20 Signs of Leadership Excellence

How Can You Spot Great Leaders? They Do These Things Well By John Peitzman - Entrepreneur

So, I'm curious. Did any of you this year work for someone in a high-level leadership role,perhaps an owner or senior manager, and suddenly it dawned on you at some point:This person is not leadership material. Your next thought may have been,How in the world did he (or she) make it to their position.

It's a fair question. People are promoted into leadership roles every day who have no business belonging there. I know this because I coach leaders and I wonder the same thought myself!

Sometimes it's political; other times it's the easier choice--promote individual contributors from within and avoid the high cost of recruitment--but a bad choice, nonetheless.

The biggest challenge most leaders face hasn't changed: it's performing to the set standards that define great leaders. This means raising the barreallyhigh by learning and applying the leadership competencies that lend to success on the job. In the end, you'll find the leadership journey is predicated on two things that drive that success: Results and relationships. You can't have results at the expense of people. And serving your tribe well without getting results. 6 Ways To Raise Your Leadership Bar High

As we head into 2022, I will keep my eye out for great leaders to document their approach in my columns and podcast for the world to witness. If you know of such a leader, send them my way. As the evidence asserts, high levels leaders who walk the talk do so by fostering a positive work environment that elevates the employee experience to new heights. In order to get you off to a great start, here are six things that I absolutely recommend leaders do consistently well throughout 2022:

1. Make Regular Feedback A Priority

This is a core principle of effective communication in great leadership, whether it's to address performance issues, clarify direction, or set expectations on critical tasks or strategies. Practice these techniques regularly:

• Keep it simple and avoid information overload. • Approach the other person directly. • Be specific and use examples. • Describe the behavior you would prefer; focus on the issue, not the person. • Check for receptivity and understanding so both parties are on the same page. Does what the employee heard match the feedback given? If not, clarify. • Remain open for discussions.

2. Scheduled Ongoing Planning Sessions

Leaders need to set the expectation of having one day, usually Monday, to get together and discuss each other's priorities for the week. Yes, leaders also share their biggest priorities for the week and help their direct reports to refocus their priorities to be in alignment with the most important initiatives for the week. This strengthens bonds, helps boost engagement, and gets you more focused results.

3. Employ The 'Stay Interview' To Retain People

The last thing leaders want to foster is a negative work culture of "how long do I wait before jumping ship?" For leaders to turn The Great Resignation into The Great Retention, one cost-effective leadership habit is to conduct "stay interviews," especially with those "at risk to leave" employees who may be updating their resumes. Unlike the exit interview, you're getting fresh knowledge and insight about what you can do to improve and retain those valued employees -- today -- not after they have emotionally and mentally disconnected and stopped caring. Here aresome strategiesfor pulling it off with ease.

4. Recognize Your Workers

To drastically improve the employee experience, leaders need to tap into the innate and necessary human need for recognition and appreciation. It's in the human design to be acknowledged for excellence at work and research confirms this. Employees working for organizations that offer recognition programs, and particularly those that provide rewards based on demonstrating core values, the research found, had a considerably higher and more satisfying employee experience than those in organizations that do not offer formal recognition programs.

5. Give Employees Ownership To Make Decisions

One of the best things a leader can do is give employees the freedom and opportunity to decide, participate in, and determine how work is best accomplished. Research has found that employees who feel their ideas and suggestions matter are more than twice as likely to report a positive employee experience than those who don't (83 percent vs. 34 percent). A similar pattern emerged among employees who have the freedom to decide how to do their work (79 percent vs. 42 percent). Employees thrive in entrepreneurial work settings, which make them feel like they're invested in the company. This means giving them freedom in and ownership of their work. When you do, they're likely to perform at a higher level.

6. Expose Employees To New Opportunities

Leaders need to stretch their employees with work that will expand their knowledge and sharpen their skills. This means allowing your valued employees to explore opportunities both inside and outside your company to learn something new, such as joining a cross-functional project, picking up another skill, or leading or participating in a "lunch and learn."

Your turn: What would you add to this list that will help make leaders better in 2022?

About Marcel Schwantes; a global speaker, leadership expert, executive coach, author,podcast host, andsyndicated columnistwith a worldwide following. He teaches emerging leaders the skills to build great work cultures where people and businesses flourish.

20 Signs of Leadership Excellence By John Peitzman - Entrepreneur

There is ample discussion about the best styles of authority and how to emulate them, but far less about the more nuanced attributes of excellent leadership… until now.

Depending on what books or articles you read, there are more than twenty different leadership styles. An autocratic leader, for example, is generally a unilateral decision-maker, while a democratic one encourages input before making decisions. A delegative style, meanwhile, assigns responsibility and decision-making to other managers. But, as with most things in life, style is not nearly as important as substance. So, whether you aspire to be a person of authority or already are, here are 20 attributes that great ones encompass.

1. Compassion and empathy: When a leader demonstrates these qualities, they earn the respect and loyalty of those around them: it’s that simple.

2. Emphasis on open communication: Leaders should ensure that employees have a voice and a platform for expressing thoughts.

3. Articulates clear expectations: A person in authority has a responsibility to express expectations in a manner which employees can follow, as well as regularly assess process and progress.

4. Always teaches: Most great staff members are made. A great manager recognizes that a critical aspect of their job is to teach and grow employees’ knowledge base. Think of it as akin to banking: You can either stick money in a savings account and watch it grow slowly or invest and see it grow exponentially faster.

5. Inspires others: Inspiration is about engendering creativity, loyalty, dedication and every other positive attribute we want employees to possess. authority should hold themselves to the same expectations to which they hold others.

7. Embraces opportunities: Change and challenges can be seen as problematic, but a capable leader embraces them as opportunities to adapt, learn and grow.

8. Fosters creativity: Employees inevitably possess capability resources beyond their assigned tasks. Each one of them has the ability to bring new perspectives and ideas, so encourage that.

9. Encourages feedback: All leaders generally have the final say, but great ones solicit and listen to feedback and take it into consideration before taking action.

10. Empowers others: The best way to grow successfully is to encourage others to constructively contribute — to freely entrust staff members with important tasks, and to solicit innovations from them.

11. Offers transparency: Whether what needs saying is good or bad, a leader offers communication clarity, which engenders trust and loyalty and reduces stress.

12. Takes accountability: No one is perfect and no one should expect perfection from others. Part of being a winning authority figure is owning mistakes.

13. Is authentic: Most people do not want to feel patronized or pandered to. Be yourself and be genuine, and you will inspire others to do the same.

14. Acknowledges effort and results: Recognition is a powerful tool: It sends the message that you see and appreciate the actions of those around you. Every employee is valuable, yes, but each one of them need to told exactly why. 15. Is loyal: From turnover to productivity (or their lack), loyalty manifests itself in many ways, and the best way to foster it is to demonstrate it.

16. Rewards excellence: Superlative work should be a high bar not easy to reach, and for those who do achieve it, there should be a suitable reward.

17. Shares in success: Whether through profit sharing, career advancement or other bonuses or opportunities, when a company experiences success, it should share it with the people responsible for making it possible.

18. Avoids distractions: A great leader has the vision, mission and values that help define a company. If something does not align with or deters from these principles, it should be removed or avoided.

19. Actively listens and observes: We learn by watching and listening, not by talking and directing. Take time every day to fine-tune those managerial antennae.

20.Asks for help: There is likely no better way to make someone feel valued and appreciated than asking them for help. Your humility as a leader in doing so will pay off tenfold. After all, great leadership is not inherent to everyone, and should not be limited to those with power; it is a process that can and needs to be cultivated.

About John Peitzman: Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor. John Peitzman is a Certified High Performance Coach™, professional speaker, bestselling author and creator of The BUILD Framework®. He teaches his clients how to successfully integrate ancient techniques, proven business methodologies and high-performance concepts in life to obtain greater success.