FYI Candidates April 2007
Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way
5 Leadership Skills Everyone Needs to Succeed
by Orrick Nepomuceno, CPC
Vice President of Development, Dick Wray Executive Search
You don't have to have a high-paying job — or even a corner office — to be a leader in today's trickle-down corporations. “Leaders — at all levels — and in all capacities — are the backbone of any organization,” says Leadership Development Institute.
How important is leadership? Leadership is all, particularly if you've got your heart set on that corner office. “CEO candidates are judged largely on their sense of personal leadership,” explains Stephen Mader, a vice chairman at executive-search firm Christian & Timbers
Too often we think we'll lead when there's someone to follow us, but someone — or some thing — is already following you: the eyes of every executive or HR rep you ever met with. True leaders lead even when no one's following; they possess qualities that make them worthy of leadership. The following are 5 leadership skills everyone needs to succeed:
1. Results: Everyone can make a promise; leaders deliver results. To lead effectively, beginning immediately, stop making promises and start delivering results. People will notice; the right people.
2. Communication: Leaders listen more and talk less. They recognize the value of what the other person is saying, and respond only after fully understanding the situation.
3. Passion: Leaders are passionate people who believe in what they are doing. To lead others you must first inspire yourself; that begins — and ends — with a passionate commitment to your life's work.
4. Service: Too often leaders only serve horizontally, not laterally. True leaders know that service extends from the bottom up and the top down. Everyone in the organization is worthy of being served; not just your supervisors.
5. Excellence: Be excellent. If you want to jumpstart your leadership quality list, start at the bottom and begin with excellence. Excellence is like fly paper; people are drawn to it naturally and, if you're the one being excellent, they're naturally drawn to YOU.
Orrick Nepomuceno, CPC is Vice President of Development at Dick Wray Executive Search. He is also author of Hitchhiker In The Corner Office: Avoid The Hiring Potholes So Your Employees Don’t Hit The Road! He can be reached at orrick@dickwray.com