What makes a leader - part 2: the five essentials

by Axel Zein

So the first lesson in leadership is to become so good that you simply cannot be ignored. Every true leader is someone who started off by becoming extremely good at what she/he is doing. Pep Guardiola (picture) was first player and later team manager of the renowned FC Barcelona. But as several readers commented on my first article, there is more to becoming a really good business leader.

1. Define vision (goals) and strategy. It sounds so easy. But in a business environment that is driven by constant change it might not be so obvious where the company should go in order to be successful. Defining the vision, the goal is one thing. But leaders also need to be precise on the strategy, on how to achieve the goal. Otherwise employees won't understand and won't follow with all their heart. "We will achieve 200 mio. € in revenue in 3 years from now" is not a vision or a goal. At best, it might be the result once you have achieved your goal. It is like

2. Manage your team. Leaders need to form a high performance team that is able to implement the strategy and achieve the goals. Unfortunately in schools and universities we don't learn how to:

• pick the best person for a job
• coach, grow (develop) people
• make individuals work as a team
• let go of the "wrong" person with decency and integrity

All these tasks imply some heavy people management skills. Leaders make the office a place where hard work is valued and lousy performance is not tolerated. Don't get me wrong: I am not saying leaders should bully employees around. Most certainly not! Treat people with decency and respect. After all you are their leader, you are their role model not their dictator. But that doesn't mean you have to settle for mediocrity. Make people want to give their best.

3. Increase productivity through a culture of constant improvement and innovation. Small improvements can increase productivity. Innovation can bring you huge competitive advantages. So in order to prevail against the old "we've always done it this way", leaders need to create a culture where fresh ideas are valued and cherished, where people love to innovate and improve, where employees can speak up and have a say. Not everybody is comfortable with this culture. But then not everybody should be in your team.

4. Motivate. Yes money is a good motivator. If you don't pay enough people with choices will leave. And usually these persons are the the top performers. But money will not do it alone. Mother Teresa said: "the world hungers more for love and appreciation than for bread." In addition to love and appreciation employees also need understanding and the feeling that they are part of the decision making process (my opinion counts), that they buy into the logic and that they make a difference.

5. Re-evaluate and change if neccessary. Once you define your vision (goal) and the strategy you know where you're going and how to get there. But in this dynamic world change is omnipresent. Therefore leaders need to constantly re-assess their goals and their strategy (are they still valid?).

Implementing these 5 things is damn hard by itself. On top of this, leaders have to constantly work on themselves. If you want to move others first move yourself. And that goes back to the previous article I wrote about lesson one in leadership: become so good that you cannot be ignored. In other words never stop working on yourself. We find it a lot easier to blame others than to face our own gaps. Maybe that's one reason why good leaders are a rare species.

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Axel is CEO of WSCAD, a software company that is one of the top global providers of Electrical CAD solutions. WSCAD offers engineering software for electrical schematic and controls design, fluid power diagrams, panel & enclosure layout, building automation and electrical installation.

Want more on leadership? What makes a leader - part 1: it's simple but not easy

or watch my TEDx speech “THE PERFECT BOSS”:https://youtu.be/jFG7jqJXbno

For my German speaking friends: "LEADERSHIP IM 21. JAHRHUNDERT", meine Keynote von der SIEMENS PLM Connection https://youtu.be/yhm48dHq0Bs

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