[January 13, 2018] At the beginning of each new year, like most everyone else, I write down a few New Year’s resolutions. This year, however, I’m changing directions and instead I am listing priorities that every good leader should consider. Resolutions come from wishful thinking, while priorities come from what we need to achieve.
Up front it is proper to acknowledge that the world is more complex, uncertain, and volatile than ever before. This requires leaders to be more focused on their moral compass and personal character than ever before. In addition, they must be receptive to the ever-changing conditions under which they work and to the many stakeholders that surround the leader.
Here are five priorities that any good leader should consider. Failure to have any one of these may result in unintended and perhaps negative consequences.
1. Leader development: The future of any organization, regardless of size, scope, or mission, is based upon its leadership. Junior leaders are in charge of the day-to-day affairs and yet many of them mistrust their more senior leaders. Special attention must be paid to them in the form of better mentorship, training, teaching, providing them with opportunities, and giving them the trust they long for.
2. Transparency: With the explosion of social media and the many technological avenues traditional media possess, backroom deals are out and only through openness is success any longer possible. I’ve long advocated for transparency as a key leader trait; one that must be a senior leader decision to fully embrace (see links here, here, and here).
3. Inspiring Others: We hear this all the time; any organization with inspirational leaders will succeed. While there is some truth to this, it is crucial to point out that inspiration is really about motivation and the drive necessary to get the job done. External motivation of employees is easy (job satisfaction, respect, honor) while encouraging internal motivation remains the high water mark of great leadership.
4. Vision and Direction: We all know about how good communication is necessary for a fully functioning company; through clarity, simplicity, and encouragement. Yet, providing a vision – directions to the future – is what really provides the best method of getting any organization going. If we don’t know what road to take, someone once said, then any road will do.
5. Availability: In the past, senior leaders were never seen and rarely heard. They were part of the secret to the backrooms of any organization whether it be politics, commercial, or governmental. Those days are largely gone and replaced by the leadership of those who are not only transparent but also available. Being accessible to folks means being able to better communicate, motivate, and enlighten. Like the military leaders in the olden days of warfare, they were out front where the action was; sharing the danger, seeing for themselves what needed to be done, and showing they cared about their people.
Being a leader is difficult; easy to say, not so easy to execute the mission of any organization. But with the right priorities it can be done with greater ease and greater probability of success.
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