Welcome to part three of this series of posts where I tackle quick fire leadership questions. I receive lots of questions from various platforms which require concise answers. So in this series I will be sharing my responses to these questions.
Did you miss part one to five?
Question 1: “What are some underrated traits that great leaders have?” – Sazzad Sunnyaad
When people think of leaders they tend to think of big business owners, visionaries or world leaders. When they look to these leaders they see the usual behaviours, such as great communications and charismatic behaviour.
However, great leaders don’t tend to get to those positions solely of their charisma. No, they get to those positions due to the “softer” aspects of their leadership behaviours. Here are three uncommon behaviours:
- Listening without judgement
- Being authentic
- Displaying confidence rather than ego
These behaviours allow leaders to build a trust and connection with their supports which rewards them with greater levels of influence.
Question 2: “How can today’s leaders realise tomorrow’s opportunities?” – George Ireland
Today’s world leaders are very busy people. They rush from one meeting to another having to inspire and make countless decisions a day to resolve the problems of today. What this doesn’t allow for is time to stop and think about the future. This is where two core behaviours must be exhibited:
- Drawing of the experience of others
- Adaptable
When a world leader doesn’t have the time to research, they need to trust in someone else’s expertise in finding the opportunities of the future. But, that is meaningless if the leader doesn’t listen with an open mind, which is an element of adaptability. If a leader is too rigid in their ways then the opportunity may be missed.
Question 3: “How do I face the challenge of becoming a leader for the first time?” – Adriana Moreaes
It’s important to understand that your ability to lead others is determined by your level of influence because influence is the currency of leadership.
There are two ways to help you overcome this challenge and start to develop influence as a leader: trust and connection.
People won’t support a leader if they feel they cannot trust them. Therefore, you need to behave in such a way that creates a sense of trust between you and the other person(s). This can be done through behaviours such as: clear and concise communication, decision making, behaving like a sovereign.
Connections are formed after people begin to trust the leader. People are more willing to support a leader who they have a connection with. This can be done through displaying behaviours such as: empathy, authenticity and dropping your ego.
By focusing on building trust and connection with the people you will won’t be facing the challenge alone, you’ll be facing and overcoming the challenge with the support of your team.
I will always be open to tackling challenging leadership questions, so if you have a burning question please do reach out and I will write a response.
Thank you for reading, JT
