As a successful manager I thought I could write about leadership pretty easily. I also considered that I'm more than qualified than most people to address this topic, since I have done incredibly well in every management or leadership position in which I was placed. Wow! That sounded really arrogant.
But people don't want to read that crap. "Oh I'm so great just do what I do! Or try what I did because I'm so smart. " It seems terribly egocentric and extremely annoying.
People also don't want to read "I studied for 8 years and I have my PhD, listen to me, even though I've never ran a business.", which is mostly academic and almost condescending. In addition, it doesn't carry a lot of credibility in the business world. Theories are great but people need concrete examples of how things work.
For this post, I spoke to many friends in management positions, very high management positions, as in CEO's, senior VP's, newer VP's, and I didn't include friends at Bank of America where it seems everyone is a VP. I am never one to candy coat my message, which would probably bring me more followers, but I speak candidly and truthfully about the business world. My message is twisted, honest, and pragmatic. So if your looking for unicorns and rainbows and you want to know how to solve the world's problems, please read a different post. No one has all the answers.
However, I offer real life examples of what works and what doesn't and so listed below are 11 attributes of good leaders, which I gleaned from hours talking to business acquaintances. I hope this helps those of you who are in leadership positions to understand your role and how much you can either help or hinder people's lives and careers. And for those of you who aren't in leadership roles, I would urge you to find a leader with these qualities and follow them along your career path.
Truthful - I am always shocked when I find a leader who lies to their team. And I am not referring to little white lies such as, "Oh that tie looks good on you", when it really looks awful. Or "That's a great picture. Your kid is very cute.", when the child looks like a smaller version of Ron Pearlman in "Hell Boy". I mean lies with serious implications, like how the leader feels about an employee and the status of their working relationship. Or even worse whether or not the employee is about to be laid off. Leaders should be truthful...especially when your career depends upon it.
Resilient - Good leaders are tough...like an old piece of beef jerky. It's take a while to chew threw them, they don't go down too easily, and they can be spicy at times. If you have a good manager she/he will weather both the good times and the bad, but be especially resilient during the bad times. A leader cannot wither when the winds of corporate blow hard. They must stand tall.
Unbiased - A lot of managers have a difficult time being unbiased. It's only natural to like some employees better than others because they're doing a great job. However a true leader, must not show bias when it comes to standards or discipline. I had an employee once who was absolutely awesome, but during a contest, he piled on a lot of products which were never delivered to his biggest customer, who wasn't perusing the invoices. Subsequently, my employee won $5,000, but when the customer found out and demanded a refund, I had to fire him. He had cheated the customer, the company, and worst of all...himself.
Spirited - Leaders are passionate people. They have a wealth of spirit which gets people enthusiastic to work with them. I don't mean they're cheerleaders like the girls in "Bring It On". They don't have spirit sticks or jazz hands. They aren't blustery or extroverted like Steve Balmer, but they have spirit and passion for their work. Does Bill Gates strike you as someone who has passion or is spirited? To me he seems about as passionate as a block of wood. Yet he must have a wealth of spirit and passion because he fought off every challenge offered to Microsoft and he got Balmer to follow him. You can't do that without being spirited. Who do you think taught Steve Balmer to dance?
Taxing- Leaders are taxing on their employees. Again, I'm not referring to what is taken out of an employees pay check every week, but rather taxing as in demanding. Leaders get the best out of their people, and if they have to be taxing at times, so be it. I would rather work or be lead by someone who makes me the best I can be, rather than be coddled and never reach my full potential. A perfect example is the basketball star Michael Jordan. He was a taxing and demanding on his teammates but his teams won championships. He got the best out of every one of his teammates. Seriously, who else could win an NBA Championship with Bill Cartwright or Luc Longley? And I'm sure 90% of you are asking yourself, "who the hell is Luc Longley?"
Worthy - Great leaders are people who are worthy of being followed. What exactly does that mean? Well people will follow someone who is genuine, sincere, authentic, and worth risking their career or lives over. People will not follow someone who has only their own interest in mind, or who is not sincere in their efforts or genuine in their commitments. To be a good leader you must be authentic and worthy enough to have followers. Leaders are worthy...unlike Wayne and Garth who are not worthy.
Open Minded - Steve Jobs has been quoted A LOT. It seems that he's the spokesperson for a generation, and rightfully so, but my favorite quotes from him have nothing to do with technology. I think his mass appeal is how open minded he was about everything. He didn't see limits on ANYTHING, and that's why he was a great leader. Unfortunately the only limit on Steve Jobs was time...
Reliable - Leaders must be reliable and they must be loyal. Otherwise they wouldn't be worth following. People need to trust that the decisions they make will be consistent and that their leader will act with the best interest of the company and the employee in mind. If you cannot rely upon your manager or boss to advance your career, than who can you rely upon?
Trusting - A great leader relies upon his or her people to get things done. They realize they cannot do it themselves. A poor leader is one who tries to do everything, including their employees jobs. Big mistake! A leader must trust that he/she has trained people correctly, and they will make the appropriate choices for everyone to be successful.
Humane - Despite being taxing and demanding, a good leader must also be humane. They must understand that not all people or employees are the same, and also allow for people to live their lives, rather than devoting their lives to work. When my dad passed away, I requested time off, but my boss at the time cut me short. "You don't even have to ask, take all the time you need, and it won't cut into your vacation pay." I was shocked, but grateful. Legally, he didn't have to do anything, but I was so appreciative of his empathy that I followed his career path for the next 5 years and we both benefited from his leadership.
Yawp - If you're wondering what yawp is, I can tell you it is not a gastrointestinal bodily function. However, it sounds like it could be? In the words of Walt Whitman, "I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world." I interpret this song of Whitman's as vision, focus, or voice. It is what every great leader has, and some in more reserve than others. Yet for a leader to be followed he or she must have a voice, a vision, a barbaric yawp to incite people to follow.
If you read this post and you are managing people, I hope it helps you and those you are leading. I think I spelled it out pretty clearly.
Have a great day!
No comments:
Post a Comment