Lolly Daskal's Blog, page 64

Are You Aware of the New Leadership Style That is Emerging

A new leadership style has begun to emerge, one that reflects the uncertainty and chaos of our pandemic era. This new brand of leadership brings together two elements that seem oppositional: first, handling immediate threats in a rapidly changing and unpredictable time, and second, engaging in strategic planning at a time when everything we knew has changed and the stakes are incredibly high.

In the past, leaders often had the luxury of focusing on one or the other at any given moment, but leaders today need to balance these elements daily and even hourly, managing their way through the present day as they plan for long-term outcomes.

Here are some of the elements that make up this new style of leadership:

Leading from known to known. In many respects, you need the ability to take what you know and apply it over and over again to what you’re doing now. Where something is working, keep it up as long as possible with only minor adjustments as needed.

Leading from known to unknown. In other areas, you need to be able to combine strategic thinking with trust in your own knowledge, experience and instincts. This approach starts with identifying the forces that will shape your organization’s future. Then you begin exploring the unknown by considering all the ways those forces interact and projecting a range of possible future conditions. Finally, you adjust your view of the present on the basis of those projections, their likelihood and consequences, then use those models as the foundation of strategies to prepare your organization for the widest range of possibilities.

Leading from unknown to unknown. Our uncertainty about the future is compounded by our inability to compare the present to anything we have ever experienced before. Without any parallels to the past, it’s even harder to envision where we’re headed. Imagining multiple futures in creative ways isn’t just a mental game: it heightens your ability to read subtle signs and sense what may be coming so you can lead your organization in adapting to those changes—and even shaping them—in the years ahead. To lead with this foresight doesn’t help you know what to think about the future; it helps you know how to think about the future.

Leaders today need to understand and meet emerging demands in the highest levels of crisis and chaos most of us have ever experienced. At the same time, they must be keenly aware that the future—like our idea of “normal”—has changed direction and isn’t going back to what it was. Whatever shape it takes, that future will need to be driven by new ideas and innovation, and the leaders who will be most successful are those who can combine steady management with a willingness to embrace disruption.

Lead from within: The world needs leaders who can embrace all the knowns and unknowns of today while charting a course toward a new vision of tomorrow.

 

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R


The Leadership Gap

What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: iStockPhotos

The post Are You Aware of the New Leadership Style That is Emerging appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

How to Adapt Your Leadership To The New Reality

The pandemic has shaken the nature of work and leadership to its core. And while many people are still anxiously awaiting a return to normal, it’s becoming more and more apparent that the “normal” we crave won’t be the same as what we had before.

As we all come to terms with the fact that this crisis is changing the world in ways we never could have imagined, it’s more important than ever for leaders to be mindful of the need to adapt—not only to what’s happening in the moment but to a changing future. Here are some of the ways leaders should be adapting to the new reality:

Leaders must adapt to create stability. People in uncertain times need stability so they can foster resiliency, and that stability is achieved when you create a purpose-driven culture that prepares them to meet every new challenge with confidence and a unifying sense of a shared mission.

Leaders must adapt to create community. In the past, those who led remote teams focused on the challenges of communication and logistics. Now, with so many teams made up of people working from different locations, it’s important that you also create a sense of community. As dispersed teams move from being a stopgap measure to a new reality for many organizations, you need to seek out new ways to give direction, provide autonomy, and focus on outcomes while also building a strong, close-knit team.

Leaders must adapt to cultivate transparency and communication. More than ever, leaders need to establish platforms and forums where information is available and accessible. You want people to find information they need and for information to be exchanged through channels that are clear and convenient. Transparency and communication are especially critical in times of change.

Leaders must adapt to show flexibility. The relentless pace of change means people need to see leaders who model agility. To be successful, you need to prepare now to function in a business environment that requires high-level dynamic planning and thinking every day.

Leaders must adapt to focus on reliability. Especially in times of uncertainty, people need leaders they can count on. Make especially sure that your word is iron-clad. If you aren’t sure or you don’t know, say so—and if you learn later that you were wrong about something, own it.

Leaders must adapt to preserve the mental health of their people. To ensure and sustain the physical and mental health of your employees, you need to understand what they’re going through, and that comes from putting in the time to listen and being empathetic and compassionate. If you don’t listen you won’t know, and leaders need to be in the know about their employees’ well-being.

At the bottom line, we need leaders who can adapt to meet any challenges for the new reality, and the ones who succeed will be the ones who are mindful and thoughtful.

Lead from within: The leaders who can filter out the distractions and focus on what truly drives success will emerge stronger than ever—and so will their organizations.

 

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R


The Leadership Gap

What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: iStockPhotos

The post How to Adapt Your Leadership To The New Reality appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

How to Communicate with Your Employees During Times Of Crisis

These are hard times. The pandemic, its associated economic problems and political tension are all raging on with no end in sight, and now the coldest, darkest season of the year is fast approaching. If your employees are like most people, they’re feeling exhausted and stressed even when nothing specific is going wrong. At times like these, the way you communicate with your people is more important than ever. Here are some reminders:

Communicate with care. When people are working through difficult times—and especially when they’re working remotely and you can’t be in the same room to pick up on subtle cues of expression and body language—you need to communicate everything with great care. Keep in mind that people will be listening especially closely and analyzing what you say in more detail.

Don’t expect too much of people. We often ask people to reach beyond their usual role in times of crisis, and most employees are willing to go the extra mile. But remember too to be mindful of their need for balance and self-care. Don’t let the crisis become a reason to ask for nonstop overwork, but keep expectations as reasonable as possible.

Involve people in the decision-making process. People don’t want to just be told what to do; they want to know they have a say in what is happening, especially in challenging situations. Make room for wide involvement wherever you can, and make sure to let people know they matter and their ideas are valuable. When people feel they have ownership, they care more about outcomes.

Acknowledge your employees’ emotions. Take the time to seek out and listen to your employees’ perspectives and let them know they’re heard and valued. Reassure them that they’re safe in expressing their feelings, and be candid in expressing some of your own emotions to help reinforce that point. Acknowledge and validate what you hear from your people. Express understanding—and look for ways to help if you can.

Create an empowering culture. In crisis it’s especially important for people to feel they have control, and how you communicate and what you say is important. You don’t want employees to feel they’re being spoken at, so make sure they understand that they’re the authors of their actions and have the power to make choices through this time of uncertainty. Encourage self-initiation and participation; avoid controlling language and minimize coercive controls like unrealistic deadlines. Instead, find ways to motivate people through involvement, encouragement and positive feedback, Be transparent by providing the rationale behind your requests.

Communication is key in a crisis, and how you communicate as a leader can make the difference between thriving or barely surviving in these tough times.

Lead from within: It is the leader who takes the time to understand their people who people respect the most and who inspires them to give their best through times of crisis.

 

#1 N A T I O N A L   B E S T S E L L E R


The Leadership Gap

What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: iStockPhotos

The post How to Communicate with Your Employees During Times Of Crisis appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

How to Best Survive A Bad Leader

If you’re among the many people who find themselves working for a bad leader, take heart. Given a choice, no one would willingly put themselves in that situation. But, as with any circumstance that’s less than ideal, what you get out of it largely depends on what you put into it. And there are lessons you can learn and strengths you can build through the experience of working for a bad leader. If nothing else, they can serve as a negative example.

Here are some of the most common qualities of bad leaders, with pointers for each to help you deal with them—and maybe even turn them to your benefit:

Bad leaders avoid conflict. When conflict arises, a poor leader’s first impulse is get out of the way. They may hide behind an office door, bury themselves in busywork or just withdraw. When that happens, you have a choice. You can be the victim of their poor leadership or you can show up and lead by example, helping the involved parties work out a resolution.

Bad leaders are self-centered. Leaders who are self-centered tend to isolate themselves and disconnect from the team They’re often unwilling to delegate, because they don’t trust anyone else to get the job done up to standards. If your team’s been left to founder by a self-centered leader, demonstrate your own effective leadership. Think of yourself as an orchestra conductor, harmonizing the efforts of every team member to create something significant and beautiful. People will be grateful to you for stepping up.

Bad leaders don’t hold themselves accountable. A poor leader will cast blame or make excuses when things aren’t working as they should. Show people a contrasting style by being consistent in taking responsibility for your own actions and encouraging others to do the same. Work to build a reputation as an accountable leader who makes decisions that balance the interests of all stakeholders.

Bad leaders are untrusting and untrustworthy. A recent study found that 45 percent of people consider a lack of trust in leadership to be the biggest issue limiting their success. It’s hard to expect people to succeed when they don’t have a relationship of trust with their leader. If you’re part of a team with a desperate need for trust, make a point of working to build that trust with your colleagues.

Bad leaders are lacking in character. Bottom line: a leader needs character and integrity. It’s not good enough to be smart or affable or persuasive or charismatic. Anyone who lacks character is incapable of truly leading others. Step up and make sure everyone around you can see in you what character and integrity look like.

In every challenge, even the most frustrating, you have an opportunity to endure and to sustain yourself and your teammates with your own form of leadership. Work to be the change you want to see in your organization.

Lead from within: Bad leadership does exist, but it affords you an opportunity to showcase good leadership as an alternative.

 

#1 N A T I O N A L   B E S T S E L L E R


The Leadership Gap

What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: iStockPhotos

The post How to Best Survive A Bad Leader appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

Do You Need to Learn To Be Better With People?

Interacting and connecting with others is a critical factor in leadership—and among most other fields, as well. Some people have a gift for being with others easily and instinctively. But for many people, it doesn’t come naturally. If you struggle with carrying out interpersonal interactions , it may help you to know that it’s made up of specific skills you can learn and practice and master. Here are some of the most important areas you can work on:

Develop great verbal skills. The top skill in working effectively with people is the ability to communicate clearly. That means talking less and listening more, asking great questions and learning from the answers. To develop a deeper connection with others, remember that people do their best work when they feel informed, understood and listened to.

Learn how to assert yourself. If you have something to say, say it. Don’t make other people guess what’s on your mind, and don’t overthink and miss a chance to contribute something of value. Express yourself in a meaningful way so people can understand where you are coming from; when people understand you, they can better connect with you.

Learn to handle conflict. Conflict is inevitable in any relationship or organization, and the way you handle conflict will show people a lot about you. The most effective strategy for resolving conflict is to do it quickly, peacefully and collaboratively. As soon as you sense that something is becoming an issue, take immediate steps to resolve it before it grows worse. Practice the art of working with others to create mutually agreeable solutions.

Develop a memorable presence. Your presence has a direct relationship with your ability to create lasting personal relationships and build a great network. If you have a strong presence, people gravitate toward you, remember you more clearly and are more likely to want to work with you. The best way to leave an interesting and compelling impression with others is to follow the basics: make eye contact, ask questions and listen with genuine interest, be responsive, and, above all, give your undistracted attention,

Find your confidence. If you’re anxious, nervous or worried all the time, it makes the people around you feel anxious and concerned as well. Work to look and sound confident—not arrogant, thinking you know best about everything, but genuinely confident in your authentic self, your honesty and your integrity. This kind of true confidence draws people in and inspires their own confidence, building strong relationships and communication in every direction.

Even the most gifted of us can be better at our people skills, and remembering that truth can make a difference in how we show up in our life and leadership.

Lead from within: Everyone wants to know how to captive the attention of others, how to hold their interest and create deep impactful relationships. As with so many other things, the way to make it happen is to build strong skills.

 

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R


The Leadership Gap

What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

Photo Credit: iStockPhotos

The post Do You Need to Learn To Be Better With People? appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

How To Make Sure You Are Living Up to Your Potential

No matter how well you’re doing and how many skills you’ve acquired, you may not be fully living up to your leadership potential.

If you suspect that you have untapped potential but you’re not sure how to reach it, start by working to discover what’s standing in your way so you can put yourself back on track to being the leader you know you can be.

If you don’t know yourself: Self-understanding is critical to leadership. If you want to understand, motivate and inspire others, you have to begin with yourself. Hire a coach or find a mentor who can help you define your strengths, your gaps, and your style of leadership. All of us have gold hidden within, but we have to dig to get it out.

If you’re self-centered: Top leaders spend much of their time thinking of others and finding ways to support them, coach them, mentor them and develop them. Great leadership consists largely of believing in others and helping them become great. If you aren’t already doing that, you need to take the focus off yourself. Start cultivating your empathy and devoting more of your time and energy to those around you.

if your mindset is negative: Left unchallenged, negativity becomes weakness of character. Especially for those in leadership, it’s important to keep your outlook positive. Remember that thoughts become actions, actions become behavior and behavior becomes habit—and your habits play a huge role in achieving your potential. A positive mindset is the mark of a superior personality.

If you play it safe: As I’ve seen many times over with my clients, few things will stall out your leadership potential more completely than constantly playing it safe. Getting yourself unstuck means having the nerve to take risks and make hard decisions when they’re needed. And ironically, playing it safe is one of the riskiest things you can do. To reach your top potential you will have to face your fear and do what you need to do in spite of it.

If you don’t know and live by your values: People don’t become great leaders because they’re ambitious or committed to success; they become great leaders because they hold clearly defined values and align everything they do to those values. When you understand your own values and priorities and you commit to them, you gain the authority of authenticity and everything else falls into place. Hard decisions become easier and the people around you become your priority. Knowing and living your values is the key to great leadership.

The best leaders begin by understanding themselves and finding the gaps they need to fill. They work on their own mindset and attitudes, and over time they come to realize that leadership is about serving others while you better yourself.

Lead from within: The willingness to learn, the desire to risk, the urge to reach your full potential—these are the keys that will unlock the door to your leadership excellence.

 

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R


The Leadership Gap

What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

How Great Leadership is Generated in Significant Crisis
How to Lead Your Team When The Future Is Uncertain
The One Aspect Of Crisis Management That No One Talks About
How to Engage Employees During Uncertain Times
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed

 

Photo Credit: iStockPhotos

The post How To Make Sure You Are Living Up to Your Potential appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

How to Work With A Leader Who is Disengaged

A disengaged employee may be unproductive and ineffective, but a disengaged leader can do real damage. Those who work with disengaged leaders often feel disappointed and frustrated, even if they’re otherwise satisfied with their jobs.

So how can you do your best when you’re working for a disengaged leader?

First, it’s important to try and understand the origin of the disengagement in the leader’s situation and perspective. That means putting yourself in their shoes for a time. Many disengaged leaders fall into one of a few categories, and the best response for each is a bit different:

They’re responding to an external issue. If it’s a recent development, especially if it was also sudden, it may be related to something situational, like an illness or family crisis. Ongoing disengagement is a different issue and may be related to an issue like substance abuse or long-term stress. Ask others about their perceptions, being clear that you’re coming from a place of concern, not a desire to gossip or denigrate. Many leaders are unwilling to talk about a personal issue with a subordinate, but you can still demonstrate a spirit of caring. If you’re in a position to do so, make sure that everyone on your team—including your leader—has access to information on mental health resources.

They simply don’t know how to engage. Your leader may just be an introvert or someone for whom engagement doesn’t come naturally. The best way to engage an awkward leader is by taking the initiative. You may be able to open the door a bit, and by modeling engagement you set a good example for the leader and for your coworkers.

They’re focused on the strategic side of leadership. Your leader may be drawn to the strategic elements of their position—things like decision-making and crafting policy—rather than directly managing people, and they avoid the part of their job that they consider too draining. Engage this type of leader with small interactions instead of long exchanges to show them that being with people doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

They’re self-centered. Ego-driven leaders rarely look beyond their own needs and interests. If it’s not about them, they’re not interested. They’re among the most frustrating leaders to work with for a number of reasons, but it may be possible to exert a positive influence on them if their indifference and sense of entitlement aren’t already too ingrained. You may need to feed their ego to get anything accomplished, but you can help compensate for their shortcomings and set a good example for others by making sure you’re quick to give credit and encourage others.

A disengaged leader is a serious problem. And like any serious problem, it requires careful assessment and an action plan.

Lead from within: If you’re working with a leader who is disengaged, try to engage them. Speak from the heart and show them what true engagement feels and sounds like.

 

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R


The Leadership Gap

What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

How Great Leadership is Generated in Significant Crisis
How to Lead Your Team When The Future Is Uncertain
The One Aspect Of Crisis Management That No One Talks About
How The Best Leaders Are Already Planning Past The Crisis
How to Engage Employees During Uncertain Times
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed

 

Photo Credit: iStockPhotos

The post How to Work With A Leader Who is Disengaged appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

How to Boost Your Leadership Emotional Intelligence

Many competencies play a role in great leadership, but the most critical is probably emotional intelligence—the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and to understand the emotions of others. Many, many studies have demonstrated the power and importance of emotional intelligence, and if you’re a leader or aspiring leader and you haven’t already done so, you need to begin working now to understand and develop it. Here are the basics:

Cultivate self- awareness. Before you can lead others, you must know and understand yourself. The image you have of yourself is likely different from what others see, so the  best way to achieve a realistic self-awareness is to work with a trusted advisor, coach or mentor. Once you better understand your strengths and weaknesses, you can begin to consider your responses in different situations more clearly.

Manage self-regulation. Every leader should be capable of regulating their emotions. That means not verbally attacking others when you’re upset, not making rushed or emotional decisions when you’re stressed, not stereotyping others when you’re outside your comfort zone, and not compromising your values under pressure. Self-regulation is all about holding yourself accountable and staying calm—behavior that inspires others to do the same.

Develop inner motivation. Everyone needs to be self-motivating, but it’s even more important for leaders. Self-motivation means you’re aware of your goals and working with them consistently in mind. It instills high standards and integrity, and it offers encouragement by helping you find positivity in the face of challenges and even failures.

Embody empathy and humility. We live in a world that rewards people for hiding their insecurities, but it’s much more important to hide your sense of self-importance. That means letting go of your pride, picking and choosing battles, and looking for opportunities to listen to others. It means recognizing others for who they are, and—even when you feel you’re right and they’re wrong—it means listening and finding understanding in disagreement.

Acquire social skills. I am a big believer that leaders who work on their own self-awareness, managing their emotions and embodying empathy have an easier time developing the understanding and connection that make social interactions naturally gracious. Leaders with well-developed social skills appreciate others and communicate effectively, and they’re comfortable being supportive and reassuring. Working on your emotional intelligence and developing yourself as a leader gives you the tools to build great relationships with those around you.

Bottom line, emotional intelligence is the ability to sense, understand, and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, information, connection, and influence.

If you’re a leader but you haven’t developed self-awareness or the ability to manage your emotions, you’re constantly at the mercy of how you feel. And if you lack empathy and social skills, you aren’t likely to get far as a leader—no matter how smart you are.

Lead from within: Great leaders work on cultivating their own emotional intelligence as well as that of those they lead so together they can succeed.

 

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R


The Leadership Gap

What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

How Great Leadership is Generated in Significant Crisis
How to Lead Your Team When The Future Is Uncertain
The One Aspect Of Crisis Management That No One Talks About
How The Best Leaders Are Already Planning Past The Crisis
How to Engage Employees During Uncertain Times
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed

 

Photo Credit: iStockPhotos

The post How to Boost Your Leadership Emotional Intelligence appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

What is the Best Leadership Style That Outlasts All Trends

As a leadership coach I’m often asked about trends in the field—which styles are current and which are growing outdated. But I don’t see leadership as a conflict between established and emerging styles but as a range of styles, old merging with new.

At their core, I believe, most leaders are working to achieve the same things—empowering their people and building strong teams. And the leadership style that outlasts all trends, as it turns out, is a shifting balance between polarities. Here are some of the most important:

A leader must be both a decisive planner and a creative visionary. We all know the importance of planning and decision-making in effective leadership. Stability and consistency are important to organizations. But we also need leaders who are thinking far ahead, creative visionaries who help us see what the future can be. Great leadership embodies both.

A leader must make decisions with conviction and also be agile and flexible toward change. When we think of great leadership, we often think of someone who makes decisions with consistency and clarity. Important as that ability may be, great leaders must also be able to navigate fast-changing situations in which decisions often need to be reconsidered—and sometimes changed.

A leader must be an expert and keep a learner’s mind. We expect leaders to know their subject matter thoroughly, to be professional and masterful at what they do, to ask the right questions and know the right answers. But leaders also need to the ability to say, “Wait, I know a lot but I’m also here to learn.” A willingness to keep learning is one of the most important traits of great leadership.

A leader must be a great communicator and an even better listener. Leaders are called to be great communicators. We expect them to be clear and succinct, to say what they mean and mean what they say, to speak and write with clarity and purpose. But a great leader needs to know not only how to express themselves but also how to listen—an essential skill that few people bother to master.

A leader must be both powerful and humble. Leaders need to acknowledge the power they hold by leading from the top, taking decisive action and inspiring and guiding others while being present in the day-to-day realities. But with that power should come humility and humbleness, qualities that make people feel included and considered.

The best leadership, then, isn’t drawn from any single theory or trend but comes from learning to balance a set of constantly changing polarities. If you want to be the best leader, to embody the kind of leadership that inspires people to do their best work and seek out your support and guidance, you must be attuned in the moment. That kind of leadership will ask different things of you at different times.

Lead from within: The leaders who are the most successful and effective are those who can recognize and balance shifting polarities of all leadership styles.

 

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R


The Leadership Gap

What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

How Great Leadership is Generated in Significant Crisis
How to Lead Your Team When The Future Is Uncertain
The One Aspect Of Crisis Management That No One Talks About
How The Best Leaders Are Already Planning Past The Crisis
How to Engage Employees During Uncertain Times
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed

 

Photo Credit: iStockPhotos

The post What is the Best Leadership Style That Outlasts All Trends appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

What Leadership Skills Will Be Needed In the Future

It may be hard to think about the future when the present is so challenging, but in times of great change and uncertainty it’s more important than ever to stay a step—or several steps—ahead in your preparation. These are the skills you should be cultivating now to be successfully as a leader for the future.

A positive attitude toward change. Leaders of the future will need to be optimistic by nature and positive about change, because everything around us is likely to remain uncertain and complex for some time to come. Leaders won’t have the luxury of allowing themselves to become overwhelmed or immobilized; they must maintain an optimistic mindset as things around them remain unsure.

A communication style that brings clarity around complexity. Leaders of the future will need to cultivate the ability to see through complexity and complications, to make sense of messy situations filled with contradictions, to cut through superficial concerns and communicate the essence of the issue at hand. Their clarity will help them lead people to better things that most people can’t yet perceive.

Transparency that leads to trust. Leaders of the future will need to be fully authentic and transparent. Even when the news is bad, people want to know what’s really happening. In an era when trust will be crucial, leaders who are consistently open and genuine, regardless of the circumstances, will engender that trust.

Flexibility that embraces ambiguity. Leaders of the future will need to be agile and flexible—able to create quickly, risk passionately, pivot immediately and move on from failures, taking in the lessons of each experience in order to keep moving forward. The future will bring ambiguity, and the best teachers will be creation, risk, failure and experience.

A true appreciation of diversity. Leaders of the future will need to genuinely appreciate diversity and embrace its value at every level. In a time of uncertainty, constructive engagement happens best when leaders bring together people with different backgrounds, expertise and knowledge.

A gift for seeing the good within the bad. Leaders of the future will need to develop the skill of learning how to turn crises and challenges into opportunities. Preparation and nimble thinking will keep teams and organizations out in front of events, so they’re ready to offer solutions in the moment.

The confidence to undertake massive disruption. Leaders of the future need  to access their inner determination to achieve and their willingness to make massive changes in their teams, their organizations, their industries—even themselves.

We can’t know what lies ahead. But whatever form the future takes, successful leaders will be those who know how to act with courage and clear intent in an authentic and engaging way that will create trust among their people—those with the imagination, integrity, and agile intelligence to make truly great things happen.

Lead from within: The future holds both challenges and opportunities. Are you listening to the signals today and developing the skills you’ll need to lead in the times ahead?

 

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R


The Leadership Gap

What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

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Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership

 

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