Leadership by the Numbers

Five Behaviors of Effective Leadership

Are leaders born, or are they made?

Of course, leaders are born. That's a given. I've never met a leader who wasn't born. Otherwise, they wouldn't be here.

But, just being born doesn't make you a leader any more than swimming in the lake makes you a fish. Leadership isn't a birthright, it is a learned behavior.

The problem today is far too many of us equate leadership with status, lineage, position, or title. Nothing can be farther from the truth.

Author Mark Sanborn wrote a must-read book, "You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader." I agree with that statement because anyone can lead. In fact, all of us are leading someone, somewhere, right now, even if the only person we are leading is ourselves.

The question we must answer is how well are we leading.

When I reference Mark Sanborn's book when teaching, I say it this way:

"Mark Sanborn said it well when he stated, 'You don't need a title to be a leader.' But, just because you have a title that doesn't make you a leader."

I interact with businesses all the time with people in positions of authority who don't have an inkling of what it means to lead. Shift leaders, department heads, assistant managers, managers, vice presidents, presidents, and even CEOs...all have a title, but few of them are really leading.

Leadership is about people. We lead people. We manage processes. There's a huge difference between the two. Yet, we see far too many people with a title or a position trying to manage people and lead processes.

Perhaps it's why the vast majority of businesses I meet with are operating at somewhere between 25-35% efficiency. When you don't know how to lead people, you don't know how to get the best out of them to scale productivity, results, and profits.

So, is there a way to measure leadership? As we're looking for leaders within an organization, are there key attributes you should be looking for? If you feel called to leadership, are there certain characteristics you need to cultivate in order to become an effective leader?

In my book, "Black Belt Leadership 101", I highlight the 10 essential character qualities of becoming a Black Belt Leader. This is a MUST-READ for anyone who wants to master the art of leading themselves well, making good choices, and teaching others to do the same.

In today's lesson, I want to highlight FIVE behaviors of effective leadership. Without these behaviors, you only have a title or position and you're going to be ineffective as a leader. At best, you're a manager, but you're not a leader.

First, leaders lead by example. Good leaders model the behaviors they want those who are following to consistently see so that, over time, they embrace and adopt these behaviors into their own lives.

Remember, people do what people see.

When you lead by example, you model good leadership before others. Leaders do daily what other people do sometimes or not at all. Leaders are men and women of good values and good character, who value people and seek every opportunity to add value to them.

They are also committed to personal growth, daily striving to become better than they were the day before. They invite others on the Team to join them on this journey of personal growth as they develop the leaders around them.

Great leaders are willing to roll up their sleeves and get dirty right along with those they are leading. They are willing to do what they are asking others to do, and they know how to do it well.

Secondly, leaders are vision casters and cheerleaders. They are continually sharing the overarching WHY of the organization they lead, so those on the team see it, believe it, and embrace it. When people know WHO the organization is serving and the WHY behind it, this creates a collaborative environment where people come together to collectively strive for excellence.

Good leaders are not only vision casters, pointing out the way, they are also cheerleaders who are encouraging their team members and celebrating their success along the way. When leaders value people, they are invested in their personal welfare and well-being. It extends beyond the mission to also include the people who are achieving it.

This invites the "buy-in" of each individual on the team. And, when you have the buy-in of the Team, everyone is dedicated and committed to achieving the organization's desired outcome, creating an exceptional experience for the audience they serve.

Third, good leaders avoid conflict whenever possible. But, when conflict isn't avoidable, they face it head-on. They are also selective regarding which issues they take on themselves, and which issues they allow others on the team to tackle and manage.

When conflict arises, good leaders collaborate with the team, inviting input. They understand that all of us are better than any one of us. Others on the team may see a solution a leader may overlook, or see a different way to bring about a desired outcome. Leaders invite collaboration and agree that the best idea wins, regardless of who brought that idea to the table.

Good leaders understand that sometimes you win, but every time you learn. They reflect upon wins and losses with their team, identifying the lessons learned, and together implement what they've learned to continue to learn, grow, and improve.

Fourth, good leaders foster an environment of open dialogue and the sharing of ideas. They understand we all see the world differently and have our own unique life experiences. Through exploring ALL the available options the team brings to the table, the best idea can be identified, evaluated, and implemented.

They also empower people within the organization to lead in their areas of giftedness. Good leaders recognize the strengths of their people and put them in positions where they can excel. Then, they give them the autonomy to actually get things done on their own. When this happens, you create non-leader-dependent teams that don't need to be micro-managed.

Poor leaders are insecure and are more concerned about control, image, and ego than they are about seeing the Team achieve a win. They give assignments based on favorites or their own self-interest. Poor leaders want to win, but they want the win to be all about them and not the team.

Good leaders are constantly developing the leaders around them, and as the team grows, the collective vision and insight expand. And when that happens, more and better ideas are the outcome. This leads to more collective WINs.

Finally, good leaders are relationship-driven. They understand one of their greatest assets, if not their greatest asset, is their people. Their people are the face, the voice, the hands, and the feet of the organization they are leading. As such, they see those on the team as extended members of their family, and they treat them accordingly.

They get to know their team members on a personal level, and they are committed to the individual welfare and well-being of each member of the team. Good leaders focus on building trust and rapport. They intentionally foster a collaborative environment where the best idea wins, and everyone is working together toward a common goal, the organization's overarching WHY.

Good leaders are servant leaders, and they serve their team members in a variety of ways. They get to know their team members on a personal level, and they want the best for each individual on the team. They care, because each team member is a valuable part of the organization.

A good leader understands their role, as a leader, is to raise up the leaders who will one day take their place. This can't happen without the leader getting to truly know his or her people, investing in their welfare and well-being, and empowering them to lead themselves, then others, and rise to their full potential as a Black Belt Leader in Life.

This is leadership by the numbers, and it's how you learn to recognize individuals who may not yet have a title or a position, but have the ability to lead - and lead well.