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.
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.
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
Leadership lesson plans.
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.
Are you devoting enough energy to innovating your social media strategy?
Do you have a lesson about making your advertising better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.
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. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.
I have many leadershiplessons learned in my years in the military (6 years) and business (35 years). Being a good leader is a lifelonglearning process. You are never done learning. Every good leader always looks for ways to improve the ability to improve their leadership qualities and attributes. Lessons learned are a great source of learning.
Good leader.
Before I tell you what I have learned about leadership, let me first tell you a story. It is a story about a scorpion and a frog.
Once upon a time a scorpion looked around at the mountain where he lived and decided that he wanted a change. So he set out on a journey through the forests and hills. He climbed over rocks and under vines and kept going until he reached a river.
The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He couldn’t see any way across. So he ran upriver and then checked downriver, all the while thinking that he might have to turn back.
Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream.
“Hellooo Mr. Frog!” called the scorpion across the water, “Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?”
“Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you won’t try to kill me?” asked the frog hesitantly.
“Because,” the scorpion replied, “If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!”
Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. “What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!”
“This is true,” agreed the scorpion, “But then I wouldn’t be able to get to the other side of the river!”
“Alright then…how do I know you won’t just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?” said the frog.
“Ahh…,” crooned the scorpion, “Because you see, once you’ve taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!”
So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. The scorpion crawled onto the frog’s back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog’s soft hide, and the frog slid into the river. The muddy water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current.
Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting on his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog’s back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.
“You fool!” croaked the frog, “Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?”
The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog’s back. “I could not help myself. It is my nature.”
Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river…
Well, I guess scorpions are going to be scorpions.
And people are always going to act according to human nature.
We can try to fight it and resist it, but at the end of the day, people are going to be people.
And if you understand human nature, it’s going to be a lot easier for you to make it in this business.
So all leaders must understand the story of the frog and the scorpion.
If you read ten books on leadership, you could easily build a checklist of 50 or more leadership qualities and attributes. The following leadership lessons represent my favorites from my years. It represents those leadership lessons that I would most like to remember:
Good leader … put your people first
This is an important principle that is ingrained into most military officers but is sadly often lacking in civilian managers. Mentorship is important but moreover, doing whatever you can to advance the careers of your subordinates should be one of your prime duties.
Leadership qualities list … not about you
Many of us want to be effective leaders … ones that can make a difference. But that doesn’t happen by talking about it or self-marketing. It takes the time to build connections, by take a genuine interest in people. In true leadership situations, listening comes first.
Perhaps the worst personal trait I’ve personally observed is ego. We all have an ego, but the ego I’m talking about is the ‘super-ego’ that dominates. I’ve found if a leader is really good at what they do, they won’t have to tell others about it.
Humility
Leaders teach us “Don’t think too highly of yourself.” How can you improve? We are not perfect. Your success is because of many team members’ contributions. Up your leadership game with humility.
Leadership lesson plans.
Leadership lesson plans … passion
You only live once. Give it all you got. Be the best so no competitor can keep up. Know your passion and live it. Let it drive you to be the best in your niche.
Stress team and teamwork
Do what it takes to make your team more effective and productive. Make each team member focus on putting the team before themselves. Remember, whatever your role is, be a servant to the team and make your teammates better.
Have a grand vision
As a leader, you can inspire and motivate your team to tremendous effect by communicating a vision in a clear, straight-forward way. But don’t think small – raise the bar high. Shoot for a visionary type goal. That’s different than a vision to increase the company’s market share by 10% within five years.
Speak appreciation
Gratitude must be a constant drum beat of your dialogue. Infuse your conversations with an appreciation of your team’s acumen and determination to improve. Learn to be thankful certainly when there’s great success, but also be thankful for what you’ve learned through the hard times because there’s great wisdom in those experiences.
Push and motivate people
A good leader makes sure their team members never stop looking bad until eventually, they look good because they have improved. Push them to be the best they can be. Be the best motivator you can be.
Provide structure but encourage improvisation
Provide structure to the team but always encourage everyone to improvise. Inspire them to do what they could not do alone. Show them by example and let other teammates help them do it; that builds a bond that lasts forever.
Build relationships and culture
Constantly build relationships with and between the team. It is the foundation of the culture you want to develop. Remember this: Five percent of what we do is to be sure we perform. The other ninety-five percent is to create a culture that leads to the team culture.
Continuous improvement and learning
If you’re not doing, you’re not learning. Everybody makes mistakes. It’s what you do with them that count.
Give people opportunity to input
It has to be theteam’s game plan, not just the leader’s plan. Ensure you are giving everyone an opportunity for inputs and listen carefully. Do what you can to build a team plan.
Adapt your leadership to team
Not all teams are the same, and each requires and responds best to its leadership qualities. Focus on becoming a good reader of the team and adapt your leadership style to what is needed.
Keep going. Don’t let setbacks stop you. Carry your lessons forward, and change your approach as required. Don’t fear change … it is a fact of life. Failure is not fatal, but often a failure to change can be.
Lead by example, like this guy.
Lead by example
What you do is so much more important than what you say. As a leader, you should be the hardest worker, the most well-prepared, and the one willing to do all the things no one else wants to do.
Develop other leaders
Leaders are measured not just on what they achieve personally but also on what the people they mentored go on to do as leaders in their right. Take pride in people you have developed.
Agree to disagree, but don’t be disagreeable
It is all about maintaining a positive attitude all the time, even when times are tough. People can agree to disagree, but need to avoid being disagreeable at all costs.
Often leaders who do their job too well end up surrounded by a bunch of “yes-men/women”. This can have disastrous consequences.
The bottom line
Remember this simple fact. Does leadership focus on people the best definition of a leader? Someone who helps people succeed. Let your leadership success be your difference maker.
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?
Call today for a FREE consultation or a FREEquote. Learn about some options to scope your job.
Call Mike at 607-725-8240.
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. Call today.
Do you have a lesson about making your advertising better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed how reasonable we will be.
More leadership material from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
