Hidden Secrets to Leadership Success

Matching your beliefs with your actions moves you closer to being an Authentic Leader and helps you be more genuine and present. The context combination of Characteristics of a successful leader helps you understand yourself. Pick any of the characteristics we have discussed in previous episodes and they will have a direct impact on your becoming more authentic. Being authentic means matching your values and beliefs with your actions and Intentions. Listen to this dynamic conversation and see how you can become a more Authentic Leader.

In today's environment leaders are directly responsible for retaining their unit or teams. This becomes a duty of the leader supported by the leadership characteristics they have used successfully in their leadership role. Often retention is viewed as an organization wide “All Hands On Deck” campaign driven from the Executive Suite. In reality Leaders at the entry level are the first line of defense. Its simple “Employees join companies: Employees Leave Supervisors”! Effective Leaders Listen to, Engage, Encourage and Respect their teams in order to keep them!

Leadership is not effective unless there is a strong diversity element. The simplest way to think of it is to substitute the word “Differences” for “Diversity”. Leadership is understanding people's differences. Differences are what makes each of us unique and they allow us to add value and texture to the organizations that employ us. Each of the preceding podcast episodes highlight an important characteristic of effective leadership. Understanding these characteristics and using them to be an effective leader will almost automatically address improved Diversity in your organizations. In other words, Differences are the keys to helping people do their best work. Simply put, Leadership with a focus on Differences brings out the best in everyone.

The ultimate definition of Leadership Success is not so much the results you achieve, it is the leaders you develop and the results they achieve. This means you are responsible for seeing the success of others. Demonstrating successful leadership characteristics shows others that results come from the application of proven leadership characteristics and sincere support for all of those that follow you. The measures of widgets sold, products built, reports completed or donors contacted will follow.

You will never be more on display than when you are a leader. Your followers and practically every other person in the organization and in your life watch how you behave. Leading By Example is a concept talked about in lots of leadership classes and in folklore about leaders. Leading By Example is more than showing up on the factory floor or helping the staff complete a project over a weekend. Leading by example is about being visible every day, showing support for both your inner circle but also for the newest team member or the one that is struggling with a new assignment.

A successful leader must Trust and be Trusted. This requires a commitment to every positive leadership characteristic and to every person you lead and influence. Leadership is the use of influence to guide and nurture others as they strive to meet their goals and objectives. Trust is given by those you lead; it can not be demanded from them. Likewise, you must show faith and confidence in those you lead to demonstrate your trust in them. Trust is elusive, it must be earned over time and nurtured daily. Conversely, Trust can be lost instantly in an unkind or inappropriate comment or action, never to be regained

The importance of establishing a vision for your part of the organization no matter what level or where you are in the hierarchy. A Vision may be grand or practical, but also should be aspirational and inspirational. Examples of meaningful visions and the challenges of developing them are covered in this episode.

Humans are built to care for others and to function in groups. That means understanding where others in your group are experiencing both happiness and stress brought on by daily life events. A successful leader will try to understand what is happening with team members and relate to their situation. If the leader has had a similar event, then they may be able to sympathize with the team member. If you are simply trying to understand the team members experience you must use your ability to empathize with the team member. In this episode listen closely for how to use your ability to empathize with those you lead.

Listening is perhaps the most important characteristic and most difficult for any leader to achieve success. Listening requires work. To be successful the leader must demonstrate Active Listening which requires clarifying and reflecting what you hear from others. Additionally listening requires using others' ideas and inputs and giving credit for those inputs. Perhaps most difficult is recognizing the “quiet” team member. In the final analysis we all want to be heard! These issues are explored in-depth in this episode.

Being a Respected leader is a unique characteristic for leaders to achieve. While you may want to be respected, your followers award or withhold respect based on your actions and interactions. Followers also expect to be respected by the leader. This means recognizing your followers existing and potential qualities and achievements. You can't be respected without showing respect for others.

The characteristic of being courageous seldom shows up in leadership literature. However, demonstrating courage in the face of difficulties and headwinds is critical for leader success. This episode examines the situations and challenges that require the leader to be Courageous. Being Courageous requires understanding of the culture and foundations of the organization and a keen analysis of the risk and rewards faced.

Successful leaders must understand what motivates, drives, and even limits their ability to interact with those around them. Importantly they must also understand what motivates, drives, and limits those they lead. The difficulties and payoffs of achieving higher levels of Self-Awareness are featured in this episode.

The importance of establishing a vision for your part of the organization no matter what level or where you are in the hierarchy. A Vision may be grand or practical, but all should be aspirational and inspirational.  Examples of meaningful visions and the challenges of developing them are covered in this episode.