Great Leaders Do These 4 Things
If you have been lucky enough to have a great leader in your life, you’ve seen first-hand how they inspire, guide and support everyone on their team — in both big and small ways.
The most successful leaders will go to bat for you in the boardroom — or they invite you into the boardroom with them. They check in regularly to see how you’re doing, in work and in life. They actually follow up with the support you need to excel in your work. Through their communication and actions, these leaders build and support teams that drive organizational results and set the standard for upcoming leaders at every level.
Of course, leaders will have varying management and personality styles, but two key things set truly great leaders apart:
They constantly demonstrate that they trust their people
They invest in their teams’ current and future success
This type of leadership is transformative for business, and it’s the cornerstone of a people strategy that attracts and retains top talent to your company.
Teams that work under poorly-trained or non people-centered leadership have higher hurdles to overcome. These teams can suffer from low morale, high turnover, and an inability to meet goals. It really makes a huge difference when you have great leaders in place.
Here’s how you can recognize leadership that stands apart from the rest:
They invest in helping their people build skills and advance in their careers, even if it means those people may move on from the organization one day.
They gather the entire team for regular retreat/strategic planning sessions, to gain from all perspectives; ensure that everyone has the opportunity for buy-in; and make sure the team is always moving in a direction to meet their goals.
They hold regular check-in sessions with their people to both stay on top of the workload, and understand what is going on with their reports generally — because they know that work doesn’t happen in a vacuum and people should feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work.
They encourage relationship building among their team members, knowing that strong connections improve both the quality of work and peoples’ ability to thrive in their roles.
Some may have a natural proclivity for this type of leadership — but more often, every leader can benefit from being trained in this people-centered yet results-focused style. Leaders grow through targeted investment and coaching in the competencies that produce the best results for their teams, just like any other role. Make these intentional investments in your emerging and current leaders, and watch incredible leaders develop in every role and department.
Don’t know where to start? You can contact our consultants to learn more — we’d love to help you grow leaders, build teams, and drive results at your organization.
Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to grow leaders, build teams and drive results through great people strategy. Contact us to get proactive about expanding your company’s potential, and stay up-to-date with our latest news and leadership development updates here.