7 Truths That Will Take Your Leadership to a Whole New Level

Join over 380,000 people and subscribe here for future editions.?Event Planners: Scroll to the bottom of this post to explore keynotes for your speaking calendar.

* * *

Remember those scratchy vinyl?records that would skip and play the same thing over and over until you moved the needle? (I know I'm showing my age, play along.)

Well, the Gallup Organization has been playing a tune now for nearly four decades, one that sure sounds a lot like a scratchy record that won't skip forward. You know it well--roughly 30 percent of employees?in the U.S. are actually engaged in their work. But here's the part of the song that keeps skipping incessantly: People leave managers, not companies.

We've known this for a while, and yet we can't seem to solve the leadership crisis that will result in happy, engaged, and motivated workers.

That's because most people in positions of power don't have a clear?understanding of what it truly?takes to influence human beings. You don't manage people; you lead people and manage the work.

7 Leadership Truths

If you find yourself in the precarious position of wondering,?"Where do I stand as a leader?" at some point, you must face some honest truths about what it takes to motivate and inspire on a human, emotional, and psychological level.?Drum roll please...

1. Eliminate fear

In?traditional top-down power structures, bosses will cast a vision and then use positional power and control to move people to carry out the vision. Fear is par?for the course as the primary?motivator.

In today's?social economy, where the currencies of kindness, empathy, and respect are exchanged,?servant leaders?will cast a company vision and enroll their followers to express their voices as co-creators and co-contributors to the vision.

Their first priority is creating psychological safety among their tribes. As Richard Sheridan, CEO and Chief Storyteller at Menlo Innovations and author of Chief Joy Officer and Joy, Inc. has stated, good leaders "pump the fear out of the room"?and liberate their?people to freely collaborate, innovate, and engage.

2. Build collective trust

Every leader needs to ask a very important, look-in-the-mirror question:?"Does my behavior increase trust?" If you are considering elevating your leadership skills, trust is a pillar your leadership should stand on.?In his book?The Speed of Trust,?Stephen M.R. Covey highlights several trusting leadership behaviors great companies are known for, including:

• Create?transparency
• Confront?reality
• Practice?accountability
• Talk straight
• Right wrongs

3. Listen to feedback

Many leaders don't want to listen to ideas, opinions, and constructive feedback from?others. For such leaders, cutting themselves off means that they operate in an ego-system, not an ecosystem.?A leader who listens well, on the other hand, is open and accountable; they filter out criticism or drama and find the facts in order to respond appropriately to serve the needs of others. They probe and ask questions until they?get clarification; they listen to understand--with?a focus on the future,?not on a rehash of the past.

4. Practice positive thinking

Good leaders view?stressful situations from a more positive perspective, which takes emotional intelligence.?Rather than getting stressed out about a work situation or a recent failure, they look at it as an opportunity to pause,?regroup, learn, grow, and bounce back with renewed energy and focus. This can have a profound effect on one's emotional and physical well-being. Leaders who maintain a positive attitude and practice positive thinking experience less stress than those who are pessimistic, narrow-minded, and negative.

5. Be proactive

Good leaders are "do-it-now" people. They don't put?things off until the last minute, which is a sure way to?increase stress levels. Good leaders begin?doing what they know they should do and when they know they?should do it. They anticipate problems?when issues arise and address them head-on before they escalate.?

6. Set boundaries

Billionaire Warren Buffett,?the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, learned a long time ago that the greatest commodity of all is time. One of his secrets to success? He simply mastered the practice of setting boundaries for himself. The mega-mogul once said:

The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.

They say no?to opportunities and things that don't excite them, speak to their values, or further their mission in life.?They say no?to spending time with uninspiring,?critical, or negative people who drag them down.?They say no?to overworking and neglecting self-care and family. They recognize that if they can't take care of themselves, everything else suffers.

7. Be loving

We often view any notion of leadership and love?through the spiritual teachings?of historical and religious figures like Gandhi?or Martin Luther King Jr.?

But another unlikely icon from the past--legendary?Green Bay Packers head coach?Vince Lombardi--didn't mince words in defining how he led with love. Lombardi, one of the grittiest sports figures from the 1960s, said:

I don't necessarily have to like my players and associates, but as their leader, I?must?love them. Love is loyalty, love is teamwork, love respects the dignity of the individual. This is the strength of any organization.

Love in the leadership-at-work sense is not a feeling; it's expressed as an "action verb." It's love that shows up in meeting the needs of others to get results, clearing obstacles from people's paths, and empowering others to succeed and grow as workers and human beings. It has intrinsic value for both the leader and the employee. Ultimately, it's this kind of?love that defines some of the best CEOs?on the planet.

Your turn: What other "leadership truths" would you add to this list? Leave a comment, and let's learn from each other.

Virtual and In-Person Keynotes in 2024

Winter is here and event conference planners are busy working to fill their speaking roster in 2024. If your organization is interested in a virtual or in-person keynote, click here or below to schedule a call with me so I can personally hear about your event and whether I'm a good fit. Serious speaking inquiries only.

About Marcel Schwantes

Marcel Schwantes is a global speaker whose keynotes and workshops spotlight the human side of work and how cultures of care, connection, and belonging outperform the competition. He's an executive coach, syndicated columnist with a worldwide following, and the creator of the highly-acclaimed "From Boss to Leader" course. Marcel has been recognized as one of the "Top 101 Global Employee Engagement & Experience Influencers" by Inspiring Workplaces. His work is regularly featured in?media outlets all over the world, including Inc., Business Insider, Fast Company, and CNBC.