In the last newsletter we spent some time thinking about the biggest mistakes leaders can make. Certainly everyone makes missteps. Learning, adjusting and improving from those mistakes are critical skills to develop yourself. In that article there were some major leadership mishaps identified that cost leaders big time. Betraying trust, wavering in uncertainty or arrogance were just a few of the Leadership Blunders mentioned by a collection of experts put together by Harvard Business Publishing. To refer to the video referenced last time, click here: Harvard Business Publishing Leadership Blunders.
Aha! Leadership wanted to turn this discussion towards, what leaders should do to be successful. We asked you the question: What is the most impactful thing a person can do to successfully lead? Sixteen of our readers responded to the call, here is what you said:
Over half of responses cited trust and integrity as being most important. One reader put it like this, “Have integrity and care about the organization, the people it serves, and the employees.” Almost half of the responses in this category mentioned the idea of leading by example. Nothing takes the wind out of the sails more than the “Do as I say, not as I do” philosophy of leadership. You can see it sink morale and turn a team cynical. You may have experienced this at some point, for example, a leader who slashed the budget in the name of cost-cutting and then made some expensive, perhaps unnecessary purchases. The leader who talked up the idea of work ethic and charging hard, but did the bare minimum to get by on the job. The examples are endless.
How refreshing and impactful to see a leader who understands how to walk their talk! One reader shared this philosophy, “Don’t ask someone to do something that you would not do yourself.” Trust workshops are highly sought after in Aha! Leadership’s Practice. Many leaders understand this and want to make sure they emulate trust building behaviors with their teams and in their organizations.
The next highest concentration of responses was around valuing and caring for the people under your leadership at over 18%. Just over 10% of responses were about empowerment of the team members. Two additional responses that were hard to categorize elsewhere were about:
1) ensuring as leaders we have humility and vulnerability;
and 2) listening and providing appropriate guidance/direction.
Trust and teamwork are cornerstones of successful businesses.
Hearing people’s candid responses to help leaders become more effective is so valuable to those reading this article. Thank you. There are no hidden agendas, people we are trying to please or impress, just an honest answers to help us get better. Let’s not allow this advice to go past us without some reflection. How can you take a step to improve your leadership? What will you do after reading this to make a difference in your leadership?