Harsh Truths That Will Improve Your Leadership Skills Overnight | E-Neighborhood Advisor

Remember those old, scratchy vinyl records that would skip and play the same thing repeatedly until you moved the needle? Well, the Gallup Organization has been playing a tune for over three decades, which sure sounds like a scratchy record that won't move forward. You know it well—roughly 30 percent of U.S. employees are engaged in their work. But here's the part of the song that keeps skipping incessantly: People leave managers, not companies. Inc. magazine tells us that we've known this for a while, and yet, we can't seem to solve the leadership crisis that will result in happy, engaged, and motivated workers. That's because most people in positions of power don't clearly understand what it truly takes to influence others. You don't manage people; you lead people and manage the work. Brutal Truths About Leadership 1. Good leaders will first pump the fear out of the room. In traditional top-down power structures, bosses cast a vision and then use positional power and control to move people to carry out the vision. Fear is par for the course as the primary motivator. In today's social economy, servant leaders will cast a company vision and enroll their followers to express their voices as co-creators and co-contributors to the vision. And their first priority is creating psychological safety among their tribes: They pump the fear out of the room and liberate their people to freely collaborate, innovate, and engage. 2. Good leadership doesn't happen without trust. Every leader must ask a fundamental, look-in-the-mirror question: "Does my behavior increase trust?" Trust is a pillar your leadership should stand on if you consider elevating your leadership skills. In his book The Speed of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey highlights several trusting leadership behaviors great companies are known for, including: - Create transparency - Confront reality - Practice accountability - Talk straight - Right wrongs 3. Good leaders are willing to listen to feedback. Many leaders don't want to listen to others' ideas, opinions, and constructive feedback about their leadership. For such leaders, cutting themselves off means operating in an ego system, not an ecosystem. A leader who listens well, on the other hand, is open and accountable; they filter out criticism or drama and find the facts to respond appropriately to serve the needs of others. They probe and ask questions until they get clarification; they listen to understand—with a focus on the future, not on a rehash of the past.

4. Good leaders are positive, even when things go wrong. Good leaders practice positive thinking. They view stressful situations more positively, which takes emotional intelligence. Rather than getting stressed out about a work situation or a recent failure, they see it as an opportunity to pause, regroup, learn, grow, and bounce back with renewed energy and focus. This can have a profound effect on one's emotional and physical well-being. Leaders who maintain a positive attitude and practice positive thinking experience less stress than those who are pessimistic, narrow-minded, and negative. 5. Good leaders rarely, if ever, procrastinate. Good leaders are "do-it-now" people. They don't put things off until the last minute, which is a sure way to increase stress levels. Good leaders begin doing what they know they should do and when they know they should do it. They anticipate problems when issues arise and address them head-on before they escalate. 6. Good leaders put strict boundaries on themselves. Billionaire Warren Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway learned a long time ago that the greatest commodity of all is time. One of his secrets to success? He simply mastered the practice of setting boundaries for himself. The mega-mogul once said: The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything. They say no to opportunities and things that don't excite them, speak to their values or further their mission in life. They say no to spending time with uninspiring, critical, or negative people who drag them down. They say no to overworking and neglecting self-care and family. They recognize that everything else suffers if they can't care for themselves. 7. Leadership, in the end, is really about love. We often view any notion of leadership and love through the spiritual teachings of historical and religious figures like Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. But another unlikely icon from the past—legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi—didn't mince words in defining how he led with love. He said: "I don't necessarily have to like my players and associates, but as their leader, I must love them. Love is loyalty, love is teamwork, love respects the dignity of the individual." This is the strength of any organization. Love in the leadership-at-work sense is not a feeling; it's expressed as an "action verb." It's love that shows up in meeting the needs of others to get results, clearing obstacles from people's paths, and empowering others to succeed and grow as workers and human beings. It has intrinsic value for both leader and employee. Ultimately, this kind of love defines some of the best CEOs on the planet. I like to read books on leadership on a regular basis. I'm far from perfect, but I find the subject fascinating. Thanks for reading and I wish you a wonderful weekend! Your Flooring Consultant, Matt Capell Email: sales@capellinteriors.com Phone (208) 288-0151 P.S. Here's a joke for you! The interviewer asked me to show him an example of leadership skills. "OK," I replied. "I'm hired."