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What makes up a good leader?
How about a great leader? How
do you know the difference?
Good leadership is crucial to any endeavor and its presence often spells the
difference between failure and success.
It is important to know that leadership resides in one person.
A committee cannot exercise leadership any more than a committee can
command loyalty. Even when a
group rules by consensus there is one person who leads the group.
This is the leader.
Which started me thinking, what are the traits of a good leader?
Do the traits of leadership change under the circumstances or are
they constants? Here are my
suggestions:
1)
A leader must be competent.
This is trait number one because an incompetent leader is not a
leader at all. Rank, position
and title do not a leader make, as we can see from the failure of our
so-called leaders in government, business and other institutions.
When the leader is incompetent little gets done because there are
numerous underlings vying to fill the leadership vacuum in the organization.
This is detrimental to getting anything done.
2)
A leader must be a Role Model, and this role model
must be consistent with the task at hand.
A General must be an exemplary soldier while
a religious leader must be an example of their faith.
Leaders can still be human and display the doubts and fear that
naturally arise, but at the same time his character must be consistent with
the goals of the organization.
a.
The leader must set an example.
b.
He/she should be cool and self-confident and be able to
“keep his/her head when all others about are losing theirs.”
c.
Selfless. He should be able to recognize the talent in
others and support and encourage them.
3)
Politically savvy.
They need to maneuver around and gain consensus from a variety of
competing interests. The official chain of command is not always the actual
chain of command. To lead the
leader needs to identify and connect with the real influencers.
4)
A leader must be a good listener.
They must also be observant.
Both these skills are essential to “Management by Walking Around”
5)
Easily reachable. People must have access to the
leader and feel free to communicate with him.
He should foster communication rather than stifle it.
6)
A leader needs
to be a fast learner. In
today’s rapidly changing and evolving world this skill is critical.
7)
A skilled manager – Management is a skill separate
from leadership. I would argue
that leadership is the more difficult of the two as leadership tends to be
more subjective and ethereal whereas management is a more objective science.
Recognize and reward talent.
Identity and correct lack of talent and skills.
8)
Risk taker.
“He who does not risk cannot gain.” – ADM John Paul Jones
9)
Honesty and integrity – Have there been highly
effective and popular leaders who are dishonest and who lie, cheat and
steal? Absolutely, but my
intent here is to focus on the ideal here.
The ideal leader would be honest with himself and with those they
lead.
10)
Pragmatic and adaptable – Leaders operate in the
real world as opposed to the rational and crystal clear world of academic
theory. Because of this a
leader must be able to adapt to changing circumstances and chose practical
solutions and actions.
11)
They must have a good sense of situational awareness
– I call this taking the pulse of the situation.
A leader cannot isolate himself from the goings on around him, nor
can he afford to be clueless about relationships and interoffice squabbles.
He must also possess the skills to know the weaknesses of his
organization and be able to correct them.
12)
Team builder
– The leader must be able to build up an effective team by recognizing
talent and matching the specific talents of his team member’s in the most
optimum manner. He must choose
team members who complement each other well.
He must look to the goals of each individual as well as the
organization.
13)
A leader needs
to lead. This means he can
(and should) take input from the various team members but realize that in
the end it is he, the leader, who must make the final decision and stick by
the results of that decision.
It is difficult to find all these
traits in a single individual.
In fact, I doubt if any one leader possesses them all.
It is essential however, to set a lofty ideal for leadership.
Leadership should not be easy, because it is to leaders that we trust
our jobs, hopes and even our very lives.
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Intuition in Selling
Selling is both a science and an art. I believe
this from the bottom of my selling feet to the top of my head. When
you are first starting out in sales you need to lean heavily on the
"science" part, because you have little experience to draw upon. As
you gain experience and see more and more customers you will find that you
can start to sell more "from the gut. Below is an article from
Intuitive John Shoemaker, whose specialty is showing you how to tap into
your intuition. He is also an expert on dealing with stress and
anxiety.
This is a great article. Enjoy! - Steve
When Should You Trust Your "Gut" In
Selling?
Remember the last time you were selling...or persuading
someone...and you had this low level of anxiety or fear?
You
could hear your mind shouting... "What should I do?" or "What should I say?"
All
your training was kicking in. But you were way uncomfortable saying
it.
That's anxiety.
And
anxiety is a warning you're going the wrong direction
Why Anxiety Shows Up
Anxiety is a conflict between what you "think" is right. And what you
"know" is right.
Your
Mind ...your "Ego' (I hate that term, but it fits here) ...your Fear is
saying...one thing.
But
you're gut is saying another.
You
think you might lose the sale. Or lose the point. Or be embarrassed.
But
here's the kicker. If you go against your Gut...you'll probably lose
the sale anyway.
Think
back for a moment. How many times can you remember when you said
"exactly the right" thing...but lost the sale? Things were going
great...but you went against your gut and it's like the lights were shut
off.
Now...
remember some of the times when you went against what your mind was
saying...you had this "feeling" about what to say...and it just came out.
It
wasn't "The Right Thing"
It may
have sounded like it was coming out of left field...maybe even a little
weird or inappropriate.
But it
worked!
The
customer was happy. And you were relaxed and happy too.
How To Train Your
Intuition and Gut Feelings
1)
Recognize that your gut feeling is a result of experience. So if you have a lot of life experience...and sales
experience...the foundation is already there.
2) Practice listening to your gut.
It's like any sport.
Practice. How? Listen more. Stop thinking for a moment. When conflicted, one
technique that always works is Ask A Question. It gives you
breathing room ...and the chance to understand the customer better.
3)
Say "If I were to say to you"... then put the crazy thought behind it.
This statement softens introducing the wild or off the wall idea or
thoughts. So if it turns out it is crazy...you won't seem crazy.
As you gain more experience in trusting your
"gut'...you'll find you're more comfortable and less stressed...you'll come
up with some innovative ideas that you're customer will love (and buy)...and
you will stand out because instead of trying to trick or maneuver a client
into buying something...they will enjoy buying from you and you'll stand out
over the others.
If you wonder how "the old timers" are so smooth and
so effective...it's not from years of technique. It's because they've
learned about people...and treat them as people...and their intuition works
a natural tool.
Try it and see what happens. Let me know.
Thanks, John
John Shoemaker
Find Security, Success and Peace of Mind at
JohnWShoemaker.com
PS
By the way...it's called a "Gut Feeling" because that's where you feel it.
In the gut. A tightening in the middle of your body below the lungs,
commonly called the stomach, really the intestines.
