Leadership was once called by historian James MacGregor Burns "one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth." Given the results of some recent research, this no longer appears to be the case.
Leadership development consultants Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman published
the results of a study they conducted on the skills that leaders need
to succeed in their current positions. They asked more than 300,000
business leaders to rank the top four competencies from a list of 16 key
leadership skills.
After working through the results, Zenger and Folkman came up with a ranking of the leadership skills that are most important for success. Here are the top 10.
1. Inspires and motivates others
Great leaders create a vision of the future that is vivid and compelling, and that motivates employees to
want to achieve it. Everyone wants to work for a company that makes a
difference in the world. As a leader, you are best able to help the
members of your team connect what they do to the impact it has on
customers and communities.
2. Displays high integrity and honesty
Great leaders are honest and transparent, and have high
integrity--they do what they say they are going to do, and they walk
their talk. As Umpqua Bank CEO Ray Davis said in his book Leading Through Uncertainty, "I
always tell our people that they're entitled to get answers to every
question they have. ... That doesn't mean they're going to like the
answers. But it's going to be truthful, and I know they can deal with
the truth. This might create additional questions, but we'll get through
them. And we do."
3. Solves problems and analyzes issues
Ultimately, leaders are recruited, trained, and chosen to solve
organizational problems, and to take advantage of opportunities in the
marketplace. This requires not only excellent analytical abilities but
also above-average people skills.
4. Drives for results
Some people are happy to sit back and watch the world go by, while others aren't unless they are making things happen in
their organizations. Great leaders have a higher level of perseverance,
stick-to-itiveness, and drive than most anyone else, and they can be
counted on to get things done.
5. Communicates powerfully and prolifically
Great leaders communicate with
their people often, and in a variety of ways. Whether it's by means
of one-on-one conversations, team meetings, blog posts, email messages,
phone or Skype calls, or any other medium, leaders don't talk about
communicating--they just do it.
6. Builds relationships
Business is built on a solid foundation of relationships and trust.
Without these two things, you can't have a business, or at least not a successful business.
Take time every day to build relationships with the members of your
team, your customers and vendors, your boss and your boss's boss, others
in your industry, and your community. The stronger your relationships,
the better a leader you will be.
7. Displays technical or professional expertise
Most leaders start out in business with a specific skill, such as
selling or accounting or designing software. The best leaders build on
their technical and professional skills over time, becoming valuable
experts in their field and skilled at leading their team.
8. Displays a strategic perspective
Great leaders have a long-term vision of the future, and they avoid
getting bogged down in the here and now. While they can be tactical when
necessary, they maintain the strategic outlook necessary to guide their
businesses to the best future possible.
9. Develops others
Just as they work to continuously develop and build their own
technical and professional expertise, the best leaders set aside time
(and money in their budgets) to develop their workforce. They look for
the most promising employees, and provide them with the training they
need to become their company's next generation of great leaders.
10. Innovates
According to General Electric's 2012 Global Innovation Barometer,
which polled 2,800 senior executives on the state of innovation around
the world, 92 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that
"innovation is the main lever to create a more competitive economy."
The ability to innovate is a key skill for every great leader. (Via Inc)
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