Response Magic 
By: Robert Hewes, PhD
Being a leader today is
different from what it was 10 or even 5 years ago.
Today’s workplace has a
fast pace of change and many more demands. It also involves working with many
teams usually across different time zones, etc. It’s a complex environment out
there.
Leading and managing have
moved well beyond just commanding the troops to “get it done.”
While there are a number
of different leadership styles, the best leaders share some common traits.
Below is a list of ten
leadership traits to get you thinking about your own leadership approach for
2017.
Be Results Orientated. Let’s put this right on the table: At the end of the
day as a leader, you are responsible for delivering results however they are
defined.
In the end, it is not
about effort, which is no doubt good and very much needed, but what really
counts is what is accomplished.
You have to keep this in
the forefront of your mind as a guide to your activity. Great leaders spend
their energy on the most effective activities to achieve the greatest outcomes.
Remember, action
orientation is good, but be oriented on the right actions.
Don’t just be busy; be a
busy leader who
gets results.
Be Customer Focused. To get the best results, you have to know your customers. Customers
may be internal or external. We all have them. (Note: If you don’t know who
your customers are, you need to get an answer right away.).
Everything you do needs to
be directed at what customers need or will need.
Get “outside the glass.”
In other words, look
beyond your area.
You should find out what
your customers want by asking them. You can’t intuit this one. You should
continually listen to
your customers; really listen to what they have to say.
Have a Vision.
Simply put, know where you are headed. Have a picture of it in your head, and
be able to communicate it effectively.
This is not the stuff of
just a CEO.
It is critically important
that you be able to paint a vivid picture of where your group or organization
is headed.
In the end, you should use
the vision to motivate and guide action. Make your vision a shared one with
your group.
Every member of your group
should be able to describe a similar picture and communicate it.
Be Strategically Focused. If you want to do big things, be more strategic in
what you do and how you go about doing it.
Today’s leaders need to be
ahead of marketplace demands while maintaining other critical functions.
This is not easy to do,
but it is something leaders need to tackle head on.
If you are exclusively
focused on what is in front of you, the future may pass you by.
Look forward. The future
deserves some of your attention.
Think at a higher level
than just what is on your daily action list.
Seeing the bigger picture
and looking forward are critical to succeeding as
a leader; without these, one’s head is down too much.
A leader should be
strategically focused at least 15% of the time (the more senior, the higher the
percentage).
You must take a hard look
at where you actually spend your time, and where you should. Make an adjustment
to be more strategic.
Effectively Get Work Done Through Others. Getting things done yourself is great, but it
doesn’t scale very well.
If you want to do big
things, it requires effectively getting work done through others.
One needs to become very
good at delegating.
Note: This can’t be about
just getting items off your plate. That is transparent and not being a great
leader. If you say, “If you want it done, you must do it yourself,” stop. You
need to become better at delegating and having things done through others.
Each week, look at what
you have to do and make sure you are delegating effectively. Figure out who is
the right person to tackle specific tasks or projects.
Be Good at Dealing with Conflict. A cornerstone of working effectively with people is
being very good at dealing with conflict.
The reality is that
conflict is going to happen. People think things should be done in different
ways. No surprise. You should even expect it. The trick is not to have conflict
be counterproductive.
Learn how to successfully
resolve conflict and harness the best ideas from your staff.
Ask Great
Questions. We’ve all seen
it. You are in a meeting and someone asks a great question that unlocks a
situation.
Funny thing is, many
times, it is the same person who asks all the great questions. If you tend to
ask questions, make sure they are really good questions. For a key meeting in
the future, think of three good questions to ask.
Make High-Quality Decisions. Making decisions is one of the fundamental actions
of an executive.
And, the great ones make
really good decisions. Making decisions is easy--heck, you can flip a coin to
pick between two things. However, making quality decisions is much harder.
Understand, reflect, and
learn about your decision making process.
Leaders need to make both
quality and timely decisions.
Be a Trusted Leader. People do want to follow and accomplish great things.
All else being equal, a
trusted leader will get more from his people and have a stronger following.
Be someone your people can
trust.
It is important to
remember that it takes a long time to earn trust; it builds over time.
The flipside is that you
can lose it quickly.
Be an Incredible Communicator. Communication is one of the fundamental leadership
capabilities.
So much is done through
communication; it is how initiatives are launched, results are reported, and a
plethora of things are done in between.
Remember, too,
communication is a two-way street with listening as important as speaking.
Great leaders listen
incredibly well as part of their communication skills.
Leadership style sets the
tone and approach for an organization, especially when it comes from leaders in
the C-Suite. It is the classic “follow-the-leader” situation.
People will watch and
mimic how things are done from top management on down.
One should always lead in
a way that you want copied--because it will be.
Source: AMA
