Five leadership competencies are essential for success in today’s unpredictable world. And these competencies need to be embraced by leaders, role modeled, and instilled into teams and individuals across the organization.
A Leapfrogging Mindset
Leading disruptive innovation and change involves leapfrogging—creating or doing something radically new or different that produces a significant leap forward. People who possess an unyielding desire to create a breakthrough ensure that everything they do focuses on adding a whole new level of value to customers, the market, and the organization.
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.
Data-Intuition Integration
Most leaders demand hard data when making critical decisions. In times of disruptive change, robust data rarely exist. Leaders must use any information they can obtain from any source inside and outside the company—but then complement that data by using their gut to round out the equation.
Adaptive Planning
Leading disruptive innovation requires managing unsurpassed levels of uncertainty. Adaptive planning involves taking action to drive results, learning from them, and then modifying assumptions and approaches accordingly. Whether these “results” are good or bad, they bring us closer to our breakthroughs since they result in new insights—just like Gatorade experienced. These new insights shape our future strategies, plans, and actions, which are better aligned with the needs of the market.
Savoring Surprise
Disruptive innovation and change is a process chock full of surprises—failures, successes, unexpected technological advancements, competitive moves, customer feedback, political and regulatory shifts, and other unforeseen events. Most leaders assume surprises always should be avoided. But those who realize that surprises are an inevitable part of the business (just like life) are best equipped to actually use surprise as a strategic tool—which makes them the most agile and fastest to respond to or capitalize on unforeseen events.
Are they ones that you continue to hone and develop? Do they hold the keys to future successes in leadership?
I have been in the military and business world for forty years and often get asked what I believe are the most important leadership competencies. It takes time and practice to be a top line leader. You are not borne with leadership competencies. And you are never done developing them.
My experience leads me to this list of 10 business leadership competencies that most successful leaders all share. They rank as the most significant to success as a leader in my perspective.
Related: The Zen of Abraham Lincolns Leadership Lessons
If you want to be a better leader, work on continuously developing this list of leadership competencies:
No matter how good you are, you will only be as successful as your team. So … getting the most from each team member is critical. We call this being a multiplier leader.
Multiplier leaders know the importance of bringing out the smarts and capabilities in everyone around them.
Balancing listening
Part of the balancing is going beyond hearing to develop your full sense of listening. This includes watching body language and observing emotions. If you don’t listen in this way you’ll miss plenty of opportunities to learn and connect with others.
Another part of the balancing is knowing how to exhibit strategic silence, i.e. knowing when to stay quiet. Great leaders understand the impact of words that can hurt, anger, or create fear. They know that when they say too much, others stop speaking and creativity and inclusion are a lost cause.
Foster teamwork
Peter Drucker made an interesting point when he said that leaders don’t train themselves not to say “I.” He’s implying that leaders innately work with others and let the team get the credit. They don’t force themselves to say “we.” “We” is natural for them, and it’s the way they’ve always thought.
It can be negative for an organization to have an “employee of the month” or a “who gets credit for what” attitude. You work as a team when you don’t care who gets the credit.
So the next time you see someone with a resume that states, “I accomplished x” or “I did x,” it should send up a few warning signals.
Collaboration
It’s important to know it is OK to ask for help, advice and constructive criticism. There are very few places where a lone wolf leader can be effective. Decisions are complex, and it takes a village of smart people to help make them. Leaders who aren’t inclusive may find that their organizations lack creativity.
No fear of daring choices.
There’s never one formula to achieve something. Don’t be afraid to take a leap; even if the outcome is not ideal, it provides you with the opportunity to learn the next time around. Step out of rigid mindsets and explore new ideas outside your comfort zone.
Leadership competencies … boost team self-esteem
We have written on employee attitude on several occasions. Employee attitude is so critical that it can’t be overemphasized. It trickles down from employers. Your business can never be what it can be if you don’t focus on employee happiness.
No matter, you’ll have dozens of people criticize you. Customers, current and former employees (whether you know it or not), and family and friends may give you constructive criticism. It can be stressful to hear or read, and it can be easy to pass on criticism to employees. But it doesn’t help. As a leader, you should ensure employees have high self-esteem in their job.
Leaders should make employees feel good about themselves. Constantly criticizing and pointing out the flaws in an employee is a sure fire way to decrease morale and performance.
While completing certain tasks and achieving success is the ultimate goal, it’s important to have a work-life balance so you don’t burn yourself out. Lots of leaders espouse this balance, but only a rare few actually walk the talk. Great leaders can’t say this and then work 60 or more hours per week (or more!).
If you’re not developing yourself, you’re coasting. If you’re coasting, it means you’re going downhill. Don’t get comfortable. Continue to learn and develop. Continuously. Those around you will follow your lead.
Lead with questions, not directions
Rarely tell staff what to do. While that may seem the easiest way, it’s more beneficial to help by allowing them to figure things out for themselves. The real learning is created within the team by ensuring that we’re asking the right questions.
Patience
Many leaders are intolerant of others who might do things differently or at a pace the leader finds unacceptable. Action-oriented leaders may have a tendency to jump to conclusions before things are thought through.
The lack of patience can manifest itself as anger or decisions that aren’t fully thought through. Be patient and reflective and always set aside thinking time. It is imperative for success.
The bottom line
A simple reminder … business leadership competencies, like swimming, cannot be learned by reading about it … it takes lots of consistent practice. You need to dive into the pool as soon as possible.
Need some help in capturing more improvements for your staff’s leadership, teamwork, and collaboration?
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:
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.
