Posts Tagged ‘leadership traits’

When people go for a job interview it is pretty commonplace to be asked how others would describe you. In the interview you probably trot out a good answer that ticks the boxes in the mind of the interviewer.

The trouble is, beyond the interview situation few people ever really give much thought to this question and this is a lost opportunity.

The question is great in many ways:

1. It gets to the heart of the type of leader that you want to be.
2. It shapes how you interact with others, behave, set an example and go about undertaking your role as a leader.
3. It keeps you constantly conscious of what it is that makes you perform at your best.
4. It gives you a marker or frame of reference against which you can check before getting into a difficult conversation or making a difficult decision.

When your team is asked this question I guess that you and most leaders and managers would like to hear things like:

1. They are highly supportive of me and the team.
2. They encourage us to try new things and provide the safety net to allow us to do this.
3. They are approachable and I can go to them if I have a struggle.
4. They are honest with me.
5. I trust them completely.
6. They are a great role model and someone from whom I can learn.

By contrast, few leaders or managers would like to hear the following:

1. They are totally autocratic and never involve us. They might best be described as the Nike boss who says “Just Do It”.
2. They put excessive demands on the team and we feel like we are collapsing under the weight.
3. The only person that matters to them is themselves.
4. They take all the glory when things go well and never acknowledge the contribution of others.
5. They blame and try to pass the buck when things go wrong.

And here is the good news. You get to determine for what you have a reputation as a leader or manager. So what choices will you make?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps professional people become great leaders and managers. Sign up for his free audio e-course Leadership Success at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk.

Being a leader presents many challenges. One of the most valuable assets you can have as a leader is self awareness. Why is it so important and what are the benefits?

Benefit 1: You Play To Your Strengths

• While you can be competent in many areas, it is tough to be great at everything. Being more self aware allows you to focus your time and energies on what you do best. After all, you want to be playing to your strengths.

Benefit 2: You Get Others Playing To Their Strengths

• Organisations are full of talented people, many of whom are never ever fully utilised. Make the time to find out where others excel and get them focusing on what they do best.

Benefit 3: You Adapt To The Situation

• Leadership is not something that comes with a step by step success recipe. A lot of it is trial and error, learning and reflection and being able to adapt. The best leaders are highly skilled at adapting to the situation they face.

Benefit 4: You Think Before You Act

• In any situations there will always be many options open to you. Good leaders know this and will choose their response and options to take account of others’ perspectives.

The Bottom Line: The truth is that raising your levels of self awareness can really make a huge difference to the results you achieve. So what’s your first step?

To help you to assess where you excel and where you perhaps need to develop yourself, I have developed a simple Leadership Assessment.  You can get your free assessment by clicking on the  following link leadership-skills-assessment

1. Create a clear and compelling vision for the future.
2. Set and communicate effectively the long term direction.
3. Involve others in decisions.
4. Listen a lot.
5. Gain the support of others.
6. Influence effectively.
7. Act as an ambassador for the organisation.
8. Act as a role model and demonstrate the behaviours expected.
9. Take a real interest in others.
10. Stay connected to the key stakeholders.

What else would you add?

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

As a leader, I guess that you ultimately want to achieve success. At the same time, you know that success as a leader is definitely not guaranteed.

So what traits do you want to avoid if you want to achieve success as a leader?

1. Trying to rely on status or seniority to get things done.
2. Never allowing others to have a go and try things out because of fear of failure.
3. Avoiding taking key decisions that need to be made.
4. Trying to do it all by yourself.
5. Failing to trust others in the team.

I wonder what else you would 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

1. Adapting to changing circumstances
2. Bringing out the best in others
3. Taking balanced risks
4. Taking responsibility
5. Giving credit to others

What would you add?

One trait that you probably identify in the best leaders is self awareness.  Self awareness is about knowing what you do best, what makes you tick, what impact you have on others and where you still need to grow and develop.

The benefit of being self aware is that you can aim to play to your strengths and as a result achieve greater success.

So how self aware are you and what could you do to develop your awareness even more?