Not everyone is an outstanding leader says Travis Bradberry but most can train themselves to become one.
One of the most popular Dilbert comic strips in the cartoon’s history begins with Dilbert’s boss relaying senior leadership’s explanation for the company’s low profits.
In response to his boss, Dilbert asks incredulously: “So they’re saying that profits went up because of great leadership and down because of a weak economy?”
To which Dilbert’s boss replies: “These meetings will go faster if you stop putting things in context.”
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 leaders change us for the better.
Great leadership is dynamic; it melds a variety of unique skills into an integrated whole.
What follows are the essential habits that exceptional leaders rely on every day.
Effective Communication:
Communication is the real work of leadership.
You simply can’t become a great leader until you are a great communicator.
Great communicators 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.
Courage:
People will wait to see if a leader is courageous before they’re willing to follow his or her lead.
People 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.
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.
Adherence to the Golden Rule +1:
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 centre of attention.
Great leaders 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 and adapt their leadership style accordingly.
Self-Awareness:
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 favourable light than other people do.
Self-awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence, a skill that 90 per cent 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.
Passion:
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.
Humility:
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 won’t ask their followers to do anything they wouldn’t be willing to do themselves.
Generosity:
Great leaders are generous.
They share credit and offer enthusiastic praise.
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.
Infectiousness:
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 like when they get there.
Authenticity:
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.
Leaders who are authentic are transparent and forthcoming. They aren’t perfect, but they earn people’s respect by walking their talk.
Approachability:
Great leaders make it clear that they welcome challenges, criticism, and viewpoints other than their own.
By ensuring that they are approachable, great leaders facilitate the flow of great ideas throughout the organisation.
Accountability:
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”.
A Sense of Purpose:
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 them that feeling.
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.
The more you practice, the more instinctive it will become, and the more you’ll internalise your new leadership style.
*Travis Bradberry is the co-founder of TalentSmart, a provider of emotional intelligence tests, emotional intelligence training, and emotional intelligence certification. He can be contacted at TalentSmart.com.
This article first appeared on the TalentSmart website
