Now this might seem like a strange title for a blog post and even I would admit that it is a little quirky. What prompted me to write this blog post is that I seem to be coming across more and more people who aspire to be leaders and think that it is all about getting more and more qualifications.

Now don’t get me wrong, qualifications and extra knowledge are always useful. At the same time you need to be checking to make sure that you are not gathering more qualifications:

• As a substitute for taking on that scary real life work project that is going to really take you out of your comfort zone, challenge you and see what you are really made of.
• In the hope that somehow employers will see you in a different light and fast track you to the top.
• As a substitute for developing the interpersonal skills and qualities that are so vital to success at a senior level.

Next time you find yourself thinking about getting yet another qualification or certification, stop and ask yourself:

• How does this add to what I already know?
• What difference is it really going to make?
• Is there another way of achieving the same result?
• Am I really applying all of the knowledge that I already have?

The truth is that collecting and delivering mail is hugely important. At the same time you need to decide whether you are in the business of collecting more letters or are in the business of realising your own potential and creating success as a leader.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. He invites you to take advantage of his free audio e-course Leadership Success at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

Tags: Responding To Leadership Challenges, Qualifications and Leadership, The Fast Track to Leadership, Leadership Experience, Leadership Qualities, Skills for Senior Management

Teams, as we know, have the potential to contribute significantly to organisational performance. On the other hand they often fail to deliver to optimal performance levels.

While there may be whole host of barriers to success, I have found that some of the real barriers include the following:

• A Lack Of Listening

  So often people say that the problem is a lack of communication. Yes, communication matters but what I have found is the real barrier is the inability to listen to each other. When we stop listening, we close our mind to insights and ideas that could make a big difference.

• The Know It All

  You might have met this person: the individual who has the answer to every possible challenge that the team could have or face. The trouble is, they tend to steam roll through their ideas and end up alienating people.

• Pessimism

  Achieving anything of significance is tough and let’s not pretend otherwise. At the same time, if you are overly pessimistic you never do anything because you worry as to if you are doing the right thing.

• Promising A Lot, Delivering Little

  The people who used to frustrate me were the people who promised to do a lot of things but just let the team down time and time again. If you are the leader, you need to hold these individuals to account.

• A Lack Of Trust

  Trust takes time to build and can be destroyed in minutes. Delivering what you say and going out of your way to help others builds and maintains trust.

I would love to hear your experiences of what gets in the way of team success and, if you have a moment, I invite you to leave a comment.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. He invites you to take advantage of his free audio e-course Leadership Success at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

Many people make it to leadership roles while others get stuck and fail to realise their potential. In my experience those who make the breakthrough have most of the following qualities:

1. Clarity

   Good leaders have clarity about what they want to achieve personally, professionally and for the organisations in which they work.

2. Talent

   Being a leader requires a high level of competence in a wide range of areas. While they might not be brilliant at everything, they need to be as comfortable sitting in front of the media as they are drawing themes from a performance report.

3. Belief

   Frequently it is what people believe about themselves that separates the successful from the unsuccessful.

4. Opportunity Spotters

   Good leaders have a great knack for spotting and capitalising on a gap in the market.

5. Adaptable

   They are able to adapt to changing circumstances within the organisation or externally within the market or environment in which the organisation operates.

6. Dedication

   Dedication is about making the choices, sacrifices and having the discipline to keep going even when it all appears like a lost cause.

7. Caring

   This might not be one that you would have expected to find on the list. However, in my experience leaders care about others’ success and bringing out the best in others.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. You can sign up for his free audio e-course at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

Look at some of the qualities of some of the most successful leaders in your organisation and chances are a high level of personal drive will be one of their main qualities.

Personal drive matters to your results and success for a number of reasons:

1. It’s your personal drive that turns ideas into action and action into results.
2. It keeps you going even when times are tough and challenging.
3. It sets the tone for what you are seeking from others in the organisation.
4. It enables you to bounce back from disappointments and setbacks.

While personal drive does matter, remember that having a strong personal drive is not about being a nightmare to work with, bullying or destroying people. For me it is about pushing forward with others to deliver great results.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. You can sign up for his free audio e-course at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

Being a successful leader is much more than just having good skills.  Your personal attributes or characteristics are just as important to your success.  In fact some research would suggest that these are even more vital to your success.  Of the host of characteristics that leaders have, here are my top 7.

Commitment

Leadership is a marathon rather than a sprint.  You need to be willing to keep going whatever the obstacles and challenges.

Clarity

Good leaders know where they are heading and why.  They have clarity of purpose.

Communication

The best leaders speak well, write well and listen exceptionally well.

Courage

Leaders who have courage make the big calls even when there is personal risk.

Consistency

People like leaders who, no matter what, their style is consistent.

Caring

Good leaders are interested in a care about the success of others.

Challenging

The best leaders challenge others to achieve bigger things than they thought were possible.

I wonder what other characteristics from your own experience that you would add to the list?

Duncan Brodie helps accountants and health professionals to realise their professional potential. He invites you to take advantage of his free audio e-course, Leadership Success.

Leading is not easy. I am sure we all agree with that. It is often one of those things that look straightforward if you are on the outside looking in.

For me, success as a leader depends on many factors. In this blog post I have decided to pull out my top qualities or skills under the letter ‘C’.

Commitment

• Leading and being a successful leader is a marathon, not a sprint. Yes, there will be times when it seems effortless. At the same time, there will be plenty of obstacles along the way. Commitment levels need to be very high.

Communication

• Some leaders are great at speaking. Others are great at writing cases for funding or business plans. Some are good listeners. The best have all three of these communication skills.

Courage

• It is easy for others to criticise and in truth, no matter what you do, there will always be the critics. Sometimes, as a leader you need to make the big calls. Having the courage to make and follow through these calls will set you apart.

Confidence

• Self-confidence, or lack of it, can make a huge difference to your success. Being self confident is not about being arrogant, it is for me about believing in yourself, your capabilities and what you have to offer.

Caring

• Some of the best leaders I have worked for had that unique blend. They were able to get great results and still show great interest in others. Taking an interest in others and their success is a great motivator and a great leadership quality in my view.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to achieve success and realize their professional potential through being highly effective leaders and managers. For more information and to sign up for his free audio e-course click here

Success as a leader can be challenging to achieve. While skills, experience and knowledge all help, qualities are important too.

So what five qualities are essential to succeeding as a leader?

1. A genuine interest in others.
2. Self awareness and a clear understanding of your own strengths and limitations.
3. A commitment to developing the leaders of the future.
4. Drive and persistence to keep going even when the going gets tough.
5. Set and adopt personally high standards.

What else would you add to the list?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to achieve success and realize their professional potential through being highly effective leaders and managers. For more information and to sign up for his free audio e-course click here

I guess if you are reading this blog post, you are either a leader, an aspiring leader or someone with a real interest in leadership. So what questions do you need to think about when determining whether you are a leader or aspiring leader?

1. I am the type of person who makes things happen.
2. I see opportunities to take things forward within the organisation.
3. I influence the opinions and actions of others in a positive way.
4. I actively look for ways of helping others to achieve more success.
5. The people that are drawn towards me are highly motivated and success orientated.
6. I provide ideas that help the organisation.
7. I am generally positive even in the more challenging times.
8. When I make commitments, I generally follow through on them.
9. I am an ambassador or stand up for the organisation I work for.
10. I genuinely believe in myself.

At the end of the day, there are many things that contribute to an effective leader and this list should give you a useful start point in determining your leadership potential.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. For more information click here