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Six Lessons for the Leaders of Tomorrow

19532488 - puppies run along the fenceA lot of time has passed since I first read this article. I keep going back to it because it has some lessons leaders of tomorrow need to remember. Rod Cartwright has written a great article Six Lessons for the Leaders of Tomorrow, October 30, 2014. For me, this is one of those articles I dust off and revisit before any training I am going to provide to new managers or assessing the leadership of others (applying for a job, talking to potential clients, choosing a candidate for political office, etc).

Here are some highlight points.

  • Leaders’ actions, not just their words, show what the organization values. “Leading by example” tops the list of key leadership attributes, immediately followed by “communicating in an open and transparent way” – underlining the critical importance of avoiding pernicious “say-do” gaps.
  • Transparency is non-negotiable. Provide it voluntarily to build trust or it will be imposed on you, whether you like it or not.
  • Chart a visible course for continuously making the future better. Make no mistake – amid all of today’s pressures and challenges, the world still seeks leaders capable of showing clear, decisive vision.
  • Admit mistakes, solve problems and move forward. As much as we continue to crave strong, visionary leaders, the willingness to admit mistakes is the third most important leadership attribute and a mark of strength, not weakness – as long as it is backed up by decisive action.
  • Collaborate and bring others to the table to solve problems. The top “emerging” leadership attribute is the ability to build and inspire teams who will create the future – underlining the role of the leader as empowering facilitator, rather than know-it-all autocrat.
  • Treat your employees (I added  AND OTHERS) as you would like your brand or organization to be treated. The most powerful leadership starts inside the organization – something leaders ignore at their peril.

The overall article focused on gender gap on leadership. I truly believe it should just apply to leaders in general, no matter where the focus is. When I am training “new” managers we focus on leading by example, transparency, setting goals and progress, the golden rule, admitting your mistakes and working together!

Do you have good examples of these lessons? Since this is an election year, do you see where our candidates fall a bit short in the leadership of tomorrow?

Image via – Copyright: denis83 / 123RF Stock Photo

Published inLeadershipNew To Management

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