There Are
7 Types of Ultra-Likable Leaders: Which One Are You?
As you scan the horizon looking for the next best class of
Millennial leaders, make sure they fall into one (or all) of these categories.
First the bad news: 85
percent of companies report an urgent need to develop their
leadership pipeline. But only 40 percent believe their current
pool of high-potentials can meet their future business needs.
Now the good
news: With Millennials taking over as the largest working
generation, it would behoove current leaders to identify who amongst them have
the key leadership traits that lead
to success.
The brutal truth of what to
look for in your high potential leaders. This will make or break your
organization.
1. They have to have
exceptional listening skills.
Leaders who
master the art of listening will ask questions, search conversations for depth, meaning, and
have the other person's needs in mind. So as you identify future leaders, also
look for servant leaders who have a keen interest in listening to help others develop and
be the best they can be.
2. They have to trust in the
people they lead.
Leadership guru and author Stephen M.R. Covey
says that a team with high trust will produce results faster and at lower cost.
And while conventional thinking says that people have to earn trust first, it
has been found that leaders in healthy organizations are willing to give trust
to their followers first, and they give it as a gift even before it's earned.
3. They have to be good
coaches.
Cheryl
Bachelder, CEO of Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen, describes in her book Dare to Serve: How to Drive
Superior Results by Serving Others that
coaching is one of six principles of how their leadership teams work together.
Bachelder develops her leaders to be coaches--a key competency she says they
want to be "best in class." This correlate well to most research
about Millennials strong preference for leaders who will coach them to success.
4. They should know how to cast
a vision and promote the big picture.
In top-down hierarchies, bosses wield
positional authority control to move people to carry out the vision. In today's
social economy, your high-potentials should have the aptitude to cast a company
vision and enroll their followers to express their voice as co-creators and
co-contributors to the vision.
5. They need to show resilience
in the face of adversity.
Thomas Edison once said, "Many of life's
failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when
they gave up." Pay attention to your high potentials who bounce back from
setbacks by self-diagnosing why the same issues keep coming up over and over.
They will recover and be open to change much quicker--changing what's holding
them back, and changing what no longer serves the company.
6. They fully acknowledge that
they can't do it alone.
Don't look for Lone Rangers because hubris
will often dictate their actions. Your high potential leader knows he can't do
it alone. Being surrounded with support and talent, and engaging the team in
pursuing the cause sets this leader apart.
7. They lead by example or they
don't lead at all.
Leaders have to keep their promises and
become role models for the values and actions they espouse. You can't ask
others to do something you aren't willing to do yourself. This is the type of
person you want in the trenches pointing the way. Someone who will also admit
mistakes and learn from them.
Parting thoughts.
Lets suppose you've identified your potential
future leaders. Your best strategy moving forward is to keep them growing, help
them see their unique skills, and bring out their strengths and talents so they
can accelerate their own development.
BY MARCEL SCHWANTES
http://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/the-brutal-truth-about-who-you-should-really-promote-to-management.html?cid=em01014week38a
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