There are more than 60,000 books on leadership on Amazon. There’s clearly a great deal of interest in the topic, but what surprises me is how bad people are at leading given the immense resources on the subject.
Here are a few tips on how to be not just a good, but a great leader.
Create Leadership Philosophy
Develop a leadership code of conduct for yourself and for those on your team. Having principles to live by serves as a guidepost, and publicly stating them helps ensure that you will always try to live up to them. I view this as a reminder and accountability measure to keep my feet on the ground.
Create a Courageous Council
As a leader, you need the right people in your corner to help you be the best leader you can be. I call it a courageous council because it takes a healthy dose of courage and humility to assemble a group of people who may tell you something about yourself that you may not want to hear. Surrounding yourself with people who can be straight up with you, who will give you solid counsel and serve as a soundboard to offer you real perspective, is the best type of feedback.
Listen
A big part of leadership is getting out of your own way. I’ve seen many a leader who are too wedded to their ideas. Their rigidity stifles their ability to adjust as swiftly as the situation calls for. Listening and being open to new ideas no matter the messenger is a superpower.
Approachability and Accessibility
As a leader, you shouldn’t cut yourself off from people. When you allow gatekeepers or even construct hierarchies that prevent you from engaging with people, you lose out — lose out on perspective, lose out on connection and relatability. It’s essential to stay connected to your team and your customers, and to avoid falling into the trap of hierarchy or ivory towers.
Leadership: You Need to Become a Different Kind of Leader, Here are 4 Strong Suggestions
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