Leadership is learned behavior
that becomes unconscious and automatic over time. For example, leaders
can make several important decisions about an issue in the time it takes others
to understand the question. Many people wonder how leaders know how
to make the best decisions, often under immense pressure. The process of
making these decisions comes from an accumulation of experiences and encounters
with a multitude of difference circumstances, personality types and unforeseen
failures. More so, the decision making process is an acute
understanding of being familiar with the cause and effect of behavioral and
circumstantial patterns; knowing the intelligence and interconnection
points of the variables involved in these patterns allows a leader to
confidently make decisions and project the probability of their desired
outcomes. The most successful leaders are instinctual decision makers.
Having done it so many times throughout their careers, they become immune to
the pressure associated with decision making and extremely intuitive about the
process of making the most strategic and best decisions. This is why most
senior executives will tell you they depend strongly upon their “gut-feel” when
making difficult decisions at a moment’s notice.
Beyond
decision making, successful leadership across all areas becomes learned and
instinctual over a period of time. Successful leaders have learned the mastery
of anticipating business patterns, finding opportunities in pressure
situations, serving the people they lead and overcoming hardships.
No wonder the best CEOs are paid so much money. In 2011, salaries
for the 200 top-paid CEOs rose 5 percent to a median $14.5 million per year,
according to a study by compensation-data company Equilar for
The
New York Times.
If
you are looking to advance your career into a leadership capacity and / or
already assume leadership responsibilities – here are 15 things you must do
automatically, every day, to be a successful leader in the workplace:
1.
Make Others Feel Safe to Speak-Up
Many
times leaders intimidate their colleagues with their title and power when they
walk into a room. Successful leaders deflect attention away from
themselves and encourage others to voice their opinions. They are experts
at making
others
feel safe to speak-up and confidently share their perspectives and points
of view. They use their
executive
presence to create an approachable environment
.
2.
Make Decisions
Successful
leaders are expert decision makers. They either facilitate
the dialogue to empower their colleagues to reach a strategic conclusion or
they do it themselves. They focus on “making things happen” at all times
– decision making activities that sustain progress. Successful
leaders have mastered the art of politicking and thus don’t waste their time on
issues that disrupt momentum.
They
know how to make 30 decisions in 30 minutes.
3.
Communicate Expectations
Successful
leaders are great communicators, and this is especially true when it comes to
“performance expectations.” In doing so, they remind their
colleagues of the organization’s core values and mission statement – ensuring
that their vision is properly translated and actionable objectives are properly
executed.
I
had a boss that managed the team by reminding us of the expectations that she
had of the group. She made it easy for the team to stay focused and
on track. The protocol she implemented – by clearly communicating
expectations – increased performance and helped to identify those on the team
that could not keep up with the standards she expected from us.
4.
Challenge People to Think
The
most successful leaders understand their colleagues’ mindsets, capabilities and
areas for improvement. They use this knowledge/insight to challenge their
teams to think and stretch them to reach for more. These types of
leaders excel in keeping their people on their toes, never allowing them to get
comfortable and enabling them with the tools to grow.
If
you are not thinking, you’re not learning new things. If you’re not
learning, you’re not growing – and over time becoming irrelevant in your work.
5.
Be Accountable to Others
Successful
leaders allow their colleagues to manage them. This doesn’t mean they are
allowing others to control them – but rather becoming accountable to assure
they are being proactive to their colleagues needs.
Beyond
just mentoring and sponsoring selected employees, being accountable to others
is a sign that your leader is focused more on your success than just their own.
6.
Lead by Example
Leading
by example sounds easy, but few leaders are consistent with this
one. Successful leaders practice what they preach and are mindful
of their actions. They know everyone is watching them and therefore are
incredibly intuitive about detecting those who are observing their every move,
waiting to detect a performance shortfall.
7.
Measure & Reward Performance
Great
leaders always have a strong “pulse” on business performance and those people
who are the performance champions. Not only do they review the numbers and
measure performance ROI, they are active in acknowledging hard work and efforts
(no matter the result). Successful leaders never take
consistent performers for granted and are mindful of rewarding them.
8.
Provide Continuous Feedback
Employees
want their leaders to know that they are paying attention to them and they
appreciate any insights along the way. Successful leaders always provide
feedback and they welcome reciprocal feedback by creating
trustworthy
relationships with their colleagues.. They understand the power of
perspective and have learned the importance of feedback early on in their
career as it
has
served them to enable workplace advancement.
9.
Properly Allocate and Deploy Talent
Successful
leaders know their talent pool and how to use it. They are experts at
activating the capabilities of their colleagues and knowing when to deploy
their unique skill sets given the circumstances at hand.
10.
Ask Questions, Seek Counsel
Successful
leaders ask questions and seek counsel all the time. From the outside,
they appear to know-it-all – yet on the inside, they have a deep thirst for
knowledge and constantly are on the look-out to learn new things because of
their commitment to making themselves better through the wisdom of others.
11.
Problem Solve; Avoid Procrastination
Successful
leaders tackle issues head-on and know how to discover the heart of the matter
at hand. They
don’t
procrastinate and thus become incredibly proficient at problem solving;
they learn from and don’t avoid uncomfortable circumstances (they welcome
them).
Getting
ahead in life is about doing the things that most people don’t like doing.
12.
Positive Energy & Attitude
Successful
leaders create a positive and inspiring workplace culture. They know how
to set the tone and bring an attitude
that
motivates their colleagues to take action. As such, they are
likeable, respected and strong willed. They don’t allow failures to
disrupt momentum.
13.
Be a Great Teacher
Many
employees in the workplace will tell you that their leaders have stopped being
teachers. Successful leaders never stop teaching because they are
so self-motivated to learn themselves. They use teaching to keep their
colleagues well-informed and knowledgeable through statistics, trends, and
other newsworthy items.
Successful
leaders take the time to mentor their colleagues and make the investment to
sponsor those who have proven they are able and eager to advance.
14.
Invest in Relationships
Leaders share the harvest of their
success to help build momentum for those around them.
15.
Genuinely Enjoy Responsibilities
Successful
leaders love being leaders – not for the sake of power but for the meaningful
and purposeful impact they can create. When you have reached a
senior level of leadership – it’s about your ability to serve others and this
can’t be accomplished unless you genuinely enjoy what you do.
In
the end, successful leaders are able to sustain their success because these 15
things ultimately allow them to increase the value of their organization’s
brand – while at the same time minimize the operating risk profile.
They serve as the enablers of talent, culture and results.
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