Brett April 9, 2018

Last week I introduced a 3-part series of blogs to take a look at the fundamentals of leadership.

We looked at hall of fame football coach Vince Lombardi who provides an incredible example of what it means to focus on the fundamentals and the results one should expect when you do. Lombardi won the Super Bowl 5 out of the 9 years he coached the Green Bay Packers, an incredible achievement.

The secret – unrelenting commitment to fundamentals.

When people observe you leading, what faces of leadership do they see? Who are you as a leader? Here are five faces that provide powerful insights into the fundamentals of leadership.

The Collaborative Leader: The collaborative leader is wise and humble. Wise enough to know that, ‘no one of us is as smart as all of us’ and humble enough to ask for help. Seeking feedback and input from others is a habit, not an event for the collaborative leader. Gaining input and contribution from others is the norm.

Five habits of a collaborative leader:

  1.  Listens to diverse points of view even if they contradict his or her own thinking.
  2.  Solicits input and feedback from others every day.
  3.  Facilitates group discussions so that everyone contributes.
  4.  Makes everyone feel like their opinion is valued.
  5.  Understands the personal strengths and passions of each team member.
The collaborative leader is wise and humble. Wise enough to understand that, 'no one of us is as smart as all of us' and humble enough to ask for help. Share on X

The Empathetic Leader: The empathetic leader understands the needs and feelings of others and wants to. In other words, they genuinely care for their people. This seems like a soft skill – nice to have but not necessary – but that’s just not true. Empathy is rightly labelled a ‘soft-skill’ but it IS necessary. The most common reason for low employee engagement is an uncaring boss. The empathetic leader consistently expresses care and concern for others by word and action.

Five habits of an empathetic leader:

  1.  Can easily and accurately identify the feelings of others.
  2.  Anticipates other peoples needs.
  3.  Understands that change is emotionally difficult & supports people through transition.
  4.  Can detect and influence the emotional climate of the room.
  5.  Creates safe places to talk about personal matters.
The most common reason for low employee engagement is an uncaring boss. The empathetic leader consistently expresses care and concern for others by word and action. Share on X

The Communicating Leader: Communicating leaders use stories to inspire the heart and deliver evidence to convince the mind. They focus on key issues in a way that raises awareness and responsibility within their people setting them up to successfully act on their increased awareness. They understand the issues profoundly and they can explain them simply.

Five habits of a communicating leader:

  1.  Communicate a clear message when speaking and writing.
  2.  Spends time thinking about the issues and consulting others for deeper insight.
  3.  Communicates facts and evidence in a way that easily convinces others.
  4.  Inspires emotional commitment using stories and metaphors.
  5.  Can communicate complicated matters using simple language.
Communicating leaders use stories to inspire the heart and deliver evidence to convince the mind. Share on X

The Strategic Leader: As pressure to achieve results increases, many leaders focus on implementing quick solutions. In the absence of strategic thinking, the quick solutions for today often become tomorrows problems. Strategic leaders are systems thinkers. They recognize the difference between critical and trivial factors and they see clearly the connections among parts of the system. They focus on alignment of those systems to achieve greater results.

Five habits of a strategic leader:

  1.  Identifies critical issues within complex contexts.
  2.  Analyzes problems and creates solutions.
  3.  Distinguishes between critical and trivial factors when making decisions.
  4.  Breaks down complex projects into manageable pieces.
  5.  Translates lofty vision into specific areas of focus and tactics.
In the absence of strategic thinking, the quick solutions for today often become tomorrows problems. Strategic leaders are systems thinkers. Share on X

The Innovative Leader: Innovative leaders disrupt the status quo and challenge the process. They encourage others to do the same. They foster an appetite, even a hunger, for continual improvement. They do not shy away from taking risks because they fear missing an opportunity more than they fear failure.

Five habits of an innovative leader:

  1.  Encourages constructive questioning of processes and status quo.
  2.  Has clear ideas to make things better.
  3.  Redesigns the work activities and processes for increased effectiveness.
  4.  Encourages others to experiment and take risks.
  5.  Asks, “What can we learn?” when things don’t go well.
Innovative leaders disrupt the status quo and challenge the process. They encourage others to do the same. They foster an appetite, even a hunger, for continual improvement. Share on X

People observe leadership behaviour all the time. They take their cues from it. By focusing on the five faces of leadership you will provide an example worth following.

Next week is the third and final blog post in this series. We will look at the following fundamentals of leadership:

  1. Managing Leader
  2. Mediating Leader
  3. Professional Leader
  4. Resilient Leader
  5. Prioritized Leader

Have a great week.