Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership

Build exemplary leadership through your ongoing relationships. Follow five leadership practices.

Titles don’t?define leaders.?You earn your leadership status through your actions and their effect on other people. The people you interact with every day determine whether you are a leader.?Good leaders?share?a common set of values and professional practices, but not every leader has a lofty corporate title.

“If people are going to want to follow you over the course of a project or the course of a career, what do they most want to see in your behavior?”

Leaders practice at every level of an organization, from the executive suite to the customer service desk. People admire people who set a high standard of?honesty, vision, competency and enthusiasm.?Effective leadership demands credibility; people have to believe in you before they will listen to you. True leadership is within everyone’s grasp. Exceptional leaders, regardless of industry,?company or title, share five behaviors that transcend age, gender, and ethnicity.

1. “Model the way” – Back your words with action.

You can’t assume a leadership role until you know what you believe, represent and want to teach. Dynamic leaders demonstrate behaviors they expect others to emulate. The most admired?figures in history?embraced and communicated their core values and, as history demonstrates,?people follow leaders?with strong principles. Followers expect their leaders to address such topics as conscience and?morality, but you can’t speak up effectively if you haven’t yet figured out what matters most to you.?People align with leaders who are clear about their philosophy.

“To perform at their best, leaders enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared ideals and aspirations”

Your values determine your everyday actions and serve as your anchor during challenging times. The catalyst for leadership is caring about something you want to change and being willing to see it through despite setbacks. Crystallizing your values gives you a baseline for making principled, rather than rash choices.?

?Those strongly held values inform your decisions, from setting corporate priorities to balancing work and family. Respected leaders embody the shared values of their supporters. People respond best when they see?that everyone is playing by?the same set of rules and?principles.

Though consensus is the best approach to?establishing fruitful?work relationships, you can’t?expect everyone to?agree all the time. Still, you need mutual understanding and acceptance to move forward.?Continual disputes over bedrock values perpetuate?conflict,?while aligning the personal with?team?values produces extraordinary momentum.?

Leaders establish their credibility by keeping their word. If you say you are going to do something, do it.?If your words and actions are inconsistent, people will not trust you.?Your actions and your values must align.?

Storytelling is one of the most effective ways to teach values in action.?If providing exceptional customer service?is one of your company’s stated goals, then praise employees who render good service. For example, highlight the IT specialist who went to a client’s workplace to resolve a stubborn server issue.

“When people hear a story about how someone like themselves enacted a value, they are much more likely to see themselves doing the same.”

Leaders should?seek feedback proactively, but most often they don’t due to insecurity. Even a relatively tame comment can lead to anxiety and resentment.?Nevertheless, good leaders recognize they must understand?how others perceive their behavior.?Those who accept criticism?and alter their behavior accordingly are more likely to enjoy?future success as managers.

If you seek precise advice instead of vague feedback, you will receive better?input.?People often hesitate to seek input from others for fear of appearing?inept. In reality, co-workers view colleagues?who ask questions as more competent?than those who never ask. So, if you’d like to?encourage?participation during?meetings, ask specifically about your efforts to encourage others to contribute to group discussions.

2. “Inspire a shared vision” – Make the future bright.

Leaders create a sense of purpose that gives?guidance in the present and inspiration for the future. People want their leaders to talk?about exciting possibilities down the road.?Verbalizing a mission and a purpose?gives meaning to people’s work.?To cultivate?a forward-looking mindset among your employees, plan?ahead and imagine what you and your company can accomplish in the future.?

“Don’t let your philosophy of leadership become static. Make sure it stays relevant to who you are and what you’re actually doing.”

Recognizing the importance of?a vision is different from actually having one. Search inwardly to identify your basic beliefs.?Stop moving, turn off your electronics and spend time each day reflecting and noticing what’s going on. Become a keen observer of people's behavior?and interactions.?What’s different today about your workplace and community? What trends are unfolding? Pay attention to what people?discuss. What do they like and dislike? What do they believe is standing in their way?

“A relationship between people characterized by fear and distrust will never produce anything of lasting value.”

You can’t force others to see your?vision. It must have meaning for them. Organizational progress and?growth require a shared common purpose. As a leader, help your colleagues understand why they should support the firm’s mission and how they will benefit.?People want to make a difference and be part of something meaningful.

3. “Challenge the process” –?New and different is better.

Change calls for a different?approach. Leaders should not be afraid to experiment or take risks. Business as usual won’t?help you or your team. Leave?your comfort zone;?disrupt the status quo. Good leaders set the bar high, yet?within reach.

During good times, being complacent?is easy; but?personal or?professional adversity create a completely different atmosphere. Misfortune?forces you to confront who you are and what matters to you. Whether the changes are?big or small, they will always reveal?something new.

“Leaders must foster conditions under which people will do things because they want to, not because they have to.”

People who seize the initiative earn?higher leadership marks from their supervisors. Even students view their most proactive friends as superior leaders. In the world of work, colleagues respect those who challenge the status quo, even if the eventual changes are less effective than planned.

The intrinsic reward of doing something good and important is a powerful motivator. That's why people become volunteer firefighters, raise money for charity, help underprivileged children, join the Peace Corps or leave a secure job to start a business.?

People seeking change typically don’t care about power or money; they want to make a difference. But before you make a move, gather all the information you can to inform your goals. When a Saudi Arabian investment firm hired Omer Ali Rao as an adviser to the CEO, Rao?examined the company’s operating procedures, culture and politics before?he began offering any suggestions to his boss. In his current position with a North American?roadside service company, Rao?went out on the road with?individual tow?truck drivers. His observations of?their interactions with stranded drivers inspired new ideas about how the company would use?technology.

“If people are going to follow someone willingly, they must believe the individual is honest, competent, inspiring and forward-looking.”

Incremental change is more effective and less intimidating than a major overhaul. Initiatives that seem?too large and bold can?dampen?motivation. By building momentum through smaller victories, people can?feel secure knowing that mistakes don’t mean punishment.

4. “Enable others to act” –?Leadership is a joint venture.

Leaders need support, cooperation and collaboration. This means they must create a positive atmosphere that motivates others.?You can’t?accomplish anything by yourself. You can’t lead if you’re unwilling to rely on?the work of other people.?

Build?trust through openness and commitment. Trusting people cements your relationships with them.?Allow them to contribute, make decisions and take chances.

Empathetic leaders help teammates who might be struggling?with challenging assignments;?compassionate leaders pay attention?when others express concern or hesitancy.?They practice active listening?by asking questions that convey sincere?interest,?allowing employees to confide in each other – and in their leaders – and?create?an atmosphere of cooperation and goodwill.

“When people believe that you have their interests at heart – that you care about them – they’re more likely to be open to your influence.”

People value?freedom of choice, and?will?respond?favorably when you offer?autonomy. If their leaders support them, they will take risks and work willingly, even outside their formal?job description.

Research finds a direct correlation between self-confidence and performance. In one study, researchers told one group that they could learn decision-making skills through practice; they told another group that decision-making was a matter of intellect. When they presented both groups with?theoretical?problems, the first group displayed tenacity and worked toward solutions. The second group suffered a crisis of confidence and lost motivation.

5. “Encourage the heart” –?Demonstrate your belief in your co-workers.

Leaders are responsible for bringing out the best?in?others. By?publicly acknowledging?their employees’ hard work and commitment,?they instill confidence in their people, knowing that the expectations they express will lift their employees’ performances.?When people realize what they’re capable of achieving, they elevate their personal expectations and reach new heights.

“Positive expectations create positive images in the mind, where positive futures for yourself and others are first constructed.”

Your employees?are more likely to become top performers if you give them your support and validation. Use encouraging words and an upbeat approach to transmit your faith in your co-workers, not yelling, scowling or ostracizing. Be cordial, approachable and positive.?

You can’t be an effective leader if you hide in your office or tether yourself to electronic devices. You have to remain visible,?accessible and involved; people want to know what you think of their work.?

Set aside the old notion that managers can’t be friends?with their co-workers. The process of getting to know others begins with your willingness to be vulnerable. By?sharing your aspirations, interests, and personal thoughts, you'll encourage your colleagues to be more open, as well.

Start learning?to be an effective leader – now.

People who work for?outstanding leaders are happier and more productive. Employees who have inept leaders utilize only around two-thirds?of their ability.?That’s just one reason that conscientious leaders prioritize learning and developing themselves.?Practical learning?is the most effective; there’s no substitute for experience.?Identify people in your environment you can approach?for help and advice.?Take advantage of workshops, seminars and self-directed options online.