Jul 02 08
Leadership Now – My Top 10 List
By Renn Vara
Is it just me or is something happening with our definition of leadership? Up until the recent tenure of President George Bush, we were an unapologetic apologist culture when it came to leadership; “What do you expect? That’s the nature of politicians, rich people, corporate leaders, etc.”
Then something happened. Some credit the eight month Democratic primary in which we got to know a junior Senator from Illinois and his welcomed approach to campaigns. Some say it’s a cosmic and/or nature driven change in our perspective on the human condition. Even more believe that this up-and-coming generational wave of millennials is at fault.
I’m too limited to know. But what I can tell you is that corporate leadership is under a lot of pressure these days to flatten their management approach and lead by example. Or as we say with our leadership training: character and voice. What this means is that you’d better be a decent person for real and be able to express your values to the whole organization without going through underlings and middle managers. Not an easy task.
So here are my top 10 recommendations for today’s business leaders – This applies to politicians too:
1. Clean up your own house. Be the leader you seek.
2. Learn to tell the truth and forget all that training schmucks like me may have taught you over the years about talking around the truth.
3. Learn to actively listen. Take the time to turn off your judgmental and arrogant mind and really listen to your team, customers, investors, and family.
4. Start doing real work. Instead of always delegating everything, try writing your own speech or presentation. Or better yet, try calling someone and setting up your own appointment. Roll up your sleeves and share the work load.
5. Make at least one very uncomfortable decision every day. A firm, not backing off, decision.
6. Reverse a decision every day. Be really gutsy and admit you’re wrong and fix a mess you created the day before with your too fast decision making.
7. Challenge your team to make mistakes. Or as once was said to me, ‘make magnificent mistakes.” People learn more that way.
8. Find something real to congratulate your team for every day. Don’t make it up, look for something important, meaningful, impacting the organization or people.
9. Don’t be defensive when someone questions your work, values, ethics, or moral compass. Listen for the facts, respond to them, and then fix the problem fast.
10. In the end, get out of the way as much as possible. The big mistake many leaders make is they think they need to be in the middle of everything. Back off.
Now cancel that vacation and get back to work. Just kidding. Not.
Tags: corporate communications, leadership training
