There is a direct relationship between great leadership and success and it extends across different stages of business – enhance your own leadership style by focusing on these key points then watch the fruits of your work turn into growing profits.
I often get asked about the hacks that make a business successful, the secret sauce that attributes to growth. In the last few years, how we work, connect and engage has changed from traditional leadership qualities such as toughness and smarts.
There is now an emphasis on emotional intelligence over smarts, attitude over skills, trust over tactics, collaboration over dictatorship and transparency over obscurity.
One of the most successful business people in modern history, Bill Gates, famously said, “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” In 2014, Microsoft announced big news – it wouldn’t be focusing on profits, but leadership. Fast forward to 2016 and Microsoft hit a major milestone – $1 trillion in all-time cumulative revenue.*
Great leaders move people through passion and inspiration. They are effective in “how” they execute on strategy and drive people in a positive direction, this applies to business people everywhere from a CEO of an international company to a sole trader.
Here are five key areas successful leaders work on:
Emotional intelligence – Having self-awareness and understand other people’s emotions, strengths, weaknesses, behaviours and drivers.
Attitude – Having a positive business reputation by exhibiting high levels of character and moral behaviour. Great leaders work with people who have character then make the journey about learning and up-skilling.
Trust and influence – Trust signifies unity and relationship progression. Once you have trust can you be an influencer and there is no leadership without influence.
Collaboration – The touchstone of innovation and breaking new ground. Collaborative leaders ask for input, take risks, have an open-mind to other people’s ideas and give credit for work.
Transparency – Showing vision and direction with a clear business agenda to improve cooperation and increase productivity.
Ms Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors exhibits these traits and is Fortune 500’s highest ranked woman ever. Barra believes, “If we win the hearts and minds of employees, we’re going to have better business success.”
There is a direct relationship between great leadership and success and it extends across different stages of business – enhance your own leadership style by focusing on the above key points then watch the fruits of your work turn into growing profits.
* http://jeffreifman.com/2016/05/08/microsoft-revenue-quietly-surpasses-1-trillion/?tw
Jodie Gaffney, Managing Director, G Advertising
