Five Things I’m Practicing To Be A Better Leader

The great sculptor, painter, architect and poet Michelangelo once said, “I am still learning.” What makes that simple quote so significant is that Michelangelo uttered those words at the age of 87, as his life was coming to an end.

There is always time to learn.

Educational experts often talk about the difference between a “fixed” and “growth” mindset. If you believe your basic qualities, like intelligence or talent are fixed traits, and that talent alone creates success, you subscribe to a “fixed” mindset. 

If, however, you believe that your basic abilities can be improved through hard work and determination to do better, you are of the “growth” mindset. This mindset usually comes with a love of learning and a strong desire to always improve.  

Personally, I love to embrace new challenges and find inspiration in the success of others. I also love working hard and finding ways to master new skills. All of these traits are of the growth mindset that I have been incorporating into my business and personal life for years.

For the past year, I’ve been flexing my growth mindset by being a part of a group of leaders at General Motors chosen to participate in a specialized leadership program. Participating in this program has been an amazing learning experience and it provided incredible networking opportunities, not only with my GM colleagues, but also with business and thought leaders from around the globe.

My mind was opened to new ways of thinking and innovative approaches to tackle new challenges. Here are five things I’m now concentrating on more to be a better and more effective leader:

• Unleash the power of a diverse team. Different perspectives yield different methods to solve business issues. You need to innovate for future success and do so with the help of a diverse team that has a broad range of professional expertise and personal life experiences. Bringing different perspectives together is a powerful tool for staying relevant.
• Look to your customers for all of your answers. We like to think that we have the best ideas to tackle the hardest issues. But who needs to be at the center of everything you do? Your customers! Creating a base of knowledge through empathy interviews will help create the best solutions – and the best solutions equal the competitive advantage.
• Realize that problem solving is not linear, it’s a cycle. The path to business success doesn’t often go from point A to point B in a straight line. You need to brainstorm often, select the best solutions, continue to seek customer opinions, and be ready to adjust. 
• Move fast and iterate often. Customer wants and needs are changing fast and that’s accelerated by the tremendous pace of technology development. If you want to win, you need to move fast, stay in-tune with consumer desires and stay ahead of the competition.
• Be ambidextrous.To meet customer needs for the long-term, you need to look for new opportunities and be ready to diversify. While your business model might be profitable today, it might not offer what the customer wants a few years down the road. You need to adopt new strategies and build organizational alignments that can support viable new business streams that can grow your business far into the future.   

After 35 years at General Motors, I can tell you that you should never, ever stop learning. Your hunger for new facts, new studies and new strategies related to your work will open your mind to new opportunities, and finding those opportunities will help you lead your team to new levels of success.