6 things leaders are/do...

Naturally selfless

In my experience the most important attribute of successful leaders is that they think about others first. The definition of leadership is “the action of leading a group of people or an organization.” Anyone that moved into leadership to make more money, to feel more powerful or avoid the pressure of their previous situation has made a mistake. Leaders don’t look for credit, they give credit. Any manager that has ever attempted to motivate people by asking them to be empathetic to the personal situation of the manager is not a natural leader. If you’re the type of manager that tries to rally your reps around ‘not missing your forecast number’ or ‘feeding your family’, you will struggle to earn authentic loyalty from your team.

Leaders understand if they give all they can to the development and success of their people, they will themselves be successful as a result. Work hard + care hard = payoff for the employees first and eventually the leader.  

Treat people well

Respect and transparency. Candidates, customers, prospects, employees, everyone. Be honest with prospective candidates about the challenges with the role, how much you want them to join your team and how you/the team will treat them. Be honest and helpful with your prospective customers. Same for your current employees and coworkers. Quality people have options. Address problems head on and treat everyone with respect and transparency. Strong cultures grow in safe environments with no surprises. Perks and appealing policies do not make a culture. It’s all about how you treat people.

Goal driven

Leaders model drive for their team and set their own inspiring goals. High performing teams are committed to the team goal and the members each have personal goals. If you clock out at 5pm, so will your team. If you celebrate 75% or even 100%, so will your team. Leaders work hard and aim high. As Confucius says “if you shoot for the stars but hit the moon, it’s OK.” If you don’t work hard, shoot for acceptable and hit unsatisfactory, it’s a big red flag to everyone.

Committed to continuous improvement

Leaders are constantly learning, growing and adapting. If you stop learning, something needs to change. To paraphrase Da Vinci; inaction saps the vigor of the mind. Same goes for your employees…they want to be trained and coached. They crave regular skill building, recognition for their successes and feedback on how they can improve. Leaders are constantly learning from the people on their team and understand how to leverage the knowledge and abilities of team members to scale further and faster.

Understand it all starts with talent

People play to the collective level of the team. Leaders inspire everyone on the team. Teammates are motivated to bring in new team members that will help them grow to new levels. Leaders are constantly on the lookout for people who will challenge and teach their top performers. Leadership is not a title or responsibility to be assigned but a series of beliefs and actions. Look for ambitious people and help them progress their career. To quote Tom Peters; “Leaders don't create followers; they create more leaders.”

Add value

The greatest asset newly promoted sales leaders possess is their empathy for, and understanding of the situations facing their current team members. New leaders, as well as experienced ones, too often forget that the easiest way to gain the respect and loyalty of their people is to add value consistently. In a sales context, this means coaching, sharing expertise and helping improve their sales results. You’re dropping the ball if you spend more time in your office and managing upward then you do on the floor and on customer calls. Leaders dedicate give as much of their time as possible to helping their team members succeed.

This was not intended to be an exhaustive list but a collection of observations. What would you add to the list?