No two leaders are alike…nor should they be! It’s important that as a leader you are true to yourself, and bring your unique style to the forefront. With that, there are some key elements that effective leaders must embody. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, these behaviors are themes I have seen over nearly thirty years of coaching and developing leaders.
ALIGN YOURSELF WITH YOUR VALUES: As an effective leader, you must know what you VALUE, and also do your very best to lead in alignment to their values. A leader must ask, “how do I want to be known or described by others?” Create a list of (5) behaviors or descriptor words that are top of your list. Then, have that list literally and metaphorically in front of you when you are engaging with people. Do your very best to show up in the world aligned to your values. This isn’t always possible because external factors such as stress/pressure, exhaustion, competing priorities, challenging metrics, etc. can try to derail us from showing up as our best selves. When you’re effective in leadership, you’ll notice when you’re out of alignment, acknowledge it to yourself and others, and do your best to get back into alignment.
Demonstrate high levels of EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE or EQ. We know from decades of research that there is a much stronger correlation to leadership success when leaders have high EQ, even over having high IQ. Emotional intelligence means one is SELF AWARE, exhibits STRONG SELF CONTROL, SOCIAL AWARENESS AND STRONG INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP BUILDING SKILLS. EQ can be developed. I get asked that question a lot. It takes desire and focus to build this capability but I see leaders grow in this area everyday.
TAKE STOCK IN THOSE WHO YOU ARE LEADING. As an effective leader, you realize that your success is achieved through the success of those who you lead. You also understand that the most important role you have is developing others. This is done when you set clear expectations, give regular feedback, get the “train back on the track” sooner rather than later, and by focusing on providing development opportunities for all ranges of performance of their team members.
HAVE A “GROWTH MINDSET.” Effective leaders have a “Growth Mindset” as coined by Dr. Carol Dweck. This means you are invested in their own growth, see mistakes as opportunities and find ways to learn at each turn. You also set this tone for the teams they lead.
CREATE A CULTURE OF TRUST AS A STARTING POINT. This is challenging as there are a lot of reasons why people have a hard time trusting others and feeling safe. Effective leaders acknowledge when there is the opportunity to build more trust, and they do what is necessary to work on that. Effective leaders realize that without a foundation of trust, results cannot be achieved because people protect themselves, struggle having healthy conflict and do not always hold themselves and one another accountable to achieve results.
I could go on, and will in subsequent blogs, but this important list is a great place to start as you start to think about where you are strong as a leader, and where you can focus your efforts to be an even better leader for yourself, your team and your company.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to learn more about how Blue Birch Consulting can support you in these efforts.
Great list! I believe humility is right up there or possibly at the top 😊