The behavior of top management should demonstrate that the companies they represent have a potential of offering quality services. They have to keep their promises to customers and meet their obligations towards workers along with investors.
A company that acknowledges accountability cannot have top managers who always point at others when things fail to work. Similarly, a company that boasts of offering timely services cannot have managers who are always late for conferences.
The best way to enhance the alignment between a company’s model of competency and the real behavior of its top management is to include executives in the competency enhancement practice from the start. The process should give top management an opportunity to express their perceptions about successful leadership. These expressions should form a basic part in the leadership competency model.
Leadership, Influence & Relationships
Leadership and influence go hand in hand. All successful business leaders have influence. Influence comes from establishing relationships. The best way of making significant relationships is through maintaining trust.
In the business world, maintaining quality relationships with others is very significant. In fact, success in business largely depends on how managers to create and develop relationships.
Examining the most successful leaders confirms that leadership is not about power, money or technical aptitude. Rather, leadership is about maintaining the trust of followers and being loyal to them. In addition, leadership is about stewardship, concern, modesty and creating an environment that develops these elements.
One cannot change people’s minds by just doing the right things. Rather, one can easily change people’s mindsets by showing care and concern to them. Showing care and concern to people makes them to create a philosophical position that surpasses logic.
An excellent leader knows how to unify opposing parties for a common good. Most differences that exist among people are solvable through listening to them, as opposed to applying logic. When a leader listens to his people, they feel appreciated and esteemed. Thus, he builds lasting relationships with them.
Today, most leaders are not successful because they lack influence. Such leaders should try to invest their time and energy into building meaningful relationships with others.
Ten Leadership Lessons I Wish I Learnt In My 20’s
A leader must have a vision. Obviously, you cannot lead people unless you know where you want to take them. Therefore, leadership is about sharing a vision with others.
A leader should maintain contacts. These include contacts of people you know and those that your friends know. Contacts are essential in establishing a relationship network.
A leader should share his knowledge with others. A leader should not only seek personal gains, but to help others too. He should therefore engage in dialogues and share his knowledge with others.
A leader should maintain a valuable network. A strong network leads to sustainability of a business.
A leader should always be positive. A leader should keep away from small thinkers and people who are out to discourage him. He should always surround himself with people who think big and those that understand his vision.
A leader should understand his value and use his position to help others. Helping others is essential in leadership as it builds more relationships.
A leader should be honest, competent and empathetic. A leader who demonstrates these characteristics is likely to have more influence and authority.
A leader should make others successful. When you make others succeed, you build more relationships and expand your sphere of influence.
A leader should be trustful. The more trustful a leader is the more influence he is likely to have.
A leader should not only concentrate on the quantity of networks, but also on quality. A leader who has few contacts of people that he can influence is superior to a leader who has many contacts of persons that he can hardly influence.