Top 10 Tips for Extraordinary Leadership in Today’s World

We live in a challenging context of fantastic opportunities!

Leadership is the vital component that ensures we can make the most of them! 

However our times lead to complex and ambiguous situations. This means that one of the many challenges we face today is that it has become unclear how to lead effectively. It is as if the rules for leadership have been rewritten!

My answer has been to define for the first time what great leaders are doing in today’s world. In Leadership Laid Bare! I outline a blueprint for leadership success. It is a guide to ensure you are on the fastest and easiest track for success.

Here are my tried, tested and proven 10 top tips taken from the book to ensure success as a Leader: 

Tip 1: Focus

First of all your focus has to be in the right place. You have to be absolutely clear that your role as a leader is to CREATE A HIGH PERFORMANCE ENVIRONMENT WHERE SUCCESS IS INEVITABLE.

Tip 2: Awaken Possibility

You also have to realise that to achieve outstanding results your job is to AWAKEN POSSIBILITY IN PEOPLE TO DELIVER EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS. You need to operate in a collaborative and inclusive way that delivers results with people.

Tip 3: Be Principled

The three key principles for leaders in today’s world are Boldness, Simplicity and Speed. To operate at the pace required today, gaining clarity about the role and purpose of leadership is vital. We also need to have a set of principles to guide us. In times of uncertainty making decisions and moving forward is a great way to remove fear and anxiety. Having a set of guiding principles helps to remind us what we should be doing. 

Tip 4: Be Authentic

Take time to understand yourself, be self-aware and have a story to tell. Develop an authentic leadership brand, build on your strengths. Have the courage to be vulnerable, be you. Make sure you share your leadership philosophy, build trust, be positive, healthy and happy. Your energy and vitality is vital – keep yourself fit. Make sure you aren't heading for an energy crisis.

Tip 5: Inspire Action

Purpose should be at the heart of everything you do. Go make a difference. Have the courage to go out on a limb, be bold, tell stories and give examples that ensure meaning and inspire action. Create a sense of real value. As Simon Sinek says, “Start with Why.”

Tip 6: Build Teams

You need to build teams fast. Have a team development strategy. Be comfortable with collaboration, empowerment, autonomy and know how to build many different types of teams quickly. Make sure people are valued and playing to position. Create a sense of team pride.

Tip 7: Unleash Innovation

You need to create a culture where everyone comes up with great ideas to improve performance and add value. You must innovate in every aspect of business. Be a relentless discoverer! Make sure you also exploit technology and platforms.

Tip 8: Manage Ambiguity

Be comfortable managing paradoxes. An example of this is that we should be thinking about reducing costs and adding value for our customers at the same time. You need to make the complex simple, have one page plans and understand the need for evolving plans, keep agile. Be mentally tough and resilient to deal with a world in perpetual crisis. Anticipate and kill risk quickly. Stay in touch with the real world.

Tip 9: Educate

Help people and organisations learn, inspire curiosity, only tell when direction is absolutely needed, ensure learning is applied, lead with questions, coach, mentor, develop and nurture capability. You success is down to how well you educate your team.

Tip 10: Execute at Pace

Translate strategy into meaning and inspire action. Join the dots, be comfortable speeding up by slowing down, deliver through people and teams. You need to execute at pace. Keep control through regular reviewing, learning and application of improvement ideas. Deliver fast change through effective project and change delivery.

Every success

Graham

About the author

Graham is on a mission to change the way organisations are being led. His sole purpose is to awaken possibility in leaders to deliver extraordinary results. Called a Leadership Wizard by his clients, he is the founder of the award winning Successfactory, author of Leadership Laid Bare! and The New Leadership Manifesto. He is trusted by many of the best leaders and organisations around the world to develop their leaders.

You can contact Graham at [email protected]

If you are intrigued and want to learn more then register interest in the Leadership Athlete Masterclass here and I'll give you a free electronic copy of The New Leadership Manifesto (￡12.99 on Amazon) Our next 2 day workshop in June is filling up fast!

www.thesuccessfactory.co.uk and www.grahamwilson.com

Want to deliver projects and change - really effectively, faster and at a lower cost? Check out ChangePro the online learning portal for game changers.

Inspired by my articles? Want to learn more? Check out my books...

Leadership Laid Bare! and The New Leadership Manifesto are available from amazon.co.uk