What is effective leadership? Gallup, the North American consulting firm, has spent decades studying what great leaders do. One of his main discoveries has been that great leaders are very aware of what their strengths are. And knowing what your strengths are and being aware of your areas of greatest potential is the first step to using them. It is difficult to use something if you are not fully aware that you have it. And when I refer to leaders, I don’t mean just great leaders or CEOs. I am referring to anyone who wants to generate influence in their environment: teachers, intermediate positions, fathers, and mothers, and others.
Gallup has discovered THE 7 CHARACTERISTICS THAT DIFFERENTIATE EXCEPTIONAL LEADERS. If you want to enhance your leadership, I present 7 actions that can help you:
- BUILD RELATIONSHIPS: it is one of the key functions of leadership. You can’t lead other people (followers) if you don’t build relationships with them. So, to lead effectively, spend time building relationships: talk to them, listen, build trust, and build lasting relationships.
- DEVELOP PEOPLE: one of the main challenges of a good leader is to help people grow, to improve them in different aspects. The ability of the team to develop and grow will be essential to achieve the objectives set. So, as a leader, you must closely follow the development of each of your team members.
- LEAD CHANGE: the leader must be a catalyst for change. He must promote it in the first person and be an example of change. In an environment as changing as the current one, leaders must commit to, and guarantee change.
- INSPIRE OTHERS: Leaders must be able to inspire others. In this sense, they must be able to give meaning, vision, and purpose to the job. In this way, the team members will understand what role they play in the collective challenge and realize that their contribution is essential.
- THINK CRITICALLY: Good leaders must be able to generate ideas, analyze risks and create action plans. They must think of a goal to achieve and think critically about how to achieve it.
- COMMUNICATE CLEARLY: Leaders must communicate well to develop effective leadership. They must be able to share information and ideas. And when I refer to communicating, I am not only referring to sharing information, but also to asking the right questions, listening attentively, generating debates… Communicating clearly is essential for effective leadership.
- CREATE ACCOUNTABILITY: everyone in the team must be accountable. but in the case of the leader, accountability is even more important. The culture of accountability in the company begins with the leader. High levels of accountability in the company allow the creation of a better work environment and, in turn, being more efficient and creative through one’s own responsibilities.
7 characteristics that separate mediocre leaders from great leaders. And remember that, as Gallup has shown, the leader is responsible for up to 70% of group productivity.
I end with a phrase from Tom Rath, consultant to Gallup, author of 9 books and expert on strengths, “the key to human development is to build on what you already are”.
