The Fundamentals of Great Leadership

Transcription

1 WHITE PAPER The Fundamentals of Great Leadership A guide on how to establish a strong leadership presence.

2 If you ve put in the work to gain a leadership position, you may feel you ve made it and your days of being challenged are behind you. Nothing could be further from the truth, as it s one thing to be a leader, and something else entirely to be a successful leader. In The Fundamentals of Great Leadership, we explore what qualities all successful leaders possess, how to establish a true leadership presence, signs that a leadership style is not effective, and tips for grooming future leaders to ensure a leadership legacy TABLE OF CONTENTS: Qualities of Successful Leaders 3 How to Establish Leadership Presence 5 Signs A Leadership Style Doesn t Work 7 Your Legacy: Grooming Future Leadership 9 WHITE PAPER: The Fundamentals of Great Leadership 2

3 Qualities of Successful Leaders To be successful in a leadership role, it s essential to develop these four behavioral qualities: Connection - Developing a connection means leveraging your impact through your interactions using an effective communication style. To be a strong leader, you must be a good communicator. Communicating successfully has a lot to do with how you re perceived by your peers, your team and your customers. That includes understanding other people s communication styles and tailoring your messages accordingly and often adopting a learning mode by asking relevant questions while knowing which topics to avoid. Credibility - Credibility is essential to being seen not only as a great leader, but also as someone who is an authority and expert with relevant knowledge in a particular field. Developing it is often based on others perception of you and it requires four constructs according to Dr. G. Richard Shell, professor and director of the Wharton Executive Negotiation Workshop at the University of Pennsylvania. Do people perceive you as: A relevant authority (informal or formal)? An expert with relevant knowledge? Someone who s competent? Someone who can be trusted? Trust - Developing trust is one of the most critical capabilities required to be a successful leader. If people don t see you as believable, it s unlikely they re going to work hard for you or with you. There are many ways to strengthen people s trust in you: Tell both sides of the story Deliver on your promises Keep confidences Be consistent in your values Encourage the exploration of ideas (listen) Put others interests first Influence - Being influential means having strong self-awareness, understanding how others see you and realizing you are judged the moment you enter a room. It also includes positively assessing and navigating the unique needs and expectations of your peers, team, and customers as well as establishing mutual respect, aligning goals, and being authentic. WHITE PAPER: The Fundamentals of Great Leadership 3

4 Developing trust is one of the most critical capabilities required to be a successful leader. If people don t see you as believable, it s unlikely they re going to work hard for you or with you.

5 How to Establish Leadership Presence The ability to gain respect is often problematic for new business leaders. Long-time employees may have difficulty appreciating the value an outsider brings to the company or even harbor resentment toward someone younger than them, even if that person has appropriate credentials. What transpires when feelings like those fester is never good for the business; veteran employees may be so respectful that they fail to assert themselves or be so disrespectful that they exhibit unprofessional behavior or fail to work to their capabilities. Tips to Gain Respect as a Leader Be the first in and the last out; put your work ethic on overdrive. Demonstrate your knowledge rather than being defensive. Value what others have brought to the business; be humble. Be genuine and personable. Respect the company culture and figure out where you fit in. Establish credibility and gravitas through your actions and the way you communicate. Pay your dues; save enjoying privileges until you ve proven your worth. New leaders must also establish a physical presence that s neither condescending nor tentative and fearful. Employees will develop their perceptions based in part on how new leaders carry themselves. WHITE PAPER: The Fundamentals of Great Leadership 5

6 Whether a leader cares to acknowledge it or not, he or she has a significant effect on the employees, and when things go wrong, the leader needs to first look in the mirror before assigning blame elsewhere.

7 Signs A Leadership Style Doesn t Work A business leader watches seven employees leave the company he runs over the course of several months. He is frustrated with employees who he believes do not possess a strong work ethic and are not loyal. He is shocked when it is pointed out perhaps he had a direct or indirect impact on these employees behavior and/or decision to leave the company. The truth is that having numerous employees quit in such a short time period might be a clear sign that this business leader needs to reevaluate his leadership style. These types of situations repeat themselves over and over with leaders failing to take responsibility for the role they play in their team s behavior. A failing leadership style manifests in a variety of ways, including: Lack of engagement High turnover No enthusiasm Frustration Poor work product When a pattern of these behaviors or dissatisfaction is evident among employees, remember work culture starts at the top with leadership. What Great Leaders Do An article in Harvard Business Review examined what actions set the best leaders apart. It s essential that leaders continually evaluate their leadership style, starting with these behaviors: Decide with speed and conviction. Drawing out the decision-making process for too long can have unexpected consequences. Making prompt decisions, along with being transparent, can go a long way toward the long-term success of your business. Engage for impact. Employees become frustrated if they feel a leader rules like a king or queen, or gives them independence without providing any guidance. When making decisions that affect their team, leaders must hold respectful conversations to help employees understand why. Adapt proactively. This is all about agility identifying and managing change. The most effective leaders trust their team to handle day-to-day responsibilities so they can stay abreast of industry changes and develop strategies to respond to them. Deliver reliably. This behavior is about setting clear, definable goals that are realistic and ensuring the team knows what success looks like. It s a good strategy to continue to raise the bar as employees meet incremental goals rather than deflate them with an all or nothing philosophy. WHITE PAPER: The Fundamentals of Great Leadership 7

8 Above all else, effective leaders understand what got them to where they are may no longer work so there is value to being open to what the next generation of leadership has to say.

9 Your Legacy: Grooming Future Leadership To establish a legacy, the most important decision you make as a leader can revolve around identifying and grooming future leaders. When emotion is eliminated from the decision, it really comes down to whether the next leaders can demonstrate the three Cs: Clarity A vision for the company s long-term direction Courage A willingness to embrace the leadership role and do the tough stuff/the ability to be a strong and influential leader Commitment A devotion to the company s mission and goals However, as most family business owners learn, narrowing their focus is easier said than done. It s essential business leaders answer certain questions about potential leadership candidates: Do they have the necessary skill sets to succeed current leadership and run the business? What were their expectations in joining the business? How would one describe their professional and personal relationships with other individuals in the business and with clients? Is there a feeling of resistance or readiness to embrace future trends and make changes in the business while retaining the overall vision for it? The next generation of leaders may have different priorities about how to do business, so it s also important to ensure the big picture is discussed with them. Respected leaders understand it s not essential to have a clone take over for them someone who is just like them. There are plenty of benefits to seeing things from a different perspective. For instance, work styles may not appear in sync older owners may think a breakfast meeting should start at 7 a.m., while the younger set prefers 8 a.m. or even later. It s easy to make an immediate judgment that starting the work day later in the morning means a lack of passion, but differences in style may not mean a lack of commitment to the business and its success. It s best to step back, look at the bigger picture and shift to a learning mindset to more accurately assess the situation. Above all else, effective leaders understand what got them to where they are may no longer work so there is value to being open to what the next generation of leadership has to say. In an ideal situation, the decision to choose a future leader or successor does not occur overnight. Instead, next-generation leadership candidates are given a good amount of time perhaps up to five years to demonstrate their value and connect with employees and clients. WHITE PAPER: The Fundamentals of Great Leadership 9

10 Ready to reach the next level of success in your leadership career? Contact us today to schedule a personalized consultation. FEDERER PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT GROUP, LLC TRANSFORMING VISIONS INTO RESULTS For more information: VISIT CALL info@federerperformance.com