Great leaders emerge all the time. And we notice them the most when they arise from the dust of entrenched challenges. But you don’t have to go through hell to stand out as a great leader. Today’s business leaders are quickly recognizing that they can take command of their company ships with renewed vision, managerial integrity, and brilliant strategies. Today’s path to revolutionary leadership doesn’t have to be a cliche-ridden journey of self-exploration and guru courses. In fact, authentic and impactful leadership is realized when you have a true understanding of what it means to be a leader – right now.
Today’s inspirational leaders are operating with a new rulebook. And if you hope to achieve similar successes, you might need to make some adjustments to your way of managing. Check out these insights and start realizing your own valuable leadership potential. Chart a new course for yourself as well as those around you. Realize how to become an effective and revolutionary leader in today’s ever-changing business climate.
What Does Business Leadership Mean?
Back in the day, like a generation or two ago, leaders were essentially just bosses. Anyone with authority or power to make decisions and control the efforts of others was called a “leader.” Of course, there were some true gems in there, with a deeper understanding of impactful and thoughtful leadership, changing the lives of others for the better. But a lot of folks with a title held positions of business leadership that had no rightly business being there.
Today’s leaders are not those old-school bosses of yesteryear.
Today’s business leaders are defined as those who provide leadership to organizational employees and vendors with the purpose of collectively chaperoning the group to success that aligns with the company objectives. In short, great leaders are those who support and guide individuals and teams in a way that benefits the individuals and the company together.
The duties might look the same as the leaders of the past. Today’s empower-ers are still responsible for making critical company or departmental decisions. They’re in charge of developing and implementing goal-driven initiatives. And they’re still charged with managing employees. But it’s how today’s leaders execute on these tasks that differs and sets them apart as revolutionary leaders.
What Distinguishes a Good Leader from a Bad Leader Today?
Trying to build, grow, or maintain a company in today’s economic environment is tedious. It’s far more complex now to manage employees, sell products and services, and expand into new markets. It’s fast-paced, too, with mission-critical decisions demanding your attention every minute of every day. And the stakes are higher since one delayed decision could cost thousands. Under these kinds of pressures, the greatest leaders emerge, and they all have the same roster of key characteristics…
- Integrity
- Courage
- Empathy
- Gratitude
- Self-Awareness
- Respect
Asking around, you’ll find that employees hold leaders in the highest regard when they…
- Demonstrate a variety of skill sets needed for the job
- Have strong and transparent communication skills
- Are emotionally intelligent to the needs and preferences of their subordinates
- Inspire people to be the best version of themselves
- Motivate individuals and the collective group effectively
Why Leadership Skills Are Important for Owners and Managers
Cultivating and improving your leadership skills, whether you’re a business owner or a departmental manager, is important for several reasons. In addition to making decisions and managing staff, you’re responsible for other pivotal responsibilities. Explore these distinctions to see how you’re doing right now with your current leadership methods.
- A marginal leader will give orders. A great leader will inspire action.
- A marginal leader will delegate tasks. A great leader will share the vision behind the tasks.
- A marginal leader will control staff. A great leader will motivate teams.
- A marginal leader will compete internally. A great leader will build relationships.
- A marginal leader will avoid risks. A great leader will assess and embrace risks.
- A marginal leader will be content with the status quo. A great leader will challenge thinking and learn new solutions.
Today’s businesses need great leaders to facilitate growth, adaptability, and scaling. It’s just that simple. And it’s why as a leader yourself, these new leadership skills, methods, styles, and strategies should matter to you.
Do You Possess Great Leadership Qualities?
Understanding what today’s revolutionary leaders do differently and why these types of leaders are important in business, you can now turn inward. Reflect on your own skills and leadership characteristics. Get honest about assessing your leadership qualities. And if any of these qualities are missing from your leadership style, you know precisely what needs improvement.
Authentic Leadership
The most respected leaders always lead from a position of authenticity. This management style trusts employees. These leaders are transparent and honest about their own motivations as they guide and support others with theirs.
Empathetic Leadership
The famed Tony Robbins often talks about empathetic leadership as the most impactful leadership style. These individuals are open and sensitive to the experiences, views, and opinions of others. They’re naturally curious and make decisions with a complete understanding of how those results impact others around them.
Adaptable Leadership
Innovative leaders are always reevaluating their positions and discovering better solutions. They’re not only comfortable with change, they crave it, always seeking a more efficient strategy. These leaders can often handle any challenge or workplace dynamic before them without missing a step.
Competent Leadership
Great leaders aren’t just all personality. They’re highly skilled for the role of leadership. Competent leaders tap into their knowledge, skills, and experiences and are typically self-disciplined to a tee. They’re also regularly embracing new ideas, education, and training to grow their competencies.
Commitment-Driven Leadership
Do as I do. Commitment-driven leaders are doers and often inspire others to make similar workplace commitments. The best leaders won’t ask anyone to do something they don’t believe in or wouldn’t do themselves.
Character-Inspired Leadership
Be honest and get comfortable with your own unique experiences and beliefs. Great leaders embrace these characteristics, good and bad, in a way that informs how they manage and support others.
Different Leadership Styles for Different Leaders
While the most effective and transformative leaders of today’s business environment have many of the aforementioned characteristics and skills, your leadership style can be unique. Every leader has a style. And it’s best to stick with the methods and strategies that best complement your style, personality, and uniqueness.
HubSpot lays out several of the various leadership styles of today’s most profound leaders. Explore these and decide which (or combination thereof) you identify with the most.
Democratic Leadership: Decisions are based on input from others.
Autocratic Leadership: Decisions are derived from a single source.
Laissez-Faire Leadership: Decisions come from employees individually
Strategic Leadership: Decisions are based on goals and strategies.
Transformational Leadership: Driven to work and think in new ways.
Transactional Leadership: Employees are rewarded for jobs well done.
Coaching Leadership: Encourages and nurtures individuals.
Bureaucratic Leadership: Decisions are rooted in company policies.
Visionary Leadership: Energetic enthusiasm and focus on the future.
Pacesetting Leadership: Setting aggressive and ambitious goals.
Situational Leadership: Leadership styles and decisions are addressed uniquely by the specific situation at hand.
Taking Action to Transform Into a Great Leader
When you’re ready to take action and transform your leadership initiatives, there are great first steps to explore. Recognizing how you can improve is only half the “revolutionary” leadership battle. Now it’s time to put some verbs on your to-do list and execute your leadership transformation.
Find an Inspirational Role Model or Mentor to Follow
It’s always best to find and follow another great leader you admire. Do your homework to discover a great leadership example with many of the same experiences, personality traits, or industry scenarios. Reach out and ask questions. And always be a sponge in learning new perspectives and strategies for successful leadership.
Conduct a Current Positioning Survey and Leadership Assessment
Leadership assessments are great tools for honing your managerial strengths. These efforts can boost your self-awareness, too. Get feedback from your teams anonymously about what they love or dislike about the current leadership styles. Uncover immediate needs they might have so you can prioritize resolutions. Don’t be too proud to take criticism, either, or you’ll never transform into a revolutionary leader.
Start with One Person, Today
Don’t just make a leadership improvements to-do list and let it collect dust on a corner of your desk. Take action right now by seeking out one team member who needs your help today. Find one person who could use additional support or reassurance and then BE what they need. Build action-driven leadership momentum that starts with intentional assistance, one employee at a time.
Be Proactive About Seeking Out Leadership Opportunities
If you want to be a truly transformative leader, you’re going to need to be proactive about seeking new opportunities to demonstrate great leadership. Be liberal about doling out credit where credit is due. Be encouraging to your teams during long work days or difficult projects. And always be available to roll up your sleeves and help when your teams need it.
Practice Leadership Outside of Work
Great leaders aren’t just pivotal at the office or on the job. They’re usually inspiring and motivating others in all aspects of their lives. Look for ways to practice great leadership elsewhere, with friends, at church, or within your community. Live a life where strong leadership values and skills transcend the workplace and positively impact every corner of your world.
Take Steps to Get Organized
You might look at your messy desk and think it’s organized chaos. But it’s not organized, and you’re not inspiring anyone else to get organized when your office space appears cluttered. Take steps now to bring organization to your life, including that messy desk. Great leaders are organized and inspire others to maintain schedules and order in their work. The more organized you are, the easier it’s going to be to multi-task projects and work. And data suggests that when a company is led by an organized leader, the entire team is more likely to perform efficiently and function like a well-oiled machine.
Trust and Delegate
Here’s another action step you can take right now, but it might be challenging at first. The greatest leaders today recognize that they can’t achieve success by themselves. You’re going to need to tag in other employees and managers who can grow with you and exceed collective goals. It can be tough to hand over the reins, especially if you’ve been in control of them for any length of time. But you’re going to have to trust and delegate others to join your efforts. Doing so will only bolster your results. And you’ll allow others to step forward and build their leadership skills.
Share Your Leadership Knowledge and Journey
The most innovative of today’s leaders don’t hoard their knowledge and skills. They instead share their expertise and experience for the benefit of others. As a business owner or manager, you have an opportunity to impact a broader audience. Thought leadership isn’t just about teaching new concepts or sharing new ideas. It’s also about sharing lessons learned, mistakes, and decisions that led to some of your biggest breakthroughs. Don’t hog your success and expertise. Share your leadership journey and inspire others. Here are just a few ways you can do just that:
- Volunteer to be a guest speaker at a local event.
- Share your stories within your networking groups.
- Create thought leadership content, including blogs and videos online.
- Write a book about your leadership journey.
Start Your Leadership Transformation
Today’s leaders are different from those of past generations. Being a leader in today’s business landscape, with its complex and ever-changing elements, requires a new playbook for success. Keep these insights in mind as you explore ways to improve your leadership skills and styles. And for all your thought leadership content efforts, let Ghost Blog Writers be your guide! Our team of talented wordsmiths can help you capture your leadership experiences and storytelling in a creative and resonating way. Connect with us and sample your free trial post to get started!