Leadership and teamwork go hand in hand, don’t they? So to build a strong team you need to be the type of leader that will measurably help others succeed, don’t you think? Future leaders certainly need to grasp this fact and understand the concepts of extraordinary leadership lessons, qualities, and attributes don’t they? Spot on.
To lead is to measurably help others succeed.
I have been in leadership positions in the military and business world for forty years, and I often get asked what the best lessons for future business leaders I have found.
Surprisingly (or not) my list of lessons probably had varied to a degree, depending on when in my career it was constructed.
The list of lessons is based on real-world experiences as well as leaders I studied. For example, Dwight Eisenhower was only of many I studied over those many years.
Being such a leader is a lifelong learning process. You are never done learning and renewing lessons you have learned.
Every great leader always looks for ways to improve their ability to improve their leadership qualities and attributes.
Related: The Zen of Distinguishing Your Leadership Behaviors
If you read ten books on leadership, you could easily build a checklist of 50 or more leadership lessons for future business leaders. But more is not necessarily better for the best lessons to study and apply.
The following leadership lessons represent my favorite 11 lessons on leadership that could make the biggest impact.
If I was starting my career over and could take 11 leadership lessons back in time with me, these are the ones I would choose:
Leadership lessons learned
It is necessary that leaders be good learners. They must learn from their mistakes.
To be most successful, leaders must acknowledge, understand, and improve on their shortcomings.
And they must encourage their team also to focus on continuous learning.
Extraordinary leadership lessons … be a multiplier
Multiplier leaders know that at the apex of the intelligence hierarchy is NOT the lone genius.
Rather, it is the genius who knows the importance of bringing out the smarts and capabilities in everyone in the team.
Leadership lessons plans … build partnerships
Effective partnerships require major commitments and attention to partners.
Pay close attention to even the smallest of details.
Leadership lessons for students
Leadership is about building lots of connections. The most effective leaders make people feel they have a stake in common problems.
Future leaders … timing is everything
Timing is (almost) everything, isn’t it?
Knowing when to introduce an initiative or change, when to go to your team, and when to hold off, is a crucial skill.
Share success
Think of it this way; anything is possible if you share the glory.
Giving others a chance to claim credit is an easy, and effective, way to magnify results.
Communication
Language is a leader’s most powerful tool, whether it is written or oral. Without the ability to communicate, leaders can possess all the other attributes and still fail to have an impact.
Be talent brokers
One of the key jobs of a leader is to be talent hounds and brokers. The ability to identify, recruit, develop, and effectively manage the best and brightest people, including those with different talent sets than yours, is a key ability.
Perhaps it may be the most valuable.
Boundary Pushing
Pushing boundaries is important on two levels. On the personal side, people who live abroad, work across multiple functions and surround themselves with diverse team members continually broaden their mindsets and enhance creative problem-solving skills.
From a strategic perspective, they push the limits of their colleagues, teams, organizations, and partners.
Renewal
The renewal comes from many sources. Leaders must know themselves well and find their sources of strength and renewal.
Building and maintaining trust
Trust, once broken, is seldom restored to its original state. It is the most fragile yet essential attribute of leadership.
No leader can afford to take his words lightly.
Deliver confidence
Having and being able to deliver confidence counts. Most leaders are self-confident, sometimes to a fault. However the real skill and ability to extend faith to others.
They must be good at recognizing and believing in the talents of others.
An example to consider
Tom Watson Jr., CEO of IBM between 1956 and 1971, was a key figure in the information revolution. Watson repeatedly demonstrated his abilities as a leader, never more so than in our first short story.
A young executive had made some bad decisions that cost the company several million dollars.
He was summoned to Watson’s office, fully expecting to be dismissed. As he entered the office, the young executive said, “I suppose after that set of mistakes you will want to fire me.” Watson was said to have replied,
“Not at all, young man, we have just spent a couple of million dollars educating you.”
(Source: Edgar Schein in his book Organisational Culture and Leadership)
This story provides a strong message of support and a reminder that some of the most powerful lessons we can learn are from our so-called failures or difficult times.
Key takeaways
The moral of this story is that the best leadership lessons should have a great influence on team development and teamwork. If these different thoughts are possessed by your current leadership team or your emerging leaders, you will be in a good position for the road ahead.
Which of these leadership lessons stand out to you like the most critical? Do you have any other thoughts of effective leaders worthy of mention?
Leave a comment and share your insights with other readers and us. We would be most interested in your thoughts.
Need some help in capturing more improvements for your staff’s leadership, teamwork, and collaboration? Creative ideas in running or facilitating a team or leadership workshop?
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
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More leadership material from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Build an Effective Team by Being a Talent Hound
ecrets to Becoming a Remarkably Mdful Leader
Leadership Characteristics That Improve Influence |
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.
Extraordinary Leadership Lessons: The Secret Sauce for Future Leaders