6 Leadership Communication missteps that can lead your company to success or failure.

Poor communication from leaders can disrupt a team’s structure and performance. Leadership communication can make or break your company. Leaders need to pay attention when communicating with their team to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Poorly delivered messages can lead to confusion, disorganization, and a decline in overall revenues. On the other hand, effective leadership communication can create a sense of certainty and accord among staff, resulting in a more productive and profitable organization. To ensure that your communications have the desired effect, avoid making these five common mistakes.

Not communicating at all

One of the most common mistakes leaders make is failing to communicate with their team. This can take many forms, from neglecting to update employees on company changes or developments to not providing clear instructions on tasks or projects. Poor communication creates an environment of uncertainty and confusion, which can lead to decreased productivity and morale.  It can also make team members do what they think is right, instead of what the company really needs.

How to correct it: Make a point to regularly communicate with your team, whether by holding weekly meetings, sending out regular updates or simply being available to answer questions. Establishing and maintaining clear communication lines will help ensure everyone is on the same page and working towards common goals.

Communicating too much

While it is important to keep your team updated, inundating them with information can have the opposite effect of what you intended. Trying to cram too much into one update or email can overwhelm employees and make it difficult for them to process everything. This can lead to apathy or even resentment towards company communications.

How to correct it: Be concise and focused on your messages, highlighting only the most essential information. If you have a lot to communicate, consider breaking it up into smaller chunks or sending it out over a period of time. Employees will be more likely to engage with messages that are easy to digest and relevant to their needs. Make it a standard practice to ask employees how they like to be communicated with. In some instances, employees might prefer and appreciate a phone call or an in-person meeting. You do not know if you do not ask!

Being inconsistent

Another common mistake leaders make is being inconsistent with their communications. This can take the form of sending out sporadic updates, skipping team meetings, changing the expectations for projects without warning or communicating different expectations to different stakeholders regarding the same matter. This inconsistency can create confusion and frustration among employees, who may feel they can’t rely on their leader for direction.

How to correct it: Try to maintain a consistent communication schedule, whether holding weekly meetings or sending out regular updates. Let your team know in advance if there are any changes to the schedule or expectations. This will help employees feel they can count on you for consistent guidance and leadership.

Being vague in your communication

When communicating with your team, it is important to be clear and specific about what you expect. Vague messages can lead to confusion and misunderstanding, ultimately hampering productivity. For example, simply telling employees to “be more productive” will not likely result in real change. Being inclusive or respectful does not mean that you cannot be honest or direct in your communication style, but it does mean that honest, reciprocal communication should be valued on your team.

How to correct it: Be specific in your communications, giving clear instructions on what you expect from employees. If you want them to increase their productivity, give them tangible goals to work towards and a timeline for improvement. The SMART goal framework can be helpful for both managing priorities and improving the communication that supports them. This will help ensure everyone is on the same page and working towards the same objectives.

Not listening

One of the most important aspects of effective communication is listening. This means taking the time to hear what your team has to say, whether it’s feedback on a project or concerns about their work environment. Active listening shows employees that you value their input and are willing to work together to find solutions.

How to correct it: Make a point to listen carefully when employees are speaking in individual conversations and team meetings. If you are not sure you understand, ask clarifying questions. And once they’ve finished speaking, take the time to consider their input before responding. This will help ensure that you consider their needs and concerns.

Not providing context

When sending out updates or giving instructions, leaders often forget to provide context for their employees. Without this context, employees may struggle to understand the purpose of the message or how it applies to them. As a result, they may feel disengaged or even resentful.

How to correct it: Make sure to provide context for your communications, whether you are sending out an email update or giving a presentation to the team. Explain why this information is important and how it will impact employees. This will help ensure that everyone is on the same page and invested in the message you’re trying to communicate.

The mistakes above can have a serious impact on your company’s communications. However, if you catch them early and make the necessary corrections, you can avoid any potential damage. Are you making any of these mistakes in your own communication? How will you correct them and empower your team to hold you accountable for improving?

Leadership development in a post-pandemic world.

Important traits to consider when assessing leaders

For many leaders, the pandemic has been a trial by fire. New challenges have put the strengths and weaknesses of their leadership style under the spotlight. It’s no secret that the working world has changed drastically in the last year and a half. The pandemic has forced leaders and employees to adapt to new ways of working, often stepping outside of their comfort zone.

For better or worse, a lot of the changes are here to stay. What started for many as two weeks out of the office turned into a completely virtual work environment. Now, with offices reopening, leaders at all levels will need to adapt to a new hybrid workplace model.

To thrive in the future, leaders need to face new challenges head-on. To do that, they will need support. As businesses recover, leadership development needs to be prioritized. Leadership assessments are one of the most valuable tools in the development toolbox. Companies will need to rethink what they are assessing and explore new ways to build up their leaders for success. Here are five traits you should consider when assessing leaders in the post-pandemic world.

Focus on Empathy

Empathetic leadership is more important than ever. Leaders who are focused on supporting and empathizing with their employees can form better connections and understand the needs of their team. This means they are more likely to have engaged teams, making it easier to retain talent.

The pandemic had a huge impact on workplaces around the globe. We are now seeing a turnover tsunami. Part of the reason for this is employee burnout. Uncertainty, transitioning to new ways of working, and changing expectations all factor into burnout. Proactive, empathetic leadership can make all the difference in ensuring that employees want to stay with your company. When assessing leadership, measure emotional intelligence. Look at their ability to listen actively, understand employee needs and engage in an empathetic way.

Adaptability and Flexibility Are Vital

The way we work has changed and leaders need to be able to adapt quickly. The sudden move to remote work was jarring for many organizations. This is especially true for companies with a strong in-office culture.

A lot of the changes came with new technology as many companies’ digital transformation strategies kicked into high-gear last year. The ability to adapt to new technologies is important, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Leaders also need to adapt and be flexible with the needs of their employees.

As of December 2020, 71 percent of employees that could do their jobs remotely were choosing to work from home. More than half of those employees would like to continue to work from home post-pandemic. As more workplaces move to a hybrid model, leaders need to balance the needs of employees with performance. There is no one size fits all solution here. Evaluate leaders and potential leaders for their ability to navigate change. Assess whether employees feel empowered to do their work in the way that makes them most successful.

Developing Trust

When planning leadership development, measuring employee trust in leadership is a key metric for success. Leaders and employees both thrive in high-trust environments. Employees need to know that leadership has their back. Leaders need to know that their employees are doing great work and driving results.

During the pandemic, leaders likely struggled with trust during the shift to remote work. In many cases, that trust was rewarded as productivity increased by 47 percent in 2020, per a report by Prodoscore. As a leadership trait, trust is critical to employees feeling empowered and being able to do their best work.

Identify Potential for Success

It’s important to know what your company needs and who is best suited to meet those needs. Knowing who can successfully lead in your company and setting them up for success is crucial. When succession planning, companies need to evaluate who will drive the company culture. They also need to determine who has the potential to lead at a higher level.

Tools like a 9-box performance matrix are useful when assessing candidates for leadership positions. Often, you’ll need to determine who does their best work as an individual contributor, and who can be further developed. Know what works in your company and give your best candidates the coaching, tools and training to be even better.

Less Reactive, More Proactive

The pandemic put a lot of organizations on their back foot. Nobody knew what to expect, or how long the pandemic would last. Many businesses had to react quickly to keep everything running. Collectively, we all learned the value of thinking pragmatically and proactively.

Leadership assessment, development, and succession planning need to be proactive. It’s no longer about what and who you need right now, today. Businesses need to evaluate how their priorities are shifting and who can help them meet their goals in years to come. When looking at leadership candidates and evaluating current leaders, determine if they are forward thinkers. Find out if their vision of the future matches the business’s long-term outlook.

Managing Stress Through Chaos

Perhaps every leader around the world has dealt with a huge amount of stress in 2020. And 2021 has not brought any relief thus far. Even those companies who are thriving during the pandemic had a different kind of stress.

I found that leaders who took the time to think through their actions and get feedback from other stakeholders did much better than those who did not.  Yes, we have to cut costs and make tough decisions, but the way you go about it can make a big difference.  A big difference to your company, your employees, and your customers.

Sometimes in the midst of a situation we do not realize how stressful it is.  We need to be more self-aware and acknowledge that this situation is different, more complex, and perhaps with higher stakes than normal.

Once you know that your situation is more stressful than normal, it is important to remember that denial is not a good strategy. Simply saying we will be fine will not work.  You do not have to be super-hero.  It is ok to acknowledge that you are stressed and that it is having an impact.  In fact, when you can name and acknowledge the stress you are feeling you are taking a positive step in dealing with it. Additionally, your recognition of the stress will help you lead by example – your denial could lead to the team’s denial as well.

You know how you respond when stressed. You can make that list, and please do.  Whether you get agitated more easily, talk too quickly, yell too often, or become reclusive, know your “signs”.  When you see yourself acting in those ways more frequently take that as a sign that you need to apply some approaches to reduce your stress. If you have a trusted advisor who can point these behaviors out to you, please ask for their help.

Decision making is an important part of our leadership role – and something that is often impacted by our stress level. Once you know you are feeling the stress of a situation, consider the following:

• Am I involving the right people in and getting the right perspectives on my decisions? Often in stressful times people make quick decisions and do not benefit from the insights of others.
• Is this the right decision? Stop and take a deep breath (which will help with your stress to start with), and look at your decision again – have you considered the right factors, and will this decision be successful?

Don’t stop after your decision is made and your action taken.  Keep the team involved and communicate as much as you can with your employees.  Now is not the time to stay in your office.  If you have remote workers, keep them informed.  Allow for questions.  In the end your entire company will benefit from the way you handled an extremely stressful time.

Silent Forces that influence your decision making

Good leadership is about good decision-making. Processes upon processes have been developed to help leaders make decisions, yet we often fail to consider the silent forces that influence decision-making.

This post identifies three hidden forces, offering a self-awareness exercise and an action to improve decision-making.

Identity

A leader’s identity is entwined intricately with their decision-making. When an employee is promoted to a leadership position, yet still identifies with being an employee, that leader will struggle to make decisions, course-correct and initiate difficult conversations.

For example, some leaders identify with being nice more than they identify with being a leader. As a result, patterns such appeasing and avoiding are developed to cope with conflict. While these issues may be partly skills-related, the core issue is identity. We will not and cannot make decisions outside of our own identity.

Self-awareness: Describe yourself by starting each sentence with the statement “I am.” For example, “I am impatient,” “I am dependable” and “I am a perfectionist” might be the first three ways you identify.

Next, look at how these definitions serve you or inhibit your leadership. If you identify with being an impatient perfectionist, chances are you micromanage, believe no one else can get it right and are not as approachable as you need to be. The point is that your self-identity manifests itself in leadership behavior and results.

Action: Pick an area where you want to shift your identity. For example, if being impatient is not working for you, start to shift your language. Instead of saying, “I’m impatient,” say instead, “I’m learning to delegate and become more present.” Or “I balance urgency, while paying attention to what’s important and relevant.”

This will start to elevate your awareness so you can change your automatic programming to become more intentional with your leadership behaviors.

Intention

To paraphrase author, Gary Zukav, “If you don’t know your intention before an interaction you will know it afterwards.” Your intention is like a goal with a soul.

Intention is about not only the final outcome but the journey. For example, if you need to have a difficult conversation, start by examining your real intention. The two primary questions you need to ask are:

1. What do you want to accomplish by having the conversation?
2. How do you want the other person to feel afterwards?

Do you really want to help the employee, or are you just “documenting” the conversation so that you can legally terminate employment? Do you really want to improve the employee’s performance, or are you using your conversation as a match point to prove your power?

Self-awareness: Think about one or two interactions where you got sidetracked or surprised. Describe a conversation where you reacted (and felt justified) then later had regrets. What would you have done differently if you had been thinking more logically? Perhaps you should have spoken up sooner, or you should have researched to confirm or deny assumptions.

Action: Before any difficult conversation, write down your end result. Then write down how and why you want to help the person involved. Do not act until your motives are pure.

Once your “energy” is cleaned up, articulate your intention at the start of the conversation. It should sound something like this: “My intention for our conversation is to help you get up to speed on your client calls, and to understand what barriers might be in your way.”

Emotion

Decision-making happens from the logical brain, the pre-frontal cortex, but emotions can hijack your decision-making. The human brain has limited resources available for self-control. The key is knowing how to interpret emotions rather than having emotions guide decision-making.

For example, anger is not telling you that you are right, and the other person is wrong. Most likely, anger means an expectation has not been met, or a boundary has been crossed. Anger is not the truth, but it is the fuel to get you there. 

Self-awareness: Make a mental list of a recent conversation that went south. Work backwards and remember what emotions you had before the conversation. Notice the themes and patterns. You will probably find some unprocessed emotions. Or you may find that you avoid conversations and need to speak up sooner.

Action: The next time you feel strong emotion, breathe, and take a pause. Buy time if you find yourself in a situation with a high-conflict person where you feel the strong urge to fight, flight or freeze. Get a meeting with the other person on the calendar so that you have time to get a plan in place. Talk with a coach or counselor if you need a thought partner to gain clarity.

How Nice Leaders Can Destroy Your Company

In my business I see this a lot, people in leadership positions who’s desire to be liked overrides their ability to be competent leaders. Although the boss-employee relationship is of critical importance, when relationships become misaligned with organizational goals, team problems shortly follow. A pattern that’s easy to miss: A faltering team that belongs to a likeable leader.

Overly “nice” leaders often create unintended and unnecessary team drama because their overriding priority is to be liked and to avoid conflict.  There are three styles that nice leaders often use to unintentionally create team drama.

The Best friend

New leaders often have not developed the leadership identity they need to set boundaries, initiate difficult conversations and separate their feelings from the facts of their job. They often thrive at first during the honey-moon period when everyone gets along, but falter when reality sets in. Reality begins when Jane complains about Tom. The best friend leader is more invested in making sure no one gets their feelings hurt than giving honest feedback and guidance. Instead of coaching Jane and Tom to work out their differences, the best friend listens, offers explanations and short-term tactics to create harmony. If push comes to shove, the best friend leader takes sides to protect his own turf, thus creating trust violations.

Here is a list of some best-friend behaviors to look out for:

• Gossiping with employees about other employees
• Avoiding difficult conversations
• Being inauthentic about the real problems
• Blaming upper management for decisions
• Listening to hear-say

The best friend leader cares more about being liked and making employees feel good than he/she does about aligning with the mission of the organization.

The hero

The hero  is the boss who loves to help. The hero does well at first with a new team that lacks skills or confidence. The problem is that heroes never seem to shove the baby birds out of the nest. These leaders create unhealthy codependence and do not understand the difference between helping and rescuing. Helping is teaching a man to fish, while rescuing is giving the man a fish — over and over. 

The hero leader has certain qualities that can be identified:

• Inability to ask for what he/she wants
• Taking credit instead of giving credit
• An addictive desire to fix everyone else’s problems
• The open door has become a revolving door
• Overly dependent employees

When a leader tells you he/she has had to compensate for a brilliant yet somewhat incompetent employee, don’t look at the employee as incompetent, but instead to look at the leader as one who needs to be the hero. The reason the incompetence exists is because it has been allowed in the first place. There is always a secondary gain the hero gets from other people’s incompetency.

The hands-off leader

It sounds great at first to hear that the leader is “hands-off.”  You’ll hear statements like, “I trust everyone to do their job,” “I provide a lot of autonomy,” “I’m a “hands-off delegator,” or “I’m always here if people need me, otherwise I just stay out of their way.” This method works until it doesn’t. If the team is having trouble don’t look first at team dynamics, look to see if there’s a hands-off leader who is avoiding. Look for signs of a hands-off philosophy when you find complaints that have not been addressed, or if team squabbles and turf wars are hampering productivity.

Some signs of hands-off leadership include:

• Brushing complaints under the carpet
• Changing the structure before talking to the individuals
• Failure to assist lower-level leaders when problems occur
• Not seeing the drama until it has gotten out of control
• Inability to see the role leaders play in the team’s drama

Sometimes a hands-off leader helps create autonomy and more responsibility and sometimes “Hands off” translates to disengaged leader. Use wisdom to discern that distinction.

The paradox of likability is this: The very qualities that makes a leader likeable can also become the obstacle to growth and the root cause of costly mistakes. When you notice team drama, the natural response is to look at personalities, but when you dig deeper you find a hidden root: A leader that is simply too nice. While likeability can be an advantage, the disadvantage of unbalanced likeability is unintended team-drama and lowered productivity.

 

 

Improving your effectiveness in todays complex world.

It takes courage to be a leader in today’s workplace. Leaders live in an ever-changing world made more complex by the quantity data, social media, consumerism, workforce diversity and enhanced technology.

Gone are the days when the leader was an all-knowing manager with unwavering confidence, a resolute sense of direction and a keen ability to determine the right solutions.

These huge shifts have created a more complex workplace for leaders than in the past. This complexity poses land mines for leaders, particularly because:

• Root causes to problems might be unknown or not easily discernible
• A single solution might not exist
• No one person has the solution to the problem

In these circumstances, leaders are far less effective when they address symptoms of the

problem, assert only their opinion or point of view, fail to capture multiple perspectives to solve the problem or focus on only one solution.

Leading successfully through the never-ending maze of complexity requires a bold, new approach to identify, implement and sustain effective solutions:

• Begin with listening, versus acting. Identify compelling questions that spark dialogue among diverse stakeholders who are closest to the problem or situation. For example: What key events led up to this situation? What does the data suggest? What are the problems, barriers and/or challenges that the team is experiencing? How do these challenges affect the team’s or organization’s ability to produce intended outcomes?
• Demonstrate curiosity.  Explore themes and patterns that begin to emerge from dialogue with stakeholders. For example, what factors seem to contribute most to the situation: failed processes, inadequate technology, human error, etc.? Are there critical intersections in the work process where problems seem to form, grow, and mature? From these themes, seek ideas from stakeholders on interventions that could resolve the situation, whether in whole or in part.
• Take a paced, thoughtful approach toward the solution. Even if a clear solution hasn’t emerged, consider tests of change to study the effects of different interventions. Ensure that each test of change has an objective and baseline data. Once the test has been shown, determine whether the objective was met and if improvement was both measured and experienced.
• Champion learning. From the tests of change, determine what was learned and which solutions should be implemented on a fuller scale to address the situation.

To evolve their leadership approach in complex situations, leaders can advance their self-awareness by asking;

• How do I foster a safe environment where diverse, honest perspectives and recommendations can be shared?
• Do I tend to listen and learn, or tell and act?
• How do I encourage opposing views and creative deviance from the norm?
• How will I make the time to experiment, potentially fail, and extract lessons learned when pursuing the right solution to a complex situation?
• How can I cultivate a work environment where solutions emerge and failure is a natural occurrence on the road to success?

 

If you’re not helping people develop, you’re not management material

Skilled managers have never been more critical to a company’s success as they are today.  Not because employees can’t function without direction, but because managers play a vital role in talent management. Gone are the comprehensive career management systems and expectations of long-term employment that once functioned as the glue in the employer-employee relationship.  In their place, the manager-employee dyad is the new building block of learning and development in many organizations.

Good managers attract candidates, drive performance, engagement and retention, and play a key role in maximizing employees’ contribution to the company. Poor managers, by contrast, are a drag on all of the above.  They cost your company a ton of money in turnover costs and missed opportunities for employee contributions, and they do more damage than you realize.

Job seekers from entry-level to executives are more concerned with opportunities for learning and development than any other aspect of a prospective job.  This makes perfect sense, since continuous learning is a key strategy for crafting a sustainable career.  The vast majority (some sources say as much as 90%) of learning and development takes place not in formal training programs, but rather on the job—through new challenges and developmental assignments, developmental feedback, conversations and mentoring.  Thus, employees’ direct managers are often their most important developers.  Consequently, job candidates’ top criterion is to work with people they respect and can learn from. From the candidate’s viewpoint, his or her prospective boss is the single most important individual in the company.

Managers also have a big impact on turnover and retention. The number one reason employees quit their jobs is because of a poor quality relationship with their direct manager.  No one wants to work for a boss who doesn’t take an interest in their development, doesn’t help them deepen their skills and learn new ones, and doesn’t validate their contributions.

This isn’t what departing employees tell HR during their exit interviews, of course.  After all, who wants to burn a bridge to a previous employer?

Instead, they say they’re leaving because of a better opportunity elsewhere.  And so what happens is that organizations remain in the dark regarding how much damage their inept managers are doing.

Regardless of what else you expect from your managers, facilitating employee learning and development should be a non-negotiable competency.  Becoming a great developer of employees requires managers to expand their focus from “How can I get excellent performance out of my team members?” to “How can I get excellent performance out of my team members while helping them grow?”  Savvy managers know that doing well on the second part of the last question helps to answer the first.

The best managers ask, “How can we harness employee strengths, interests and passions to create greater value for the firm?”  Systematically linking organizational performance and individual development goals in the search for learning opportunities and better ways to work is a hallmark of organizations where sustainable careers flourish.

 

Are you an Effective Coach?

Ask 150 people if they have good common sense, and more than 95% will tell you they do. Ask them if they are good coaches, and almost as many will say yes. Executives we talk to assume that if they’re good managers, then being a good coach is instinctive.

This would be good news, if it were so, since more and more Companies are expecting managers to coach their subordinates.

What’s more, employee surveys conducted over the past decade show that subordinates want coaching. My own experience demonstrates that effective coaching raises employee commitment and engagement, productivity, retention rates, customer loyalty, and subordinates’ perception of the strength of upper-level leadership.

Unfortunately, coaching is not something that comes naturally to everyone. Nor is it a skill that is automatically acquired in the course of learning to manage. And done poorly, it can cause a lot of harm.

What’s more, before they can be taught coaching skills, leaders need to possess some fundamental attributes, many of which are not common managerial strengths. Indeed, some run counter to the behaviors and attributes that get people promoted to managerial positions in the first place. Here are a few of the attributes that can be measured to determine what might predict who would make the most effective coaches. You’ll quickly see the conflict between traditional management practices and good coaching traits:

Being directive versus being collaborative. Good managers give direction to the groups they manage, of course, and the willingness to exert leadership is often why they get promoted. But the most effective managers who are also effective coaches learn to be selective about giving direction. Rather than use their conversations as an opportunity to exert a strong influence, make recommendations, and provide unambiguous direction, they take a step back, and try to draw out the views of their talented, experienced staff.

A desire to give advice or to aid in discovery. Subordinates frequently ask managers questions about how they should handle various issues or resolve specific problems. And managers are often promoted to their positions because they are exceptionally good at solving problems. So no one should be surprised to find that many are quick to give advice, rather than taking time to help colleagues or subordinates discover the best solution from within themselves. The best coaches do a little of both.

An inclination to act as the expert or as an equal. We’ve all seen instances when the person with the most technical expertise has been promoted to a supervisory or managerial position. Organizations want leaders to understand their technology. So, naturally, when coaching others, some managers behave as if they possess far greater wisdom than the person being coached. But in assuming the role of guru, the well-meaning manager may treat the person being coached as a novice, or even a child. Still, the excellent coach does not behave as a complete equal, with no special role, valued perspective, or responsibility in the conversation.

Leaders can learn to be more collaborative as opposed to always being directive. They can learn the skill of helping people to discover solutions rather than always first offering advice. They can learn how satisfying it is to treat others with consummate respect and raise employee commitment through two way collaborative communication.

The 5 Most Important Traits of a True Leader

1. Consistently Strong Work Ethic; Set the Standard

Actions are stronger than words, and this is personified by the respected leader. Great leaders despise false promises and people that create lots of unnecessary noise to get attention. There are many leaders that play the part on the outside but have very little substance on the inside. Respected leaders are those who consistently prove through their work ethic that they are reliable and trustworthy on the inside and out.

These leaders set the tone and are great role models. The tangible and measurable results of their consistent work ethic influence new best practices and cultivate innovation. Ultimately, their leadership defines the performance culture for the organization. They set the standard and leave behind an indelible impact.

2. Not Afraid to Take Risks; Admit Wrong Doing

Respected leaders are those who are not afraid to take risks. They are bold enough to change the conversation and seamlessly challenge the status quo for the betterment of the organization and their competitive advantage. They can anticipate when a paradigm shift is in order and are courageous enough to act on it.

The other side of this admirable quality is the ability to admit wrong doing. Respected leaders do not hesitate to make the most difficult decisions and will put themselves out on the frontline to lead by example. They gravitate towards what many view as a “leap of faith” and willingly accept the challenge – knowing very well that the odds may not be in their favor given the personalities and inherent obstacles that surround them.

3. Sponsor High-Potential Employees; Serve Others Rightly

Respected leaders think about making others better. They don’t leach, they lead. They are mindful of those that give a 100% effort to their responsibilities. Respected leaders find ways to discover the best in people and enable their full potential. When they detect high-potential talent they impart upon them their wisdom and provide a path for long-term success.

Leaders that “sponsor” their employees put their own reputation at risk for the betterment of the individuals they are serving. This is an admirable quality and one that is highly respected amongst a leader’s peers. For example, my career was shaped and defined by one of my bosses in the early stages of my professional development. He witnessed my raw talent and saw that it needed refinement. He wasn’t afraid to take risks and exposed me to environments in the workplace that were too advanced for my experience to-date.

This challenged me to make decisions and tested my ability to think and use my instincts. He lifted me up and guided me rightly each time I failed along the way. My boss taught me all his tricks and trusted me to use them in ways that represented my personality, natural style and approach. Others noticed and didn’t always think that I was worthy of his sponsorship – but in the end I proved the doubters wrong and eventually became their supervisor.

My boss earned a lot of respect from the organization and other leaders began to model his sponsorship approach. Five years later, I became the youngest senior executive in the company’s 100+ year history.

4. Powerful Executive Presence; Long-Lasting Impact

The most respected leaders are the most authentic people. Their executive presence is genuine and true. They make those around them feel that they matter, and they welcome constructive dialogue regardless of hierarchy or rank. Respected leaders trust themselves enough to live their personal brand and serve as powerful role models to others. Their presence creates long-lasting impact that leaves a positive mark on the organization and the people they serve.

Respected leaders are passionate, impact-driven people. Their presence is felt when they walk into the room; their reputation and their track-record precede them.

5. Have Their Employees’ Backs; Deflect Their Own Recognition

Too many leaders are recognition addicts and want all of the credit. They spend too much time breaking-down rather than building-up their teams. They don’t take the time to genuinely learn about other’s needs. Leadership is ultimately about knowing the people you serve and giving them the guidance, inspiration and navigational tools to make their lives better and enable more opportunities.

Leaders earn respect when they reward and recognize their employees and colleagues. They take the time to appreciate and understand the unique ways they each think, act and innovate – and are always on the lookout to enable their talent. They are trusted, admired and respected because they make it more about the advancement of others, rather than themselves. They share the harvest of the momentum they build with others.

Earning respect is a journey and requires leaders to focus on how they can “deliver beyond what is expected” of their role and responsibilities. It’s about always being on the look-out for ways to step up your game and being mindful of ways to make the workplace better and the organization and its people more competitive and relevant.

What will you do as a leader today that you haven’t done in the past to be more respected?

 

Respected Leaders

Consistently Strong Work Ethic; Set the Standard

Actions are stronger than words, and this is personified by the respected leader. Great leaders despise false promises and people who create lots of unnecessary noise to get attention. There are many leaders that play the part on the outside but have very little substance on the inside. Respected leaders are those who consistently prove through their work ethic that they are reliable and trustworthy on the inside and out.

These leaders set the tone and are great role models. The tangible and measurable results of their consistent work ethic influence new best practices and cultivate innovation. Ultimately, their leadership defines the performance culture for the organization. They set the standard and leave behind an indelible impact.

Not Afraid to Take Risks; Admit Wrong Doing

Respected leaders are those who are not afraid to take risks. They are bold enough to change the conversation and seamlessly challenge the status quo for the betterment of the organization and their competitive advantage. They can anticipate when a paradigm shift is in order and are courageous enough to act on it.

The other side of this admirable quality is the ability to admit wrong doing. Respected leaders do not hesitate to make the most difficult decisions and will put themselves out on the frontline to lead by example. They gravitate towards what many view as a “leap of faith” and willingly accept the challenge – knowing very well that the odds may not be in their favor given the personalities and inherent obstacles that surround them.

Sponsor High-Potential Employees; Serve Others Rightly

Respected leaders think about making others better. They don’t leach, they lead. They are mindful of those that give a 100% effort to their responsibilities. Respected leaders find ways to discover the best in people and enable their full potential. When they detect high-potential talent they impart upon them their wisdom and provide a path for long-term success.

Leaders that “sponsor” their employees put their own reputation at risk for the betterment of the individuals they are serving. This is an admirable quality and one that is highly respected amongst a leader’s peers. For example, my career was shaped and defined by one of my bosses in the early stages of my professional development. She witnessed my raw talent and saw that it needed refinement. Sh took an interest and exposed me to complex problems far beyond my skills at the time.

This challenged me to make decisions and tested my ability to think and use my instincts. She lifted me up and guided me rightly each time I failed along the way. My boss taught me all his tricks and trusted me to use them in ways that represented my personality, natural style and approach. Others noticed and didn’t always think that I was worthy of her sponsorship – but in the end I proved my abilities.

My boss earned a lot of respect from the organization and other leaders began to model her sponsorship approach.

Powerful Executive Presence; Long-Lasting Impact

The most respected leaders are the most authentic people. Their executive presence is genuine and true. They make those around them feel that they matter, and they welcome constructive dialogue regardless of hierarchy or rank. Respected leaders trust themselves enough to live their personal brand and serve as powerful role models to others. Their presence creates long-lasting impact that leaves a positive mark on the organization and the people they serve.

Respected leaders are passionate, impact-driven people. Their presence is felt when they walk into the room; their reputation and their track-record precede them.

Have Their Employees’ Backs; Deflect Their Own Recognition

Too many leaders are recognition addicts and want all of the credit. They spend too much time breaking-down rather than building-up their teams. They don’t take the time to genuinely learn about other’s needs. Leadership is ultimately about knowing the people you serve and giving them the guidance, inspiration and navigational tools to make their lives better and enable more opportunities.

Leaders earn respect when they reward and recognize their employees and colleagues. They take the time to appreciate and understand the unique ways they each think, act and innovate – and are always on the lookout to enable their talent. They are trusted, admired and respected because they make it more about the advancement of others, rather than themselves. They share the harvest of the momentum they build with others.

Earning respect is a journey and requires leaders to focus on how they can “deliver beyond what is expected” of their role and responsibilities. It’s about always being on the look-out for ways to step up your game and being mindful of ways to make the workplace better and the organization and its people more competitive and relevant.

What will you do as a leader today that you haven’t done in the past to be more respected?