While seeking out my morning dose of inspiration, I came across a great article by Mike Myatt on Forbes that I think would be a good refresher for those of us that find ourselves in a position to lead, I always wonder why so many times I seldom hear good things about bosses- male or female and the sentence ‘leadership is broken’ made sense…
As an entrepreneur I have approached my companies in a very unconventional manner! I do not allow people to call me boss; i have colleagues not employees and I am transparent about all business operations and finances. Of course this is easy to do when you have 12 employees in one company and under 20 in another but I really do think we need to breed a new kind of leader…anyway below i share with you from forbes.comsome of the principles the writer Mike Myatt put forward that a great leader needs to have in order to enlist the help of others- after all no man is an island,
- Don’t be a jerk: While people don’t necessarily have to like you in order to help you, it certainly doesn’t hurt. However I can promise you that if you’re perceived as a jerk people will not only go out of their way not to help you succeed, but they will do everything possible to impede your success. I have long been a believer that contrary to popular opinion, nice guys (and gals) do in fact finish first.
- Give credit where credit is due: Smart leaders understand there is far more to be gained by giving away credit than by retaining it. The best leaders don’t seek credit – they seek results. They understand the force multiplier that comes via a motivated team effort.
- Go out of your way to help others: Do unto others – what goes around comes around – you reap what you sow, and any number of other statements to that effect ring true more often than not. If you are sincerely interested in helping others, and make it a habit to go out of your way to do so, then those people will likely be inclined to reciprocate.
- Know what you want and focus your efforts to that end: You must develop a clear picture of what it is that you want to accomplish, and then apply laser-like focus in the pursuit of your goals.
- Make your goals known to those that can help you: It is not only important to communicate your vision to those in a position to help you succeed, but always make sure and ask for their help. Don’t be bashful or embarrassed, but rather confidently recruit others to become enablers and evangelists of your cause. You need to believe that one of your top priorities is team building, and consistently seek out greater numbers of people to champion your cause and scale your efforts.
until next time
xo
Sean