. But how can you do
that?
Learn to paint a picture with words. Speak it,
write it, draw it, touch it. Whatever methods you can
use to create a picture, do it. As they say, "A picture
is worth a thousand words." Ask each of the other
managers in your company to tell you, in their own
words, about the vision of the company. How close is it
to what you thought they understood? Is your team on the
same page as you? As you work, your company's vision
should be in your mind every day, and you should
reevaluate it occasionally so that it stays current with
the changing times in which we live. And remember, your
staff needs to be just as involved as you in keeping it
up to date if you truly want them to buy in on the
vision. Be sure to keep your key players involved.
#2: Passion. Your employees want
passion; in fact, they'll go to the ends of
earth because of it, live and die for it. Think
of the sailors who traveled with Christopher
Columbus or Leif Ericsson to explore uncharted
territory. Their leaders' passion inspired them
to take on new and very dangerous challenges.
To build an extraordinary management team,
you've got to light the "fire in their bellies,"
to get them to feel passion about the company
and connect to the leader's vision. Passion is
such a key part of being a great leader that if
you don't have it, you simply can't be a great
leader. Think of all the great leaders
throughout the ages and try to name one that did
not have passion.
And passion is infectious: When you talk about
your vision for the company, let your passion
for your vision shine through. Others will feel
it and want to get on board with you. If you
don't have passion for your vision, you need to
recreate your vision or reframe your description
of your vision so it's connected to your
passion.
#3: Great decision maker. How are major
decisions made in your company? What is your
process for making them? For instance, do you
talk to your management team and create a list
of pros and cons to help you make the best
decision? Maybe you conduct a cost analysis. Or
do you create a timeline for the implementation
strategy, process and timing?
Some leaders have a set process, and others fly
by the seat of their pants. But you don't want
to be one of those leaders who consults no one
before making a decision, announces the change
the next day and then gets frustrated when no
one follows it. If you're one of those, I urge
you to implement a set process.
In fact, here's a system you can use to become a
better decision maker. It's called the Q-CAT:
Q = Quick. Be quick but not hasty.
C = Committed. Be committed to your decision but
not rigid.
A = Analytical. Be analytical, but don't
over-analyze (Too much analysis can cause
paralysis.)
T = Thoughtful. Be thoughtful about all
concerned, but don't be obsessive.
When you use the Q-CAT, it'll help you to decide
when to bring others into the process and what
steps need to be taken to help you make better
decisions.
#4: Be a team builder. To become a great
leader, you must develop a great team or, one
might say, a well-oiled machine. But how do you
do that? You can start by handing off
responsibility to your team and letting your
team to run with it. Don't breathe down their
necks and don't micromanage, but make yourself
available if questions or problems come up.
Teach your team to use the Q-CAT decision-making
system and give them the freedom to work through
their own decisions.
When projects aren't on track or your team is
falling behind on deadline, it serves no one if
you start pointing fingers. This is when you
need to rise to the occasion and inspire
confidence in your employees, to let them know
you support them and ready to help. Be ready to
alter plans and make new ones. Don't forget to
use humor to keep your team's spirits up during
a crisis. When an emergency hits, your team will
look to you to be a tower of strength and
endurance.
#5: You must have character. Without
character, all the other "keys" are for naught.
That's because your innate character strengths
and limitations play a critical role in your
leadership style. The real question is, are you
aware of just what role they play? All great
leaders have taken steps to learn about their
individual personality and what part it plays in
their leadership style.
So what's your leadership style? If you don't
know, there are many leadership style
assessments available on the market. Two popular
ones that have been around for many years are
the Myers-Briggs assessment and the "360-Degree
Feedback" model. There are dozens of other to
choose from--the important part is that you
"Just do it," as the Nike ad would say, and see
how you rate. It's a good way to do a "character
check" on yourself and your leadership skills.
Then, once you've done the assessment, the
question to ask yourself is, do you feel your
character matches what the assessments are
pointing out to you?
If you feel the traits don't match who you think
you are, then look a little deeper and be honest
with yourself. Sometimes our first response is
defensive. You might want to assess yourself
with a different type of profile and then
compare the results. Within the 360 Degree
Feedback model, there's an opportunity to see
how your employees and peers view you, too. In
learning to be a great leader, the first step is
to be open to feedback about yourself as a
leader and separate it from you the person.
So are you a great leader? Or do you have the
desire to become one? Remember, a great leader
is someone who has a clear vision and can turn
that vision into a vivid picture that others can
see. When you speak about your vision, it should
be with a passion you feel in your heart, a
passion that creates so much enthusiasm that
your team will want to jump on board. When major
decisions need to be made, you should encourage
everyone to use the Q-CAT system and be
responsible for his or her own actions. And you
should be continually assessing your own
character and never stop growing, personally or
professionally.
If you can apply the five keys to great
leadership, you'll be well on your way to
becoming a great leader surrounded by great
employees!
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