5 Powerful Leadership Behaviors Any Leader Can Do in 2017
#1. Distill challenges and opportunities into one word. Create focus.
All high performance requires focus. Chasing urgencies dilutes success.
Choose what matters. Ignore what doesn’t matter. (You can’t have it all. You can’t do it all.)
- What one thing would you like to do differently today?
- What one thing do you need to stop today?
- What one thing do you need to keep in mind today?
Distraction is the enemy of high performance.
#2. Seek solutions more than circling problems.
- Explore problems 20% of your time. This includes complaining and explaining why things won’t work.
- Spend 80% of your time focused on solutions.
- Make a list of everything you can’t control on the left side of a piece of piece paper.
- Make a list of everything you can control on the right side of a piece of paper.
- Answer questions about how are we going to do this with, “Yes.” (Peter Block)
#3. Point out what people are doing well.
- Overcome the magnetism of solving problems and fixing people. Success is about leveraging strengths and seizing opportunities.
- Celebrate strengths.
- Ask, “What would you do?”
- Reject negativity. Average talent with optimism is better than exceptional talent with pessimism.
#4. Challenge people to reach higher.
- “I believe you have more in you.”
- “How might you challenge yourself?”
- “What if you’re selling yourself short?”
#5. Connect.
- Leave a bit of yourself with others during conversations. Explain how you feel about someone’s contribution. Don’t simply describe progress. “When I see you doing ‘abc’, it makes me feel ‘xyz’.
- Own your weaknesses. You appear to have a grasp on reality when you acknowledge the weaknesses others already see.
- Let others help you. You let others know they matter when you appreciate their help.
- Ask about the challenges and opportunities others face.
What leadership behaviors are likely to produce success in 2017?
Which of the five behaviors do you find most useful?
Hi
Nice post. yes i am agree with you 1 point. Distill challenges and opportunities into one word. Create focus.
Dan, thanks for all the insight and inspiration in the past year! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family!
Excellent post. Distilling into ONE word is a tough one, though, and while distractions are one of the killers of productivity, they seem to be a primary driver of innovation and improvement. It is good to occasionally step back from the wagon and check the reality of the progress being made.
CHASING urgencies is a great metaphor, kinda like feeling the need to herd all the cats and frogs or stopping the landslides.
Another theme you can build on is, “In a flash flood, each raindrop will claim its innocence.” (Or, maybe the snowflakes in the avalanche works better this time of year!)
A Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year to ALL of you writers and readers out there.
Roll and Rock!
.
” I see the ‘distilling into one word”, I feel like I’m sitting on an ice pond with bald tires in 2 wheel drive!
I believe the lists of controls and uncontrolled would supply some of the solutions for many of us. Implement what we can and get support for the rest.
Have a great day, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
“Reject negativity. Average talent with optimism is better than exceptional talent with
pessimism.” This is something I have learned the hard way and makes a big difference to work and life. Noone has ever said to me “I hate being around XYZ, they are so positive”
Dear Dan,
Fixing people for problems is draining. People stops taking risks and start using avoidance behavior. And you are right Dan. Focus is the most important for getting success. When leaders focus, they start looking for resources to achieve that focus. Harnessing people potential is utmost important. Most of us do not know our strength. When we start realizing, we starting progressing. Leaders make people aware about their potential area for development. And when such environment exist, negativity takes back seat.
Negativity should be discouraged using all possible measures. Even if, it needs to be addressed, one should be careful about its impact. It might create vibes which can influence others.
Evangelize your company’s mission and the highest priority goals for 2017. Too often leaders assume employees understand what is important, when the reality is that they are confused. Always give the strategic context for the work people do – connect them to high-value results.
One of the best tools I have been given is Start, Stop, Continue
Each year when I create my goals for the following, I add a section where I state the things that I will::
Start Doing
Stop Doing
Continue Doing
Intentional.
That’s the word I will use in 2017, referring to this adoptive list of goals.
I like your #3, encouraging the behavior and strengths you can use, as opposed to developing someone’s weakness is highly effective. We did strength finder at my company and they encouraged us to embrace the idea that a weakness will never become a strength. It may become a par skill at best. We must accept that and place those folks in a position for success. Doing this creates positive results, including buy-in, employee empowerment and trust. I listed some things leaders can do to become even better leaders. Take a read here if you like. I’d appreciate it. https://bossinthemiddle.com/2016/12/12/5-things-every-leader-must-do-to-get-better/
Thanks Dan
Nice post of leadership
Where focus goes there energy flows