Are your leadership traits an asset, or a liability?
I posed that question at the beginning of this series of posts. Unexamined traits and behavior can block a leader from reaching their full potential. And in some cases, traits become leadership liabilities.
In Scaling Leadership: Building Organizational Capability and Capacity to Create Outcomes that Matter Most (Wiley, 2019), authors Anderson and Adams point out that the greatest challenge in minimizing leadership liabilities is to find an optimal balance between a focus on tasks and relationships. In essence, the best leaders have minimized personality-related liabilities by valuing others before self. This is easier said than done.
First, it requires sensitivity to both inner and outer realities, knowing full well you can never perceive things without your own biases and filters. A trusted confidant can offer a different perspective and help you take a deeper look. This may be a close colleague or better yet, a qualified executive coach who has an impartial mindset.
Listen to those who can honestly counsel you and frankly describe what they see in you. They are helping you; be thankful for it.
Acknowledge and Appreciate
With this new knowledge, work to undo some of the behavior that threatens the unity within the ranks. Acknowledge your people as partners who are joining together to support your cause, and wanting to succeed together. They want you to succeed as well.
A partnership mindset is the best way to develop appreciation for others and show them that they are valued. Give yourself a mission every day to add value to them and watch the unity grow. This is the major difference between leaders who overcome liabilities and those who don’t.
If your behavior reflects honesty, authenticity and transparency, your people will see that you care about them and much of the damage caused by your liabilities can be reversed. Respect for your people will be returned multi-fold. Engage your people with enthusiasm and encouragement and you’ll be amazed at how they respond. Let go of control and see how well they grow and develop.
Your leadership liabilities are dependent on your outlook—your attitude—and your behavior. How do you obtain perspective, objectivity and balance? I’d love to hear from you. You can call me at 561-582-6060, let’s talk. And as always, I can be reached here, or on LinkedIn.
