What I know from 10,000 hours of helping leaders

In his New York Times best selling book 'Outliers' Malcolm Gladwell talks about the factors that contribute to high levels of success. He refers to the '10,000 hour rule' claiming that one of the keys to achieving world class expertise in any area is practice - for a total of 10,000 hours.

I have been helping develop leadership capability in individuals and organisations for over 20 years and when I reflect on some key factors, here are some important insights.

1. Most people want to be better leaders, but don't have the time. Everyone seems to be time poor so they put off the non urgent leadership stuff. Being a better leader means being clear about priorities and disciplined in managing time.

2. Sometimes people simply don't know what to do to be better leaders. Very few of us learn how to lead. Most of us do our best, but find ourselves making it up as we go. If we are smart we learn from our mistakes and try not to repeat them.

3. Leading is hard and takes courage, and not everyone is up for it. We need to be resilient and not shy away from the tough stuff like dealing with awkward situations and having difficult conversations. We need to lean in when things get hard.

4. People are more likely to become better leaders when they believe that they will succeed. I see lack of confidence as a major barrier to people's growth and development. 

5. The number one responsibility of a leader is to make others better. Some think it's all about them, but ultimately it's about what we can do with and for others.

All of our programs address these issues - let us know if we can help.

Greg Mowbray is The Better Leadership Guy. He is a leadership speaker, author, mentor and consultant. Email him at [email protected]