Actions of Great Leaders

It’s easy to enumerate the qualities of a good leader (inspiring, authentic, collaborative, empowering), but what are the actions that enable leaders to personify these qualities? According to Inc., contributing Jeff Haden, great leaders carry out several of the following strategies:

• You Promote the Right People:  When employees feel promotions are fair and well deserved, productivity goes up and turnover goes down. Make sure your employees understand the value, and the key drivers of outstanding performance, for every position. The more they understand the responsibilities and goals of a particular job, the more likely they are to understand why you chose the individual who fills that role.
• You Deal with Toxic Employees: The bad behavior of a toxic employee can be infectious. Removing a toxic employee can significantly boost morale and the bottom line. 
• You Don’t Serve the Feedback Sandwich: This term refers to leading with a positive, sharing the negative or "constructive" feedback, then closing with another positive. Sound good? Alas, research shows this makes most employees feel manipulated or patronized. Instead try something like:  "I'm giving you this feedback because I have very high expectations for you that I know you can reach."
• You Admit You Don't Know Everything: Humble leaders are more effective because they are seen as empathetic, approachable, relatable, and helpful. You should be seen as someone who wants to get things done — and knows you can’t do it alone.
  
  

Which of the above strategies do you believe is most important to your own leadership style? To join the conversation, click "comments" above.

Create lifetime communication mastery online, with our virtual programs, awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. 

---