The Most Effective and Successful Leaders Embrace the Following Imperatives:
1. EVERYTHING COMMUNICATES
Actions really do speak louder than words. When you seek to engage others, your choice of phone call over email, particular seat at the table, your choices of words, your gestures all must stay on message.
2. BEING SMART IS JUST THE PRICE OF ENTRY
Academic intelligence will get you in the door, but Emotional and Social Intelligence are the difference-makers on a path to a Leadership position.
3. CREATE YOUR OWN STEERING COMMITTEE
Actively seek out a group of mentors who will invest in your professional success.
4. PREPARE TO BE SPONTANEOUS
Intense preparation creates confidence. Let the value of your preparation fortify you to manage the inevitable curveballs you will encounter.
5. MAKE LISTENING AN ACTIVE AND RECIPROCAL PROCESS
Active listening is rooted in Perspective Taking. Learn to stand in someone else’s shoes and look through their lens.
6. CREATE & NURTURE YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
Know who you are, what you alone can offer, and who your consumers are. It’s your job to manage your brand’s perception and how you are consumed.
7. EMBRACE TALENT, EVEN WHEN IT EXCEEDS YOUR OWN
Building a strong team is a reflection on your own confidence & credibility and it will ensure you are always growing. (1+1=3)
8. USE ADVERSITY TO FUEL YOUR GROWTH
Today’s losses are a blueprint for tomorrow’s gains. Your ability to recover from setbacks isn’t as important as your ability to profit from them. Use mistakes and roadblocks to inform future success.
9. LEVERAGE YOUR STRENGTHS TO TACKLE YOUR WEAKNESSES
No one is good at everything. Your job is to know your “sweet spots” and your Achilles heel, and to use one to strengthen the other.
10. IT’S THE RELATIONSHIP…. PERIOD!
Business success, like life, is defined by the quality of your relationships. Building strong relationships creates longevity that outlasts the daily highs and lows. Time and time again, it proves to be the most valuable currency in business.