Lessons From Leaders

Lessons From Leaders

Success breeds success. Therefore, it behooves us to learn from the most successful if we hope to expedite the process. Like most things in life worth attaining, success is a process, and it requires that we consistently employ the fundamentals that have led those before us to realize desired results.

There are no "self-made" success stories

The most successful in any industry and at any level did not do it alone. Jack Welch did not build GE into one of the greatest organizations in the world by himself. Microsoft and Apple did not become great technology companies solely on the backs of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Sure, Gates and Jobs were both great leaders and geniuses. However, they also had some incredibly talented people around them that contributed greatly to the organization’s success. Under Welch, GE produced great leaders that went on to lead other organizations very successfully. When asked, all three were certain to give credit where credit was due, which was very rarely to themselves and almost always toward others.

Leadership is influence

Every successful person would agree that leadership is about influence. Leaders influence those they lead to achieve at a level that is beyond what they may have ever imagined possible for themselves. Leaders paint a vision for the future, develop team members so that they can support the attainment of that vision, and work to help individuals and teams connect their personal vision for a better future to the vision for the organization. They also light a fire in the hearts, souls, and minds of each person they lead to make the shared vision a reality. Effective leaders are skilled in the art of motivation. As great leaders know, the best form of motivation comes from inside.

Generate intrinsic motivation

An intrinsically motivated person will achieve at a higher level and be more committed to the organization and its leadership than one that is motivated by external factors. Intrinsic motivation comes from connecting to a shared purpose, a shared vision, and a shared responsibility for the organization’s success. When what you do matters, it is makes a difference in your attitude towards work and serves as a motivator to do whatever needs to be done, no matter how difficult the task or how much time it requires.

Be a motivator not a de-motivator

Leaders that take credit for the work of their team end up becoming a de-motivating force. When employees hear a leader say “I did this” or “I did that” it becomes about the leader and not about the organization. When employees perceive that the leader is in it for themselves and not the employees or the organization, they find it difficult to work towards a shared vision, because they see it as self-promoting and focused on the success of the leader more than the success of the people and the organization.

Raise your credit score

Great leaders give credit where credit is due and do not take credit for the work of others. They also boast about their organization and the wonderful work their people do each day. Great leaders serve as a reflector of the work others do, not a taker. Other than to talk about how fortunate they have been or why something failed, the word “I” is never present in a leader’s vocabulary when talking about the success of the organization. It’s always about what “we” were able to accomplish as a team and what “they” have done to move “us” forward. When leaders give credit and celebrate their organization’s successes publicly, they make their employees proud to be a part of something great. They solidify in the minds of the people they lead that they had a hand in creating a great organization.

Take notice

If you are in a leadership role, take notice of what you say and how you say it. Be sure to use “we” when giving credit and “I” when taking blame. By doing so you will undoubtedly make those who work for you feel good about what they do and proud to be a part of an organization that values the work of its people. You may never know who you touch when you pass the credit to those you lead. However, those who do know are really the only ones that matter.

Randy Stepp is a principal with Renaissance Leadership Group. RLG is a full-service business development company driven by Purpose, Passion, and Strategy and the goal of helping entrepreneurs realize their vision for their business.

Visit Renaissance Leadership Group at www.renaissanceleadershipgroup.com to learn more.