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Best Practices from the Frontlines: Common Attributes of Successful Leaders
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Author: Angela Cappello
If you asked a group of people the question, "What makes an effective leader?" you would likely receive as many answers as there were people in the group. We often relate attributes like fairness, trustworthiness, vision, strength, and so on, to effective leadership. Among all the information that is available on leadership, we’ve identified these best practices to help you take charge:
- Challenge the process. Find new, different, and challenging approaches to growth, change, and innovation. Create opportunities to look beyond the way things are currently being done and to improve upon them.
- Take risks. The only way to forge new territory is to take risks, to experiment with something new and different. There may be mistakes along the way. Learn from these mistakes and keep moving forward.
- Inspire a shared vision. Your vision is a unique image of the future—where you want to be and what you want to achieve.
- Obtain buy-in. A vision must be accompanied by action, but leaders cannot do it alone. Engage others to move toward this vision by developing a shared sense of purpose. Obtain buy-in by addressing your employees' values, interests, hopes, and dreams.
- Empower others to act. Foster collaboration by supporting goals that support your vision. Provide employees with opportunities for growth and development, support their choices, include them in business planning processes, and delegate critical responsibilities.
- Lead by example. Effective leaders walk the talk. Your actions set the tone, so behave in ways that are consistent with shared values. Clarify those values so there is no ambiguity, and be sure that everyone is on the same page.
- Recognize the victories. Major change is usually achieved through a series of small victories. Celebrating these victories will reinforce progress and build commitment.
- Acknowledge accomplishments. Recognize employees for their contributions and, as a team, regularly celebrate your accomplishments.
- Communicate effectively. Speak clearly, listen for understanding, and foster open communication. To do the latter, there must be trust. To build trust, it is critical that you maintain a true open-door policy and keep your employees informed. Encourage employees to express differing viewpoints, to share information, and to promptly respond to communication from others.
- Be honest. The most valuable asset a leader has is honesty. You must be honest with both your clients and your employees. Integrity is the cornerstone of the financial services industry; once your integrity is compromised, it is lost. Treasure your integrity above all else.
Peter Drucker said, "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." This list is a great starting point for you to define your role as a leader. Adopting these best practices presents an opportunity for you to build forward momentum for your business and your employees.
Source:
Society for Human Resource Management
Kouzes, James and Barry Posner, The Leadership Challenge, 1st edition, Jossey-Bass, 1996
Angela Cappello is the practice management staffing consultant. She is available at x9873 or at acappello@commonwealth.com.
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