Transformational CEOs are the exception, not the rule. As sad as that fact may be, it’s the unfortunate truth. Good leaders are few and far between.
As the CEO of your business, you are responsible for the success of your company and team — both of which directly correlate to your ability to be a fair, motivating, and inspirational leader.
Leadership is defined both by the things you do and the things you do not do, which is why I wanted to take the opportunity to break down the five leadership failures most commonly seen in business on the blog today. Keeping this knowledge in mind will help you navigate your role as a company leader and avoid errors that could have detrimental long-term effects on your business and/or team.
Let’s dive in!
Your role as a leader means you possess a certain degree of power. What it doesn’t mean is that you should use that power to stroke your ego. Recognising your own failures and shortcomings as a leader is an essential way to build trust with your employees and show them that it’s possible to learn from mistakes. Everybody falls down at some point — what matters is how you respond to picking yourself back up.
Leaders need to delegate tasks, but delegation is not an excuse for complete detachment. Good leadership relies on continued connection and accessibility. This doesn’t mean you need to be available 24/7, but there should be easily available channels for people to reach you in the event that they need guidance.
Great leaders know how to deliver feedback in a way that is professional, effective, and growth-oriented — even if it means having an uncomfortable conversation. This feedback is what allows your team members to excel and reach a higher level of performance later on. Without it, they’re stuck in limbo, unsure about the state of their effectiveness and potential areas of improvement. If you don’t give regular performance feedback to your team members, you’re doing everybody involved (including yourself) a disservice.
Too often, leaders focus exclusively on driving forward company goals while paying little mind to fostering knowledge amongst their employees. A good leader is somebody who can recognise talent in somebody who might themselves be unaware of it, and then teach that individual how to leverage that talent to do great things. This is how you can truly take on the role of a “transformative” CEO.
Your employees and team members are more than just cogs in a machine. Yes, a big part of managing day-to-day business operations is related to task delegation — but true leadership comes into play when you are able to inspire, encourage, and bring out the best in your team. You can do this by bonding with your team on a personal level, cultivating a sense of trust within your company culture (by being a good leader in other ways), and challenging your employees to take on positive risks.
There you have it! If you keep these leadership tips top-of-mind and make an intentional effort to implement them into your behaviour, you’ll notice a day-and-night difference in your relationship with your team members and the efficiency and success of the business — not to mention a positive shift in the overall culture of your company.