Leadership, It all comes down to 3 things

This is for all my mentors, managers and colleagues who’ve taught me so much about leadership.
We’ve all seen the LinkedIn posts in our feeds showcasing those critical traits that separate a “leader” from a “boss”. For the most part I believe those to be true.
You definitely don’t need a title to lead but disorganized management can stifle leadership and growth in their employees. So this post is all about the critical leadership responsibilities needed to manage people as a leader from someone who’s learned from some greats.
It’s a leaders job to lift up those around them. They need to have the vision and the will to build the right team. To put people in a position to succeed by providing the right guidance and the motivation to inspire them.
Over the past 14 years I’ve had the pleasure to work for some amazing leaders. Some I didn’t fully appreciate until they were gone. I’ve had the opportunity to take the lead on client projects, develop strategies and engage teams with their blessing, leveraging their wisdom. It’s taught me a lot. I’ve definitely learned some do’s and don’ts along the way.
As I sit here today there are 3 things I feel are critical for successful leadership.
- People
- Systems
- Motivation
On People.
When cultivating or building a team, good leaders spend time really identifying and prioritizing the skills their team needs as well as what they can develop and what they need now. They know what the deal breakers are so they can start off with people in the right position to succeed.
They learn how to develop personnel. They hire for the strengths they need to achieve their goals but once they’ve got those folks they need to nurture them while they help them become more well-rounded. I know I’m much more likely to stick around if I can get better, grow and enhance my value.
It’s also better to reposition an asset when their strengths may be a better fit in another role or on another team than to let them go. It’s a huge boost to employee morale and loyalty to know they have your support. Good leaders assess talent and put people in positions to succeed.
Finally good leaders challenge their people. Successful people are always saying to be like them one needs to “get outside of their comfort zone”. So a healthy challenge is necessary. If someone is over achieving maybe its time to raise the bar or help them take the next step in their career. Helping people get comfortable with the uncertainty of success by pushing their boundaries is only enhances their value.
On Systems
First things first, everyone needs to be onboard with why they are there. It can’t be to meet some cost saving number or sales number. That is an outcome. It is not a reason why.
A clear why, how and what, a “golden circle” as Simon Sinek puts it, is the driving force behind the business. It needs to be very clear to your personnel. Finding people who embrace that needs to be part of the hiring process. From there systems can align to that.
I once had a Vice President who spent the first six months with our organization in an executive strategy role. He assessed the various business groups in our division and developed a plan for how they supported one another towards a common objective for our customers. It was a brilliant story for how we could provide real consultation and service execution for substantial clients. Out of that came a focus on who our ideal customer was and how to manage the business.
A leader follows that up with solid training to make sure their people know their stuff. Expertise takes time, but people who feel like experts have more confidence and resilience to challenges. Good leaders build that expertise in people. because customers don’t buy products or services, they buy “people”, and confident people are immediately accepted as “advisers’.
On motivation
Motivation seems trivial. We’re all adults so we shouldn’t need motivation, right? Thats bullshit. Great leaders inspire. For me motivation is the supportive activity that enables great people to accept challenge and excel in a system.
You’ve found and developed the right personnel. You’ve got them in the right roles based on their strengths, but you need to inspire them in order to overcome their weaknesses.
The system provides the framework for motivation. Having a clear understanding of why staff show-up everyday provides a compass, guiding their decisions and driving them towards their goals and those of the organization.
Now the secret sauce. Just like a hockey team there are guys/gals in different roles but sometimes the scorer isn’t scoring. Sometimes the goalie lets in a weak goal or the defense blunders. A leader needs to keep the team confident and focused on positive outcomes while they learn from mistakes.
They need to help them identify and correct missteps without micro managing. It means a leader needs to participate a bit in a teams activity and help strategize on problem solving. They need to avoid being a broken record restating the problem without adding any value to a conscious solution.
Motivation can be the most challenging aspect of leadership. Employees are taught to be leery of their seniors. That can create a divide. Good leaders build trust with their team. If people can’t trust their manager they can’t come to them with a challenge. They make it clear to their people that they believe in them, and they are sincere about it. If the team feels like leadership have their back they can be inspired to achieve greatness.
So thats it. Just three responsibilities. Three big, but incredibly rewarding responsibilities.
If you like this post, hate it, whatever. Let me know. Cheers.