223: Leadership 101: What You MUST Know to Be a Successful Leader
A LOT is written about how to be a great leader. In today’s podcast, I wanted to distill this information down to the top 10 things you MUST know to be a successful leader. A reminder that I offer a monthly job search Masterclass, held on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The topic is different each month, and I jam-pack them full of content. To learn about the next webinar: https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.com (https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.com/) For this episode, I used an article on businessnewsdaily.com. 1. Engage in open, honest communication. Great leaders are able to customize their interactions and communication styles based on the situation and each team member. They take the time to figure out which communication mode is preferred by each team member, and they are great listeners who are authentically interested in their team members. The key word here is Authenticity. It is important to be genuine and real above all else. 2. Connect with your team members. Building a real, personal connection with your teammates is vital to developing the shared trust necessary to build a strong culture of accountability and exceptional performance. To build a connection with each of your team members, focus on getting to know their personality, interests, strengths, weaknesses, hobbies, and preferences. This can give you insight into their goals and motivations. 3. Encourage personal and professional growth. Acting as your team's cheerleader is an important part of being an effective leader. You should be invested in their success and growth.A great leader invests financially and emotionally in his employees’ growth. In addition to providing funds for professional development, great leaders empower their employees by giving them challenging opportunities and guidance. 4. Keep a positive attitude. The way you handle situations – big and small – says a lot about your leadership skills. Robert Mann, author of The Measure of a Leader (iUniverse, 2013), recommended focusing on the good in any set of circumstances. "Look at three positive things about a problem before you identify what makes it dissatisfying. The more you look at the positives in a problem, the more positively people react with one another." If you or a team member notices a particular course of action you've taken that just isn't working, figure out some things you've done in the past that have worked. 5. Teach employees instead of giving orders.An effective leader knows how to show others what is required, rather than simply telling them. If you are trying to control people to do certain things in certain ways,