With Level 5 as the aspiration, here are seven characteristics that will help you get there.
1. Be guided by principles and values. Most of us share similar principles. These are truths that transcend individuals and cultures. Then there are values. Values differ from person to person and are based on our beliefs, opinions, experiences, and cultures. And they can change over time. As a real leader, you need a core set of principles and values that you operate by and people need to know what they are. Flip-flopping on values when it’s convenient to do so is not leadership. Having a core set of principles and values is the lighthouse that guides you in the right direction during the storm.
2. Take responsibility instead of doling out blame. This is one of my pet peeves. If you’re in a leadership position, take responsibility for what goes wrong and pass out the credit to others when things go right. I know, doesn’t seem fair, right? But real leaders aren’t in it for the applause. They’re in it to benefit something much bigger than themselves and they know that will only be achieved by sharing the credit for good results and hoarding the responsibility for when things go wrong.
3. Assess the situation and seek expertise. Real leaders don’t prescribe before they diagnose. And in the diagnosis phase, they seek input from subject matter experts. Here’s the tricky part: the best leaders are able to synthesize the input from disparate and often contradictory experts, and connect the “right” dots—while adding their own—to paint a picture that makes the most sense, even when that “sense” may only look “right” in hindsight. Real leaders embrace having smarter people in the room.
4. Confront reality while maintaining ultimate optimism. Some people are just full of happy talk and ignore the facts on the ground. Yes, optimism that you’ll prevail in the end is necessary, but not at the expense of downplaying the current situation. It’s the Stockdale Paradox that I wrote about last month in GTK, my weekly email letter. Let the realism of the current situation keep you focused on the tasks at hand while never losing sight of having a positive final outcome.
5. Deliver inspiration that raises people’s aspiration. A few years ago, I spent several days at a Tony Robbins Unleash the Power Within workshop. I walked on hot coals. I danced on chairs. I screamed and shouted. I left feeling inspired and it served its purpose well. But that’s not the kind of inspiration I’m talking about here. I’m talking about the kind of inspiring leadership that brings out the highest aspirations of the people you lead. It’s about leading by example. It’s about painting a compelling picture of the future. It’s about seeing more in the people you lead than they see in themselves and getting them to step into that bigger vision.
6. Give people a role and purpose. You can’t do it all by yourself. Real leaders enlist their people to do work in support of the bigger vision. And the people do that work not because they “have” to, but because they “want” to. They want to be connected and be part of the solution. They want a role in achieving the outcome and a purpose for that outcome that they can believe in. Offer it to them.
7. Be a learner, not just learned. Real leaders have a thirst for learning. They know that in order to grow, they need to learn more than they forget. They’re always asking questions, probing, and following their curiosity. As author and “longshoreman philosopher” Eric Hoffer wrote, “In a world of change, the learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned shall find themselves perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists.” In a world that can change as fast as the coronavirus spreads, you have no choice but to keep learning.
Leadership isn’t reserved for a privileged few. There’s no leadership gene that we’re born with. Leaders arise from all walks of life and in all types of circumstances from Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression, to Winston Churchill during WWII, to the unsung heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic, who will only be known to a few.
Your time is now. Step up and into the role. Fire up that leader within and be ambitious for the “something” that’s much bigger than you. If we each do our part, we can create a world that we’re all proud to call “home.”
Steve Sanduski, CFP, is the founder of Belay Advisor; the CEO of ROL Advisor, a discovery process technology system; a New York Times bestselling author; host of the Between Now and Success podcast and a financial advisor business coach.