We all have leaders whom we respect and follow across countries, organizations, and cultural communities. We follow them because they influence our thoughts, challenge our beliefs, and to a certain extent, indirectly alter the course of our destiny.
Their influence can be subtle or profound, depending on our level of conviction and engagement. What matters is how they shape our beliefs. The effectiveness of leaders has to do with the impact on their followers. But what makes great leaders? Why would people want to follow them?
The ideal scenario is where people follow a leader because of what the leader represents, rather than because of his or her position, production, or organizational influence. The best leaders develop other leaders, who are equally talented and often become even more influential. Great leaders know who they are and what they stand for, and they have a profound knowledge of their values.
What is true eldership?
True leaders understand that what they do matters only to the extent that it brings long-lasting value to their followers. Successful leadership is all about others, and it’s about leading with them rather than commanding them. It requires inclusion, collaboration, and especially, the elimination of personal ambition for the sake of the development of teams and organization. It means putting everyone ahead of yourself and willingly becoming the step that lifts up as many new leaders as possible.
Excellent leadership is what defines notable, profitable organizations that make progress. These enlightened organizations have no barriers. They become hubs for talents because they lift the leadership lid for everyone. Growth is all based on aptitude, capacity, potential, and achievement. They are also great, culturally diverse, advanced, experimental institutions where imagination and creativity are stimulated and encouraged. These rapidly growing organizations become magnets for brilliant leadership professionals who are looking for a home that promotes analytical minds as well as inventive thinkers. These organizations’ market value will increase dramatically due to providing abundant opportunities for growth and promoting the idea that all employees within can become leaders in their respective jobs.
Great leadership creates impact beyond tenure and often generates cultural changes that last decades.
What Great Leaders Do
22 Ways to Affect Outcomes
- Invest in people’s strengths. The ROI will be far better than with focusing on people’s weaknesses.
- Surround yourself with the best and brightest. Maximizing mental aptitude and achieving progress have everything to do with sharing and receiving intelligent insights and controversial ideas and promoting opposing views.
- Understand your followers’ wants, needs, and desires. Then serve and elevate the game.
- Leaders hire based on the needed strength to fill a gap rather than a job description.
- Hire talent with different backgrounds and personalities who are willing to challenge ideas and approaches.
- Hire potential not appearance, brilliance not loyalty, aptitude not gratitude.
- Work extensively to create cohesive teams grouped by strengths that feed one another.
- Create well-rounded teams to cover individual deficiencies.
- Cultivate a leadership brand and image because it’s based primarily on emotions.
- Maximize the collective talent of a team by encouraging the mutual sharing of mistakes and successes.
- Build collaborative teams that can operate well among themselves in the absence of leadership.
- Concentrate on creating a shared culture to allow better cohesiveness and dialogue.
- Encourage healthy debate and arguments because it reinforces the spirit of genuine caring. It also reflects team unity around the truth while they’re on the same side.
- Prioritize what’s best for the organization and the team.
- Credit individuals and teams constantly for all achievements.
- Invest in people’s strengths while building better relationships among the group members.
- Move beyond a philosophy of self-interest and focus primarily on the group’s benefits.
- Never use “I.” It’s a collaborative achievement. Leaders always use “we.”
- Provide stability by focusing on the big picture while separating the constant from the transitory.
- Leverage talent connectedness to break down silos that prevent shared information and growth.
- Link talent to affect organizational outcome.
- Challenge everyone and hold them accountable, but do it in an empowering, positive manner
What are your thoughts?