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What Only Leaders
Can Do
The one quality that all
leaders have in common is that they have a clear and
exciting
vision
for the future. This is something that only the
leader can do. Only the leader can think about the future and
plan for the future each day.
Develop a Clear
Vision
Excellent corporate leaders take the time to think through
and develop a clear picture of where they want the organization
to be in one, three and five years. Leaders have the ability to
communicate this vision in such a way that others "buy in"
and eventually see the vision as belonging to them.
How to
Motivate
People
It is the vision of the future
possibilities, of what can be, that arouses emotion and
motivates people to give of their best. The most powerful
vision is always qualitative, aimed at and described in terms of
values and mission rather than quantitative, described in
terms of money. Of course,
money is important, but the decision and commitment to "be
the best in the business" is far more exciting.
Be a Great Team
Player
A study at Stanford Business School
examined the qualities that companies look for in promoting
young managers toward
senior executive positions, especially the position of Chief
Executive Officer. The study concluded that there were two
important qualities required for great success in leadership.
The first is the ability to
put together a team and function as a good team player.
Since all work is ultimately done by teams, and the managers'
output is the output of the team, the ability to select team
members,
set objectives,
delegate responsibility and finally, get the job done, was
central to success in management.
Keep Your Cool
The second quality required for
rapid promotion was found to be the ability to function well
under pressure, and especially in a crisis. Keeping your cool in
a crisis means to practice patience and
self-control under difficult or disappointing circumstances.
Everyone is
Watching
The character and quality of a leader is often demonstrated
in these critical moments under fire, when everyone is watching,
observing and privately taking notes. As Rudyard Kipling once
said, "If you can keep your head when all around you are losing
theirs and blaming it on you, then the world is yours and all
that's in it".
Your job as a leader is to have a
clear vision of where you want to go and then to keep your cool
when things go wrong, as they surely will.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do
immediately to put these ideas into action.
 First,
project forward 3-5 years and imagine your ideal
future vision. What does it look like? What steps can you
take immediately to begin turning your future vision into your
current reality?
Second, resolve in advance that, no
matter what happens, you will remain calm and cool. You will not
become upset or angry. You will take a deep breath and
focus on the solution rather than on the problem. |
