What’s Missing in Leadership Today?

In our opinion, most leadership approaches today are based on knowing what to do and how to do it.  In our dealings with many corporations what we see missing is passion, insight, inspiration and an ability to listen. 

We all intuitively understand this.  In our own careers we all know who the great leaders are or were.  They were the ones who excited us to exceptional performance. They formed a relationship and worked with people, and didn’t act like their people worked for them.  The difference between high-performing cultures and just exceptional cultures is the quality of those relationships which formed the bond of how well people liked and trusted each other.  The leaders were inspirational.

To inspire others requires the emotional intelligence and commitment to learn how to connect with others.  Effective leadership communication is clear and deep, creates commitment rather than compliance, and for most of us, requires the learning and application of new skills.

Leadership means not listening to formulate a rebuttal but to build trust. Good leadership communication connects with the mind – it’s logical and strategic – but it also connects with the heart by being personal and meaningful.

Employee loyalty and retention are extremely important in today’s labor market and it could be like this for quite some time. In a time when employee loyalty is waning, generating loyalty can become a competitive advantage. Loyalty to a leader comes from who they are – from the motivation behind their actions. Leaders can inspire such loyalty if they first understand who they are, not just what they do.

Employee recognition is critical.  If leaders really want their employees to produce, they should try to impart a sense of meaning – not just through vision statements – but by allowing employees to feel a sense of completion and ensuring that a job well done is acknowledged.

For more information on Ultimate Choice Inc.’s products or services or other white papers please contact us at Ultimatechoiceinfo@cox.net