Great leaders are concerned about the principles of leadership that never change more than what is trending right now.
The legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi, was convinced that the best teams are distinguished by their commitment to execute the fundamentals.
Lombardi would begin each season by holding up a football with one hand, saying, “Gentlemen, this is a football.”
Then he would review the fundamentals of the game. He would take the men onto the field for a walk around, pointing out the boundaries, the end zone, the hash marks and the uprights.
He would say – as if they didn’t know – that the goal was to get the football into the end zone as often as they can and to stop the opposing team from doing the same.
I don’t know how he pulled this off with professional athletes who had played the game for years and were world champions 5 out of 9 years that he coached. Nevertheless, Lombardi’s instincts proved true and he will go down as one of the best coaches of all time.
Leadership requires mastering the fundamentals. Over the next three weeks I will share with you 15 fundamentals of leadership for your consideration (5 each week). Here’s the first five:
The Credible Leader: Credible leaders walk the talk. They live and lead with integrity. They establish trust by taking actions that are aligned with their values and consistent with their words.
Five habits: 1) They make promises and commitments then keep them, 2) They are genuine and sincere in their interactions with others, 3) They live a high level of ethics and self-imposed standards, 4) They apologize for mistakes made then make amends, and 5) They are consistent in word and deed no matter where they are or who they are with.
Credible leaders walk the talk. They live and lead with integrity. They establish trust by taking actions that are aligned with their values and consistent with their words. Click To TweetThe Exemplary Leader: Being a credible leader means living with integrity and being true to oneself, an exemplary leader is about modeling the way and being true to the organization – its mission, values and culture.
Five habits: 1) They provide an example of what it means to be a leader within the organization, 2) They espouse the organizational values and corporate culture, 3) They follow organizational policy and protocol because they want to, 4) They demonstrate public loyalty to organizational decisions, and 5) They honour strategic decisions they themselves didn’t make as if they were their own.
A credible leader lives with integrity and is true to oneself. An exemplary leader is one that models the way and is true to the organization - its mission, values and culture. Click To TweetThe Visionary Leader: The best leaders are forward looking. They leak vision and paint a compelling picture of the preferred future. Visionary leaders create clarity in the midst of uncertainty. They provide simplicity to reduce complexity.
Five habits: 1) They seek to understand future trends, 2) They can explain their vision using simple terminology, 3) They help others see how their daily actions contribute to the larger strategy, 4) They have a clear set of priorities that extend over a long period of time, and 5) They involve others in dreaming and planning – no one of us is as smart as all of us.
The best leaders are forward looking and they leak vision. They paint a picture of a compelling future, they create clarity to move through uncertainty and offer simplicity to reduce complexity. Click To TweetThe Encouraging Leader: Great leaders bring out the greatness of others. They utilize words, actions and rituals to communicate dignity, worth and potential of others so clearly that they see it in themselves and act on it.
Five habits: 1) They recognize potential, dignity and worth in others, 2) They treat others with dignity and respect, 3) They provide sincere praise and positive feedback for a job well done, 4) They communicate confidence in the ability of others, and 5) They find creative ways to appreciate the work of others.
The best leaders bring out the greatness of others. They utilize words, actions and rituals to communicate the dignity, worth and potential of others so clearly that they see it in themselves and act on it. Click To TweetThe Empowering Leader: If being an encouraging leader is about seeing greatness in other people, then being an empowering leader is about releasing that greatness for impact.
Five habits: 1) They helps others feel self-confident in their skills and abilities, 2) They give people freedom and choice in deciding how to get the work done, 3) They fully support the decisions that others make on their own, 4) They consider the professional development and training of others a priority, and 5) They provide coaching and guidance to help others accomplish their top priorities.
If being an encouraging leader is about recognizing greatness in other people, then being an empowering leader is about releasing that greatness for impact. Click To TweetNext Monday we will consider the next five fundamentals of leadership.
- The Collaborative Leader
- The Empathetic Leader
- The Communicating Leader
- The Strategic Leader
- The Innovative Leader
Have a great week!