Finding Great Leadership

It's annual review season which is either dreadfully agonizing or exciting depending on if you're expecting a bonus, raise or promotion. If you're one of the lucky people who actually like their jobs and manager then you should be okay but for those who begrudgingly work for a boss they dislike then it's a toss-up. You keep up the facade for now with a smile on your face but pay close attention to these key warning signs that enables you to decipher if your job is the place stay or if you need to update your resume.

If you're working for a job that isn't horrible but your manager is then this is usually a sign of the work culture. I've been here myself and the golden rule is to look for great leadership in a company that you respect and is respectful of you and your contributions to the company. In other words make sure you like your company's leadership or hatch a plan to seek employment elsewhere. If not you'll be forced one day to find other employment because the business will eventually fail.  One of the primary reasons businesses continually miss the mark with objectives whether those goals are minor or major is its lack of  investing in their leadership staff.  Seldomly do these types of companies progress long-term and that indirectly impacts your salary because if they're not progressing then how can you? Leadership staff needs to be solid because its the foundation on which the company is built and if these individuals are incapable of adequately leading teams then they are missing a huge mark. Too often people are pushed up the ranks due to seniority instead of having to actually prove that they're capable of leading and they ultimately lose focus or motivation. How can a company expect all of it's leadership staff to possess outstanding inherent qualities if they're not willing to invest in their staff? If management is lacking the fundamental leadership characteristics then the entire team will follow suite and you are on a sinking ship.

Great leaders should possess certain characteristics that have been proven to work. In turn once the quantitative goals are set, leadership sets the tone which flows down to their respective teams who in return meets expectations while crushing objectives.  If your management staff isn't focused on driving success then the team will surely follow. Let's delve into why these traits are great motivators on driving a successful team who are fully invested in the success of the collective objective.



1. They focus on "WE" and not the I. Again it's a collective objective comprised of  multiple people and components to be successful and achieve goals. Great leaders understand the impact of all in achieving goals no matter how small the task therefore the group as a whole is held accountable. One team... one dream!

2. A leader accepts full responsibility for the collective and assumes full responsibility when things aren't always going well. They reassess the situation and are able to make decisions for the team in whole on next steps to regroup and steer the team in the right direction.

3. They always try to do the right thing and if that includes taking heat or delivering information that may not be regarded in the best light that's what they are willing to do to ensure that wrongs are corrected.

4. They are visionaries! They establish clear goals and objectives for the team and for themselves. They understand that goals drive results and establish clear working goals with timelines to push the wheel forward. This also includes ensuring the team is growing professionally and learning.

5. Passionate about the success of their team. When someone is passionate about what they're doing it encourages others to buy in. Others are able to see the passion as well when working with someone who truly loves what they do all while doing so with a positive attitude which is characteristic #6.

6. Positive attitude are a choice. You aren't in control of what happens to you or some situations but you are most certainly in control of how you respond. You can either choose to fuse the fire and make a hostile situation worse or you can defuse the situation and come out looking like a champ. There will able be someone trying to push your buttons but you don't have to let them succeed. How you deal with everything and everyone in your life truly sets you apart from the masses so why not raise the bar.

7. Build strong relationships with everyone no matter who you encounter. Simply saying good morning with a smile or a simple hello let's people know that you're compassionate and have interpersonal skills. Little things make lasting impressions and are the catalyst to establishing strong relationships.

8. Keeping your composure during difficult times shows others that you're able to rationally think your way through tough scenarios which typically leads to better rationalization and judgement. Instead of hastily reacting you're able to fully assess the situation and make a decision based on all variables instead of reacting without fully thinking through all possible outcomes.

9. Listening before adding your input leads to a better shared experience where the other person leaves the interaction feeling appreciated which is the leading factor to leaving a lasting impression. Great listening skills is also a contributor factor to building that strong relationship. People want to feel appreciated and listening to different perspectives allows the speaker to feel like they are contributing and adding value.

10. Celebrate progress and milestones by acknowledging successes. Acknowledgement of wins no matter how small motivates the team to keep striving to achieve more success. Great leaders push their team in a healthy celebratory way which encourages all to stay focused. .and on track.