Leadership for Growth

If you are an owner or have any leadership role in your workplace, you care about the success of your business and your employees. In order for you to take your company from where it is today to where you want it to ultimately be in the future, you will want to pay close attention to these key leadership competencies that will lead your company and your team members to positive and profitable growth.   

Effective leaders… 

… Know their strengths and skill gaps.

Santa Clara University and the Tom Peters group identified a list of effective leadership qualities and characteristics and listed them in order of most important. 

Honest                                             Fair-minded

Forward-looking                            Broad-minded

Competent                                     Supportive

Inspiring                                          Straightforward

Intelligent                                       Dependable 

You need to become familiar with the qualities, characteristics and skills of an effective leader and to what degree you possess them. Honestly look at your own leadership and work toward developing these traits to become an effective leader.

… Know and understand the people they lead. 

Effective leaders make it a priority know the temperaments, needs, motivators, fears and communication styles of the people they lead. This not only demonstrates interest and care for your team members, but it will help you know how to effectively inspire and encourage positive productivity and performance in each individual. Tools for helping you understand yourself and your employees include the DISC Personality System, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Birkman Method and the True Colors Temperament assessment. 

… Continually expand their communication skills. 

Communication problems are identified as the single largest impediment to good relationships and positive performance in organizations. Some of the conversations a leader must engage in include some form of correction and can be difficult and uncomfortable, which can cause some people to avoid the confrontation and others to jump into it too aggressively. I highly recommend you read Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler in order to learn the skill of communicating appropriately. 

… Master the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership developed by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. 

1. Model the Way – Set an example of aligning your actions with your values.
2. Inspire a Shared Vision – Enthusiastically and persuasively detail what the future can be and enlist employees to be part of the vision.
3. Challenge the Process – People do their best when there’s a chance to change the status quo. Look for opportunities to try new things and take calculated risks.
4. Enable Others to Act – Leaders know that they can’t do it alone. Foster collaboration by building trust and facilitating relationships.
5. Encourage the Heart – Expect the best and let people know you believe in them. Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence. Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community.

The past year has presented challenges to the survival and success of many businesses, so there has never been a more important time to develop excellent leadership skills in order to move into the future with your staff engaged and excited and your business on track to grow strong and successful.

Live, Work and Relate Well!

Dr. Todd