Exceptional leaders have a genuine willingness and a true commitment to lead others to achieve a common vision and goals through positive influence. No leader can ever achieve anything great or long-lasting all alone. Teamwork goes hand in hand with leadership. Leadership is about people and for people.
Some leaders might think that they know best. They feel that they have all the right answers and that everyone should follow what they say.
When we’re the boss, we tend to belie49ve our job is to tell people what to do and to look like we have all the answers. We think, ‘I’ve got to be right,’ and that means talkative, verbal.” - Hal Gregersen, MIT Leadership Center
In my first leadership position, I thought I knew it all. However, my thinking back then was so wrong. Moreover, it is wrong for one simple reason that I can illustrate with a sports analogy — the Game. Sports analogies in the workplace can be a bit of a cliché. However, the reality is that the sports world is a natural performance management laboratory.
I previously shared a couple of insight linking management and sports, including
- How to Select Talent — Valuable Lessons from Pro Sports
- Useful Performance Management Takeaways from Sports (free eBook download)
You Cannot Do It Alone
Chicago Bulls coach, Phil Jackson says the strength of the entire team lies in the hands of each member. Thus the ultimate strength of individual members is the team itself. This fact is true for any sports team. While it is vital to have a good group of exceptionally talented athletes, it is also essential to foster teamwork to achieve success as a team.
So, imagine your favourite team sport. Now think of the absolute best player of that sport. They may be the best player in the entire world with millions of fans. However, how well would they do on their own without the team?
As a lone player, they would lose every single game. While they may be the best, a team of average players will beat the best player if he or she is alone. Why will it be any different for business?
It is not.
The Team
A well-functioning team will do better than a lone genius dictating orders. It is crucial for leaders to recognize this. Some leaders think too highly of themselves. They may be a genius. However, it takes so much more than a genius to build an incredible company. As a leader, it is important to be humble and learn from your employees. Listen to them. Listen so well that they mould you. When you are wrong, admit it! Be open. Leaders often say that it is lonely at the top. However, it is not if you are doing it right.
Being an Exceptional leader is about building mutual respect with your team. It is never about barking orders out of a position of authority. If you can establish mutual respect, you can lead from a place of influence.
Motivation and Your Team
Without teamwork, a team will never be successful. Exceptional leaders spend the right amount of time to foster cooperation within their group. They trust them to get the job done and support them along the way. Each person on the team must have trust, enthusiasm, ambition, and motivation.
- Trust enables each team member to depend on one another. Good teamwork depends on that trust. In any team, the players need to be trusting with each other. Without trust, members play alone, and the whole team is weaker.
- Enthusiasm brings the entire team together. Many people engage in business for fulfillment. If there is fun and a meaningful purpose, team members will become enthusiastic. So, the whole team should share the enthusiasm that stems from the desire to win as a team.
- Ambition should push each team member. This drive creates individual commitment to achieve the goals. Also, ambition focuses team members on the improvement of the skills that will benefit both the team and themselves.
- Motivation is a calm feeling that drives a team to achieve their goal. Individuals that have good motivation will make the team do things that are quite impossible. Teams feel a challenge when they know that they can carry out their goal. That motivation will allow the team members to be confident, work calmly, and with the faith that it will turn out well.
Exceptional Leaders Listen to Employees
One of the most important — and gutsiest — things you can do as a boss and leader is to shut the hell up and listen.” – Kate White
Every leader will say that they listen to their employees. However, are they? When I say listen, I mean something more profound than merely hearing others. Leaders should listen to understand their employees. Be willing to let feedback from employees mould you.
As humans, we can only see about 70 percent of our body. When we have something embarrassing in our teeth, we either need a mirror or other people to tell us about it. The same goes for our personality. There are flaws in our character that we cannot see. We need to understand our behavioural DNA (our personality mirror) and need other people to provide us with feedback. It is not easy to truly listen to people when they are sharing our flaws. Using learning feedback is, an essential skill for everyone to master. We need to listen more than ever, as the first step to improving is identifying the problem.
Exceptional Leaders = Leaders of Influence
If you can't influence people, then they will not follow you. And if people won't follow, you are not a leader. That's the Law of Influence." — John C. Maxwell
Outstanding leaders communicate their thoughts, ideas, and instincts brilliantly. Leaders of influence understand that active listening is as critical to their impact as their ability to communicate. To be a leader of influence, you must practice active listening.
Active listening is a powerful tool for a leader and a terrific way to gain information and perspective. As you work on improving your leadership skills, practice active listening.
Active listening is a type of communication. It is especially useful in a one-on-one dialogue situation, resolving conflicts, and building relationships. You work to understand the point of view of the other person before you decide to have the other person understand your point of view.
Active listening is a tool for respect and understanding. Respect underlies all the steps in this process. When you start from a place of genuine honour for the other person, all these techniques will come easier. In turn, you will also be more respected in the process.
When employees say they want their voices to be heard, they need you to listen to them genuinely. As employees seek more attention, feedback, and support, you must become more mindful of individual needs. You then can inspire professional development and performance.
Find Excellent Mentors
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”—William Arthur Ward
Exceptional leaders need great mentors. It would be best if you had wise people who have already gone down this journey in life. Moreover, the wiser mentors you have, the better leader you can become. The reason is that humans have an incredible ability to learn lessons from each other. We do not need to make all the same mistakes that others have made before us. Instead, let them share with you what mistakes they made or experienced and learn how to avoid them. Exceptional leaders stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before them.
More professionals are actively pursuing mentoring to advance their careers. Moreover, whether you are on the giving or receiving end, these types of partnerships can help you with career journey.
A mentoring partnership is rewarding to both people, personally and professionally. It is an opportunity to develop communication skills, expand your viewpoints, and consider new ways of approaching situations. Moreover, both partners can advance their careers in the process.
Having a mentor can make a significant difference in your career. Being one is also a valuable experience. However, it comes with much responsibility. An excellent mentor does not just supply guidance and answers during career transitions or sticky situations. They also provide motivation and inspiration to help their mentee get to the next level and fulfill their potential.
If you cannot find a mentor, hire a coach. We offer coaching services to help you achieve your business and personal goals.
Be Humble
Wise people are also humble. It is hard to be both proud and smart. You come across as arrogant.
The role of leadership comes with power and status. Sometimes this makes the leader think they are better than everyone else.
- It is not true.
- It is a recipe for failure.
Pride comes before the fall. It takes a talented team to succeed at business. Excellent employees do not want to work for a prideful boss. So over time, that boss will lose their team, and their company will fall into chaos. Exceptional leaders avoid this by being humble. Outstanding leaders take the blame for failures and give away the credit for success.
Elevate Your Leadership Status
The leader's role is critical to the success of any organization. As you climb the ladder of leadership, the demands increase. Leading with influence elevates the relationship, credibility, trust, and engagement.
To influence others to act upon what you have to say, begin first by listening with the following action-oriented listening skills. You need to practice the skills below routinely. Become natural and permanent, whether it is in a high-stakes meeting or casual conversation.
Lead with Influence, not Authority
If we want to be good leaders, it is our job to help the people we lead or work with be good at their jobs. This doesn’t mean doing their work for them; it means we help them get the resources, the information, and the support they need to perform at their natural best.” — Simon Sinek
Exceptional leaders recognize that it takes a talented team to be successful. So, they lead with influence instead of authority. They are servant leaders. Moreover, by doing that they can start to make a positive impact on their company and the world.
Concluding thoughts
Pay attention. Listen. Communicate. Influence. These are essential to making sure your team and customers felt valued and empowered to make the right decisions. Not only will those you lead start to perform at their natural best, but you will too.
Not developing leaders is the single most expensive mistake an exceptional leader can make."
All organizations, no matter their size, need exceptional leaders. You need to provide leadership development and have a succession planning process.
Traditional performance management systems consume an enormous amount of an organization's time and money. Based on various estimates, the cost of lost time due to regular performance evaluations ranges up to $3500/employee per year. Moreover, the impact of these review programs has been dismal. Many of these review processes have been found to hurt organizations rather than help. According to Gallup analytics, only 14% of employees “strongly agree” that the performance reviews they receive inspire them to improve.
A leader who produces other leaders multiplies their influences." — John C. Maxwell
For exceptional leaders, this is not merely a question about your front line — it is about how you develop future managers and leaders. Our ladder of leadership helps you create the leaders you will need for tomorrow.
Ladder of Leadership: New Research Unveiled
A behavioral competency model for driving top performance at three corporate leadership levels.
In the paper we share the competencies that are:
- Always On: Only two behaviours from manager to C-Suite
- Leap: “Bridging” behaviours for moving between each management level
- Lead: Unique behaviours for every stage of management
- Leave Behinds: The “once and done” list— suitable only for where you are, not where you’re going
We offer our services worldwide. Download the research.