According to research conducted by the Saratoga Institute, the most common reason given by employees for leaving their employer is their immediate boss. This is really shocking and is a sad indictment of the lack of solid and trustworthy leadership world-wide.
It has been a passion of mine, for many years, to help and assist in the development of strong leadership. I have also discovered that leaders build leaders not followers. They build people who are confident, empowered human beings and who therefore have the capacity to build and grow others. Ego unfortunately develops followers because the ego needs to know that others are dependent on them -It makes them feel important.
I would therefore like to share with you what our research has revealed are the ten most important characteristics of great leaders.
They Recruit Only the Very Best
They do not feel threatened by others as they feel confident and secure about themselves. This allows them to surround themselves with the best talent.
They Get the Right Results
They surround themselves with the best talent and they know, underst and and practice the philosophy that “You achieve results through your people.”
They Build Personal Relationships With Their People
They feel good about themselves and their abilities and therefore do not need to prove themselves to their teams. As a result they are able to really underst and their team players and ensure that they place their team players in responsibilities that enhance their natural talents.
They Achieve Long-Term Goals by Planning and Implementing Daily Steps
They realise that success happens a step at a time and that small steps in the beginning become larger steps as the confidence, ability and know-how of the team grows. Too many leaders, unfortunately, look for the “quick fix.” Management by “quick fix” leads to crises-management.
They Take Planned Action
The right results are achieved by taking the right action. They therefore spend about 20% of their time on planning and 80% on implementation of the planned action. This is a strategic leader.
They See Obstacles as Opportunities for Creative Change in The Organisation
When they are confronted by challenges they, along with their team, look for creative ways to confront the obstacle. This enhances innovation and team-work within the organisation.
They Are Extraordinary Communicators
They practice one of Stephen Covey’s principles, “First seek to underst and before wanting to be understood.” They therefore ask very powerful questions and listen.
They Share a Contagious Enthusiasm That Promotes a Positive Attitude
They train their minds to be positive and as a result they are upbeat and excited about life. This has such a powerful influence on those they come into contact with.
They Motivate Successfully
They know and underst and their team players ‘hot button’ and therefore they are able to motivate their teams successfully.
They Have Genuine Self-Confidence and Keep a Positive Outlook
Self-confidence has been identified as the most powerful intelligence that the human being can develop. So many people have the knowledge, but not enough have the confidence. Confidence gives leaders the capacity to make decisions and take action on those decisions. This is all part of what has been identified as Emotional Intelligence.
Plan of Action
- Evaluate yourself against these ten characteristics.
- Decide which one is most important to you.
- Practise implementing that characteristic in your leadership role until it has become a habit.
- Move on to the next most important characteristics and repeat the process.
The world is looking for great leaders. Decide today that you really want to make a difference in people’s lives and carry out the suggested plan of action.
I wish you all the success in becoming an extraordinary leader.
Your friend,
Dave