How to lead like it matters
Whether you're a manager, executive or CEO, your leadership style matters. The way you communicate and connect with other people can, and will, make or break your success. Here are four core tenets of leadership.
There are problems, pressures, and pain points that plague managers at every level, most of which can be solved. Understanding that every leadership choice you make has some kind of ripple effect throughout your team and organization is critical to your success. Leaders must know how to ensure that the ripples they make have the intended impact, whether it's running meetings, handling conflicts, making confident decisions, or instituting needed changes. Doing this correctly can help them gain greater control of their organization's future, build highly productive teams and institute changes that stick.
Here are four core tenets of leadership that, when mastered, best assure the desired “ripple effect”:
PERSONAL MASTERY
Discover exactly who you are as a leader and draw on your strengths to influence others.
Begin by: Getting direct feedback from your boss, and anonymous feedback from your peers, direct reports and even clients about your leadership style and impact.
INTERPERSONAL MASTERY
A powerful leader has excellent communication and people management skills that engage and inspire. They know how to listen deeply and communicate effectively, how to constructively provide feedback (including to one's boss), and how to manage conflict successfully.
Begin by: Practicing deep listening. Most of us know how, in theory, so be mindful of it and apply it tactically. At the end of every conversation, ask the person talking to you if he or she felt fully heard and understood, then ask them why they felt that way. It's also a good idea to practice demonstrating empathy in every conversation, no matter the subject.
TEAM MASTERY
The most successful leaders harness the power of group dynamics to build stronger, more productive teams. No matter why a team is formed or who's on it, the “how to's and how not to's” of building and maintaining effective teams don't vary.
Begin by: Making the time to establish “ground rules” or “rules of engagement” for new or existing teams. These are the things each team member needs to be heard, believe they belong, and feel that what they have to offer matters.
CULTURE AND SYSTEMS MASTERY
Take the lead in assessing your organization and make the changes you need to succeed. Understand the cultures operating around you, because culture affects us much like the air we breathe.
Begin by: Walking around the organization and observing the lay of the land, as if you were in a foreign country. What language are they speaking? How are they dressed? What do their work “homes” look and feel like? How do different groups interact? How high or low is the “smile meter” around the workplace?
When leaders excel at these four core facets of effective leadership, they will reap quantifiable rewards, including, but not limited to, increased employee engagement, reduced turnover and enhanced productivity.
Roxi Bahar Hewertson, author of the book "Lead Like it Matters ... Because it Does," is CEO of Highland Consulting Group and AskRoxi.com.
WBJ Web Partners
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