Reflecting on Your Leadership? If It Isn’t Broken, Then Break It.

Speaking from past experiences and as an observation with moving around within different departments and working in various organizations, I seem to stumble upon the same theme every time. The theme that keeps popping up is, what are those traits that may be broken or that you need to succeed and move forward? So just throwing some thoughts out there; what comes up are the following traits:

Eagerness to improve:

Until recently, the cliché was, “If it isn’t broken, then don’t fix it.” You hear a lot of managers and employees say that they resist change and trying to do things differently than what it was before seeming to cause uneasiness with people in general, whether they are in a power position or not. But in today’s ever-changing and fast-evolving business environment, the motto should be, “If it isn’t broken, then you break it.” Employees and managers alike must be willing to re-evaluate and often change how they do things. Being complacent doesn’t cut it in a world where almost anything can become obsolete overnight. Occupants of tomorrow’s boardrooms will be the executives who aren’t afraid to change in order to improve and stay competitive in their field. So, let’s dare to change, dare to be eager, dare to be a better version of ourselves and dare to be different.

Versatility:

Organizations look to hire talent based on specific expertise; executives tried to be specialists. A career was built on acquiring a reputation as a systems expert or productivity guru. In today’s streamlined corporate world however, versatility has become a prized commodity. Thin management ranks are expected to deal competently with unexpected changes in markets, finance, and technology.

Tomorrow’s top talents will begin now to gather experience in a wide range of positions. So why not volunteer for work outside your immediate area? Ask to participate in cross-functional teams join a committee, or a board, and take time after regular hours to learn new skills.

Interpersonal skills:

Executives who can’t deal with people confidently and expertly are doomed to failure. You must know how to develop talented staff, motivate employees, communicate instructions, and work with a variety of people. Managers who lack people skills are ill-suited to work in the growing number of “horizontal” organizations—those built around processes rather than functions. These organizations often ask executives to collaborate with peers over whom they have no direct authority. In those situations, an executive’s power rests with his/her ability to negotiate directions with no command-and-control structure.

Vision:

In the business world, vision is simply a forward-looking sense of what needs to be done so that the company can anticipate customers’ needs. The best managers demonstrate vision by taking the initiative in helping the company meet its goals. When a suggestion is made, they judge it not only on its immediate merits but on whether it will move the company closer to its strategic goals. Before any action, they measure possible consequences and whether it makes strategic sense for the company.

Empathy:

In today’s business world, your employees are your most significant assets, so treat them well; as a result, loyal employees equals to loyal customers. What’s that got to do with empathy; it’s simple, you can’t lead without empathy, you can’t succeed without empathy – people want to follow someone that they can trust, believe in and share same values with them. Empathy is the cornerstone of creating and developing connections with your customers, clients, and colleagues. Now more than ever, in order to impact long-lasting positive change, there is a call to all business leaders to lead with empathy. It’s the birthmark of vulnerability and kindness, that’s where all the magic of transformation takes place if we allow it into our corporate world.

Many executives don’t recognize what skills they lack (hence broken). Ask friends or trusted colleagues about how you’re doing. Once you identify deficiencies, take immediate steps to overcome them. No one has it all if that- was the case for many, then they would live in a perfect flawless world, and there would be no need for improvement or growth.

Do you have anything to add to the above information? Please use the comments section below to add your thoughts!