Monday, October 5, 2009

Leadership Qualities


"I think it's very difficult to lead today when people are not really truly participating in the decision. You won't be able to attract and retain great people if they don't feel like they are part of the authorship of the strategy and the authorship of the really critical issues. If you don't give people an opportunity to really be engaged, they won't stay." - Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbuck

1: You must have a vision. You must stand for something, or you'll fall for everything. But what does that really mean? Stand firm on your company's policies and procedures. Your company's vision should be in your mind every day, and you should reevaluate it occasionally so that it stays current with the changing times. Communicate your vision or the vision of your company to the people you want to follow you.

2: You must have passion. Passion is such a key part of being a great leader that if you don't have it, you simply can't be a great leader. Your employees want passion; in fact, they'll go to the ends of earth because of it, live and die for it. To build an extraordinary management team, you've got to light the "fire in their bellies," to get them to feel passion about the company and connect to the leader's vision.

3: You must learn to be a great decision maker. Use the Q-CAT formula
· Q = Quick. Be quick but not hasty.
· C = Committed. Be committed to your decision but not rigid.
· A = Analytical. Be analytical, but don't over-analyze (Too much analysis can cause paralysis.)
· T = Thoughtful. Be thoughtful about all concerned, but don't be obsessive.

4: You must be a team builder. To become a great leader, you must develop a great team or, one might say, a well-oiled machine. Start by handing off responsibility to your team and letting your team to run with it. Don't micromanage, but make yourself available if questions or problems come up. Teach your team to use the Q-CAT decision-making system and give them the freedom to work through their own decisions.

5: You must have character. All great leaders have taken steps to learn about their individual personality and what part it plays in their leadership style. Your innate character strengths and limitations play a critical role in your leadership style.


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