A view point on leadership

This is a topic which has been flying in the LinkedIn forum for a long time and i thought I should weigh in on some points I don't always see articulated.

Firstly I want to point out that I am merely starting on my leadership journey with a mere 3-4 years under my belt. So with that said please read the following with the entitled grain of salt it deserves.

 That said in my almost 20 year professional Career I have worked with all kinds of ‘Managers’ and ‘Leaders’. I would like to take a moment to point out some people I have been SO very lucky to have been mentored and learned so much from over the years. Lani Refiti Sally Ernst Wade Alcorn and Peter Hyland you really are Titans in your fields and thank you for all the support you have given me over the years!

Peter Hyland deserves a special paragraph here. Some leaders inspire you many years on and he embodies this. If I become half the leader he is I will be very successful indeed. For all the help and mentoring to you I say thank you! And sorry I don’t keep in touch as much as I would like!

 I would like to push out some of my ideas on ‘leadership’ and something I strive to live up to. Sometimes I fail, sometimes I hit the ball out of the park and every day I grow and learn and am grateful for every experience good or bad!

 I feel a disclaimer is needed at this point, all of the views expressed here are my own and do not resemble the opinion of my employer’s past, present or future.

 I believe there are 3 things that truly make a leader a ‘Leader’. They are in no particular order;

1. Leaders know something others don’t

The difference between someone who leads a company or department and a ‘Leader’ is the Leader proves themselves to every new hire, while someone who leads a company expects every new hire to prove themselves to them. Now this is not to say as a new hire you don’t have to prove yourself it just means this is a two way street.

1. Leaders give all the credit where it belongs

When people under you produce ideas and work they are always pointed out by a ‘Leader’ and not wrapped up into the job and lost. Recognition is amazingly powerful way of making sure your staff are left empowered (and therefor more productive) after interacting with the leadership team.

1. Leaders are tactful

This is something I’m learning and is so simple I have watched the leaders I try to emulate do it so easily it doesn’t look like they are doing anything at all. They know when to speak and when to listen. Sounds simple enough but it’s harder than you may think! Just try it.

The summary of this is in my experience the two traits that differentiate ‘Leaders’ is Selflessness and a drive to help others succeed. One last thing I will leave you with is always remember no matter if your a 20 year+ veteran or first starting out on your career every conversation you have is an interview and an opportunity!

 Thanks for reading my ramblings, with luck the first of many thought provoking leadership discussions I write over the course of my leadership career!

 I’d love to hear any thoughts, personal experience and constructive criticism you may have on this subject.