There are many great books out on the market written about leadership. They share great ideas on how to become more successful in the business world. Yet if there were five things you could learn right now about leadership that would make your business dreams a reality, would you take the time to evaluate them for yourself? Here are some suggestions:
1. On Vision:
Vision must precede strategy in any organization for it to be successful. Creating a vision involves deciding where the company must go and communicating what the destination looks like. A strategy is the plan that will be used to get there. An organization can only be successful over time with the full support of its people.
2. On Change:
Life is about adapting to constant change. The same holds true in business. Effective leaders accept this fact and embrace it. Once they realize that change is needed in an organization, they learn to manage it and communicate their ideas to their team.
Asking the question, "What business are we really in?", is essential when a company is in the midst of enormous change and all ground rules are being challenged. Strong leaders understand the importance of discussing changes in a direct manner. Employees need to feel safe.
3. On Communication:
Well articulated statements and effective presentation skills only touch upon the scope of communication. Words mean nothing unless they reach the people who hear them. Great leaders know how to communicate in ways that motivate others to produce results. For example, they encourage others to stand up for what they believe in and state it clearly to whomever is involved.
4. On Values:
Much of what we learn stems from our earlier experiences at home. Our mothers may have taught us to stay open and learn from each experience. Our fathers may have taught us to take our work seriously but never ourselves. Regardless of where we learn these lessons from, they are important and impact us for life.
To ensure that an organization adheres to certain values, leaders take the time to reward others' accomplishments - rather than make their "mistakes" the primary focus. People are the number one resource of a company.
5. On Risk taking:
Leadership is about taking well-planned risks. Strong leaders instinctively know that mistakes will happen on the path to success. They don't shy away from this fact. They deal with the challenges as the arise. Mistakes help us understand what business practices "not" to repeat in the future. Risk taking simply provides information, such as what works and what doesn't. Leaders must take risks.
Great leaders create opportunities to demonstrate what they can do. This is especially true when least expected. Learn more! Email - Nicole@Prospect2Win.com
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