Revisiting Leadership

I was asked to mentor a new manager on leadership recently.  As I prepared some notes, I spent some time revisiting some of the lessons mentors shared with me as well as my own experiences.

Effective leaders are not born. Any one can be educated about good leadership skills, attitudes and behaviors.  But education and processes are not enough.  Like a person learning a craft or a trade, a person can only become an effective leader by practice, by honing their skills, by making mistakes, by learning lessons, and by earning their skills and the trust of their people.    

I have been fortunate to have had so many people coach, mentor, and show patience with me that I was only too happy to help this new manager.

Being an effective leader requires knowledge and process skills.  Perhaps more importantly, effective leaders need to listen, see past how things appear, make decisions, and put their people’s needs ahead of their own.  Effective leaders share some common attributes, some of which are listed here.  This list is brief, it is only the beginning; but it demonstrates that effective leaders are always learning and adding new skills and abilities.

Honesty and Integrity.  To be an effective leader these two attributes are the foundation and mean everything to your people.  Your people need to be able to trust you and they need to know that you will always try to do what is right.  Simplistic, perhaps, you will notice that no place in this post will you find anything about leaders not making mistakes or being perfect.  Leaders are human, not everyone will agree with what they do, and they will make mistakes; to expect otherwise is unfair.   From honesty and integrity trust is earned and both must be practiced in every situation without exception for trust to be maintained.

Active listener and action-oriented. “Nothing ever changes,” is a common complaint in many organizations.  “They never ask our opinions,” is another complaint heard on dysfunctional teams.  Effective leaders listen, prioritize, and take action.  Not every comment or suggestion can be actioned, but effective leaders are transparent and explain what, when, and how their responses will be implemented or why some suggestions cannot be implemented.

Courage.  It is only a matter of time before a leader faces a “no-win” situation.  Sometimes it is a client/customer situation, and often it is a situation that involves a person in their organization.  Effective leaders do not shy away from dealing with negative issues, or difficult people such as bullies or upset people.  They realize that each one of those incidents is a test.  A test of their skills, commitment, and ability.  They realize that failure to take action will be seen as their failure to do what is necessary by their team.

Deliberate and decisive.  Effective leaders do not “shoot from the hip.”  They ask “What are the facts?  What are the alternatives?”  Effective leaders will then use the available information to weigh their options, whether they have 30 seconds or 30 days, and then they will make the best decision they can.  Will the decision always be right? Maybe, maybe not; however, the point is to make the best decision possible.  Effective leaders appreciate that making the best decisions is the best option; however even making the wrong decision is better than not making any decision. 

Humility and willingness to self-correct. To be effective, leaders build, develop, empower, and trust their people.  Effective leaders realize they make mistakes and do not allow their pride to stop them from admitting that they need to change directions. Effective leaders allow themselves to reflect and ask “What did we do right?  What did we do wrong? Moreover, what would we do differently next time?”  Effective leaders realize that with new or more facts, a decision may need to change or be revisited.  They can appreciate that changing their mind based on new evidence is worth the risk of someone accusing them of “flip-flopping”.

Effective leaders seek out people smarter and stronger than they are.  Effective leaders are not afraid of challenges from their people.  When effective leaders evaluate options, they know it is better to encourage fresh ideas, different perspectives, and multiple solutions.  Effective leaders facilitate, collaborate, and explore different solutions as part of their decision-making process.      

Effective leaders know that not everyone will agree with them.  They know they do not have a monopoly on good ideas.  They also believe that constructive conflict is good for an organization.  They learn from everyone and actively listen when they are criticized.  An important personal lesson from a mentor dealt with criticism.  They suggested when I was criticized, before defending myself, I should ask myself to consider, “What if they are right?”  In addition, I should be prepared to accept when I am wrong.    

Consistency.  Effective leaders’ integrity is not something they use sometimes and don’t use other times.  Effective leaders always do what they say, are fair, and their people will learn they can count on them in all situations. 

Empower and remove blockers.  Effective leaders encourage new ideas, risks, and experimentation.  They appreciate innovation is the key to growth, personal development, and staff retention.    They also coach and mentor all their people whenever requested.  Effective leaders remove impediments and obstacles that block or hinder their people as well.

Effectively Communicate.  Effective leaders believe in transparency, they deliver clear and concise messaging and actively seek feedback to ensure two-way comprehension.  Effective leaders diffuse drama, gossip, and anxiety by being equally consistent, calm, and poised during normal routines or in a crisis. 

Celebrate and provide recognition.  Effective leaders build mutual respect between their people and themselves.  Recognizing contributions, particularly for people who share and apply their knowledge, also builds respect and culture.

Empathy.  Effective leaders are interested in their people.  They ask questions, and they care about the problems and perspectives of their people.  Effective leaders appreciate nuance, they have the same expectations for themselves that they have for their people.

Timely Training.  Effective leaders help develop onboarding processes that evolve and grow as their organizational environments change.  Effective leaders listen to concerns and suggestions their people bring forward.  They use training as the key to organizational growth for the newest associate to the most senior person. 

Responsive and available.  Effective leaders are available whenever their people have questions, even if it means having to stay later to get their own work finished.  Effective leaders understand and appreciate that unusual hours are sometimes required.  They allow interruptions whenever their people require assistance.  Effective leaders really do have an “open door.”

Embrace the responsibility of leadership.  Effective leaders understand they earn their money, not when everything is running smoothly, but when things are coming apart.  They anticipate issues and build people and systems to overcome known and unknown scenarios.  Additionally, when a problem or crisis occurs, effective leaders are not afraid to take ownership and help their team through the issues together. 

Effective leadership is not easy.  An effective leader is always learning, always reinventing themselves, and always adapting their skills and approach to the current environment.  To be successful, effective leaders cannot be entrenched they must constantly look at different perspectives and be aware of their blind spots.  Effective leaders never forget that leadership isn’t about them, it is about the people they lead.  They are facilitators, they empower, and they are whatever the situation, their organization, and most importantly what their people need them to be.

These are just a few of the leadership skills and attributes that effective managers possess.  They are the distillation from mentors, coaches, customers and clients, people I have worked with and for, as well as authors who have helped me.  I have made lots of mistakes, sometimes several times over, but that is part of the learning too.  I hope that you find this post helpful and that it helps you to become a more effective leader either now or in the future.

Good luck,

Paul.