(Powerful leadership lessons are learned from everywhere. In a sporadic series of blogs, I am going to explore the people that taught me those lessons. Some will be expected, others may not. Thanks for reading!)
I consider myself a lucky man. Not only did I marry a beautiful, smart and funny woman. Thankfully, she is also a great teacher. My management career started when I was pretty young. I got the opportunity to lead teams of very smart folks that were my former peers. My wife helped me avoid a lot of pain and jumpstart a team that was in trouble by giving me some simple advice.
“Nobody like a know it all. Listen first, then make decisions. Never forget, you are not better than anyone else”
Sagely advice, no? That advice led me to 5 tactics that I used as a leader and talk about to my clients all the time.
1. BE HUMBLE
Humility is a powerful tool.
It is SO important to be humble. It opens up possibility for others and increases the success of the team.
A humble leader is secure enough to recognize his or her weaknesses and to seek the input and talents of others. By being receptive to outside ideas and assistance, creative leaders open up new avenues for the organization and for their employees.- Doug Guthrie
2. LISTEN, NO LISTEN
Yes, everyone knows how important listening is. We’ve heard it so many times we’ve stopped listening about listening. But, listening changes a leader in profound ways.
When I took over a new team that was floundering, I sat down with each member of the team and asked ‘What would you do if you were me”. They gave me great advice. Simple, elegant solutions that no one else heard because they thought the team was not effective. But they were, given the chance. As soon as I started implementing their ideas, the turnaround was dramatic. The magic is I didn’t actually do anything except listen to them.
3. DON’T BE A KNOW IT ALL, ADMIT WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW OR WHEN YOU ARE WRONG
Somehow we’ve been conditioned to believe the leaders know the answers. My wife saw that I was struggling with this. She is never afraid to admit when she doesn’t know. What I learned from that was people didn’t see that as weakness but as strength. People want to help, if you don’t know they are willing to lend you their expertise. But you have to ask.
4. BE DECISIVE
Once it is time to make a decision, make it. Don’t hem and haw. Don’t analyze things to death. Act. Of course, it is important to think about things, gather facts, listen to experts, weight outcomes and all of that. But, people want their leaders to act. It is not always perfect or even the correct path. But some action is better than the agony of waiting and doing nothing.
The important thing is to admit when you have made an incorrect decision and ask for assistance in correcting it or choosing a new path.
5. BE HUMAN
It is so easy to forget some of the struggles of employees. There was a time when you weren’t privy to information. There was a time when you weren’t asked your opinion about how to handle situations. Never forget that there was a time you were not a leader.
Never forget that there was a time you were not a leader. Don’t think that you are above other and be human. –
Leadership was easier, more fun and I was more effective because I took on this advice. The funny thing is that I had to “unlearn” a lot of things that other managers had told me. But, I’m glad I did. I’m pretty sure my team was too.
Where do you learn unexpected lessons of leadership? What relationships provide you with valuable insight?
Anil Saxena is the President of Cube 2.14, an organizational development consulting firm that works with clients to increase both customer and employee engagement while decreasing turnover, improving customer retention, and increasing profitability within organizations.
Saxena is a certified High Impact coach and trainer and a Joint Application Design facilitator. He is also certified by both Rush Systems and IBM as a focus group facilitator. He is an inaugural member of Northwestern University’s Learning and Organizational Change program, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
