Great leadership is a complex mix. It can, however, be fairly simple if you apply some structured principles to your leadership style. “Showboating” will turn-off the members of your team or staff. Leaders who come from humility use their own success for the greater good of all.
This article from “Entrepreneur” points out some of the attributes that are necessary for exceptional leadership. Those attributes include humanity; people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Great leaders possess a depth of understanding that includes a heavy dose of humility.
Rank certainly brings status but great leaders use that platform to establish order and discipline among their team members. Balanced authority makes a leader a player’s coach. Those who lead from humility prepare their team to believe in their own personal potential. Great leaders promote others not themselves. They understand the bigger picture.
Exceptional leaders understand the importance of acknowledging and the celebration of their team’s successes. Criticism often produces the opposite effect of what it was intended to do and it is usually done for the ego of the leader and not those being led. It is important to establish an atmosphere of collaboration. Collaboration is far superior to competition.
Great leaders point out that there is no such thing as a losing experience. It is a learning experience and it presents the opportunity for great opportunities. Good leaders accept winning with grace and dignity. That attitude will duplicate among the members of the team. Great leaders recognize that their “power” has been extrapolated from lots of success and lots of suffering.
The best leaders always possess integrity. Their word is their bond and there is never an exception to that principle. Their yes is a yes and their no is a no. Their team will come to understand this and it will grow and grow their trust in their leader. Finally, a great leader never forgets to be grateful; grateful for the team; grateful for the resources they have been provided and grateful for the products and services that continue to provide opportunities for successful growth.
I am fortunate to be associated with a company that has provided me with this kind of great leadership. My team members reflect that great leadership by helping in every way they can without patronizing efforts. They realize how fortunate we all are to be in this together and that evokes all the right attitudes that generate our success.
Hayseeds Creative 