Leadership Skills- 9 truths

1. The ability to follow - Letting go of micro-managing empowers other members of the team to relax, trust themselves and make stuff happen... that freedom of expression and creativity doesn’t exist on a team with an authoritative “leader” (boss) 

2. Open and Honest communication - Being a leader means having the difficult conversations when they need to happen. Delaying, avoiding and hoping the issues will resolve themselves are not actions of a leader- as a matter of fact, they’re not actions at all. A leader will put himself in the vulnerable place called “out there” in order to connect with her/his team by using whatbis sometimes a radical concept in 2017- being open and honest. After all- The team you assemble to help create your vision will only be as helpful as the information is they’re receiving. Share the info, share the burden, get stuff done! 

3. The ability to take shit - This skill is particularly helpful if you manage a team within an organization that doesn’t necessarily have an enlightened corporate culture yet. Old school corporate set up is with shit flowing down hill- the CEO barks orders at department heads, who, constantly stressed and defensive, step aside and allow the shit to flow to their team. OR- even worse- the department head will join the CEO in barking orders down to her/his teamI. I’ve seen this over and over again with organizations I’ve worked in and worked with- However- if the leader develops and practices  the skill of “taking shit”- rather than stepping aside or making it even worse by adding to it and then passing it along- the individual department has the ability to function as it chooses without the infiltration of a negative, micro-managing, disempowering attitude. Just like Wood Harris’ character says in Remember the Titans- simply and deeply- “Attitude reflects leadership”

4. Empathy - This one should be fairly obvious. If you can’t empathize with people, specifically team members, it’s going to be very difficult to predict what they will need in terms of resources, support and even accountability. Good leaders are constantly asking themselves how their teammates feel. GREAT leaders are anticipating how their teammates will feel and are prepared to be there more effectively because of the preparation. A shepherd watching a flock of sheep doesn’t wait until one is lost before action is taken. The shepherd surveys the landscape as the team moves and anticipates where team members may get lost- avoiding the drama altogether

5. Calm in the storm - One of the greatest leaders I’ve even known is my father. He recently had a procedure done on his heart- news that struck a note of fear into myself, my siblings, and of course my mother. I got him on the phone the day before the procedure to check in so I could placate my own fear and also report back to Mom how he was feeling and where he was emotionally- I asked if he was handling it ok, asked if he was scared, asked if he was freaking out- “first of all- I never freak out” came his response. It’s easy to lose focus and make unintelligent decisions when we are acting in an emotional state, two things that great leaders can’t afford. There will always be a storm- The leader is the calm

6. Vision and direction- perhaps this should be first on the list- without clarity of purpose, ability to communicate the ideal, and a roadmap to take the team towards the perceived finish line, it’s really dofficult to enroll people in the vision and empower them to work towards the goal as well. In any new process, the first step is always clarity. If the leader is prepared to say “Let’s go!” she/he also better be prepared to answer the question “where are we going?”

7. Adaptability- The landscape is always shifting, new challenges and variables are presenting themselves and the vision is constantly becoming more clear. Day to day tasks need to remain liquid while the broader vision is staunch. With a “top of the mountain” approach a leader can inspire action from the team even when, 100ft into a life long climb, vision is limited, the weather is turning and the task seems impossible. There is always a way out, always a way forward, always a way up the mountain

8. Open door policy - there was a time when this literally meant the difference between a bosses door being open or closed in an office setting- in 2017 I believe this more importantly refers to our minds. The greatest leaders that I have worked with are always open minded and constantly thinking. Gathering new info, adding it to the equation and reanalyzing are continuous steps in a team and the leader is responsible for being annoyingly non commital at a microscopic level while remaining solid and sure foundationally. The principles of self, team, relationships and work must be concrete in a leader or they will be lost on the team as well but there must always be room for more information and adaptability.

9. Fun - nobody wants to work for or with a dick. Be nice and have fun- as far as we know, this is the only life that any of us will ever get. The leader of any team always has the ability to bring humor, grace and lightness to the day so make that choice. Every moment.

Lead yourself to a great day today and thank you so much for reading!

TP