5 Things To Learn From Good And Great Leaders

Let me begin by giving credit to the book from where I got inspired to write this article. The book is called “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. Though the words sound similar to the heading of this post, the content is completely different.

I have been lucky to work with various inspirational leaders with diverse styles of working. In fact, as diverse as 180-degrees apart. Trust me, nothing is right or wrong when it comes to leadership styles. What matters is the vision that a leader sets and accordingly choose their leadership style.

Here are top 5 things I learned from these inspiring leaders:

There Is No One Path To Success

I have worked with leaders who ensure that minutest of details are touched upon. On the other hand, I have also worked with leaders who focus only on establishing a mission statement and expect the respective managers to achieve results. Both are correct. So don’t restrict your leadership style to just one particular style. Be as flexible as water. Adapt yourself!

Performance + Perception

Ideally leaders should evaluate managers – basis performance and their perception among colleagues. Reason being that, organisational objectives can be achieved only when employees deliver high performance & if employees perceive the manager with high regard after all, teams can work together only when they perceive each other in high esteem.

The challenge comes when either one of these two qualities are seen in isolation. A great leader should have an eye to evaluate his managers, basis both. Looking at only one of these two qualities only may not be healthy for the organisation in long run.

Change Their Shoes

Great leaders don’t feel uncomfortable wearing others’ shoes sometimes. They do take “NO” as an answer from their teams. Of course, this does not mean that a leader has to get an approval from his team but understanding the perspective of his team with patience is the key differentiator between a good & great leader. Even though a leader has the authority to get his way executed either way but understanding others perspective earns him respect.

Stay Grounded

Once leaders reach a level where they are looked up to by many, they have a choice to make. Either they can continue to stay humble and connected with their ex-colleagues or disconnect themselves. By the way there are valid reasons if leaders disconnect themselves from ex-employees. Their time is precious and 24 hours are understandably too less for a senior leader. Having said that, remaining connected with distant team members, even once in a while, differentiates the great leaders from good leaders.

Work For A Bigger Objective Than The Bottomline

Lastly, and most important, a great leader does not just make a company’s bottom line healthier, he ensures that his team members also grow as managers & leaders along with the organisation. Many organisations use only the functional capabilities of managers.

This, of course, helps the organisation to grow but it does not help in building the next line of leadership. When leaders nurture their teams, they are respected throughout life!

[This post by Abhishek Singh first appeared on Digital Bananas and has been reproduced with permission.]

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