4 Keys to Successful Business Leadership

I was stunned while reading this article about 4 Keys to Successful Business Leadership. Here are some of them

All businesses need quality leadership. Someone or a group of people with a vision and the work ethic to make it reality. Without a presence at the helm, the ship could crash and sink into the sea of commerce as quickly as it set sail.

It sounds like it might be more like a self-help book, but it’s a business book through and through. It’s true messaging is about how to?lead through?inspiration, manage with candor,?win through creativity,?and how to?empower teams with trust.

We here at MIG are long-time believers in the power of candor. Think about it- if life is too short, then our business lives (our careers), are?even shorter.

And while you never want to hurt anyone’s feelings, or make yourself look stupid, you should always be?as candid as possible?and share an opinion that might help someone or your business, to move forward.

Here’s a great video of Ed talking about the value of failure:

Build a “Brain Trust”

What is a brain trust? It is a team of passionate, focused and driven people in your organisation who come together to help solve a problem.

What does the brain trust do? They challenge the owner of the problem, whether it’s company strategy, product decisions, a new marketing campaign.

How does the brain trust work? According to Catmull, the key ingredient to the power of the brain trust is?complete candor.

The team is invited to share their opinions with pure honesty. Catmull says that one of the tricks is to make sure?it never gets personal.?As long as the whole brain trust is aligned on moving the company forward, disagreements and criticism are beneficial to the development and growth of the leader?and?the business.

Focus on Team Dynamics to Create a Culture of Ideas

Catmull talks about working hard on the dynamics of your management team structure. “There?are good reasons why people hold back and don’t say what they think.”

He advises leaders to focus on the structure of the team and the environment to make sure that ideas can flow easily from anywhere inside your organisation.?“As a manager, you want to focus on the dynamics of your team, not the ideas they are producing,” Catmull says. Creating a healthy dynamic will inevitably lead to?more and better ideas from them.

You are Wrong More Than You Think

Catmull believes that the 80/20 rule is wrong. He believes it makes you think you are right more often than you are and that this is in fact – a delusion. While you may be at the center of?thought leadership ?in your business, you aren’t infallible.

He said it’s important to realise that you are wrong more often than you think. Leaders need to open up to this realisation and allow other people’s ideas and creative processes to inform your decisions. Getting and taking advice is tough. It requires you to admit that you might now know everything.

Let Your Ideas Suck

Pixar created record-breaking blockbuster animation films, one after the other, for many years. And yet, Ed argues that the process wasn’t easy.?“All that anyone sees is the final product and there’s almost a romantic illusion about how you got there. When we first put up something–these stories suck.”

By accepting that your first round of ideas are probably wrong, opening to the advice of others, and creating a candid operating environment based on trust, Pixar was able to produce all these amasing successes.

Are you building a culture of candor and trust? – Wrap up

Truthfully, none of this gets done without looking inward at your strategies and faults. Self-awareness will drive your decision making for your business and your life in general. If you’re ready to take your company and your leadership to the next level then?it’s time to get aware and get crackin’?on ideas for the future.

Want to know more? Head on over to the full article here for more ideas and perspective. Afterwards, why not drop me an email to share your thoughts at [email protected]; or call me on 0467 749 378.

Thanks,

Robert