6 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Leaders

During my career, I have had the opportunity to work with, for, and around, a number of extremely successful leaders. What I learned from these experiences parallels the lessons in almost every business book written over the past few decades. The ‘best of the best” tend to share some very specific core beliefs about their role in their organization’s success. Here are six core beliefs that exemplary leaders share.

1. Business more closely resembles an ecosystem than a sporting event. The best leaders innately understand business is not about vilifying their competitors, nor is it about winning at all costs. They see business as an ecosystem created and sustained by symbiotic relationships between their customers, their organization, and their people. The success of each group is dependent upon the success of all three groups in their ecosystem, not in spite of it. Exemplary leaders see an opportunity to develop multiple reciprocal relationships, finding different ways to help their people successfully create an unparalleled customer experience. The best leaders consistently align what they do with what they say, value, expect, and aspire to become, building a healthy organizational culture. In turn, their people and their customers remain fully engaged in ensuring this unique ecosystem flourishes.
2.  Organizations are dynamic communities, not static machines.  Quality, engaged people are the lifeblood of any successful organization.  Great leaders see their people as partners in a shared journey, not as “cogs in the wheels of progress”.  They don’t try to find which “levers to pull” to coerce short-term performance. They don’t have strict “if this, then that” rules.  They don’t have demarcations of ownership. Rather, the most effective leaders connect each member of their organization to a specific vision, allow individuals to find their own way, inspire people to give the very best of themselves to the purpose, and work in a symphony of shared behaviors, values, and expectations.
   
3. Management serves its constituents, not control them.  Great leaders realize they don’t have all the questions, let alone all the answers. The most effective leaders actively encourage disagreement individuality to find a better way. They understand people work for people, not for the organization, so they develop management practices that encourage engagement, promote professional development, and unlock personal commitment. They facilitate innovation and creativity while providing continued context and guidance to ensure alignment of all activities. Most importantly, they create a safety net to ensure their people can risk failure in the pursuit of greatness. Average bosses work through a specific prescription of expected behaviors and don’t tolerate anyone who doesn’t fit their “mental map” of how the ideal employee should work. Instead, great leaders display humility and tenacity in equal parts, role modeling how to build quality relationships.
4. Performance is based on engagement, not motivation.  The very best leaders successfully tap into what makes each of their people tick. They are able to unleash each employee’s intrinsic motivation to unleash their discretionary emotional connection and effort.  These maverick leaders figure out how to best engage each employee’s head, heart, and hands to develop exemplary business results. Average bosses rely on “carrot and stick” motivational techniques to coerce short-sighted behaviors. Extrinsic rewards have been proven to have a diminishing half-life, becoming less effective each time they are used.  Great leaders resist traditional fear and punishment standards to elicit performance.  Rather, the most effective leaders recognize the limitations and costs of extrinsic rewards, opting instead to unlock each employee’s intrinsic motivation.
   
5. Change involves both people and processes.  Leadership success requires savvy change management skills. The most successful leaders see change as three distinct but interconnected processes. First, they allow their people to view them as trustworthy by consistently perpetuating a culture of safety. Nobody will take a leap forward if they don’t believe anyone will be there to catch their fall. Secondly, they develop the specific processes and procedures needed to pivot, set a new direction, and accomplish a new goal. Finally, they systemically help their people let go of the past, find a new way, and then transition into a new beginning. Average leaders see change as one process where both people and processes change concurrently, without the natural stops starts that accompany growth. The very best leaders understand change is inherently messy, and embrace the mess rather than pretend it doesn’t exist. They don’t chase every shiny new option. Instead, they only pursue change after a thorough decision making process where they vet their proposed journey against their mission, vision, values, and culture.
6. Work should be fun, not just work.  Great leaders realize you spend more time with those you work with than you do with your own family. The days of “if you have time to lean, you have time to clean” are long gone. People need to have relationships with peers and customers. They need to enjoy their days in order to have the energy to push through the grind of any organization. Exemplary leaders take fun to the next level by employing it to expand employee happiness, fulfillment, and engagement. Average bosses see their people as disposable assets, just like machinery and office supplies – able to be used up and replaced. The most effective leaders see their people as dynamic drivers of a very unique ecosystem. They allow for their people to recharge, find purpose, laugh, and reengage.

Do you recognize yourself in any of these core beliefs?  Where do you succeed? Where do you have room to grow?  Look at these examples as an opportunity to STOP doing those things that are detrimental to your success, CONTINUE doing those things that you are already doing which are driving your success, and START doing those things that you now realize you are missing from your repertoire of skills. 

Scott Brown, MSOL, is the Founder Hardie Consulting, an  Orlando, FL based management consulting firm. Scott is a coach, consultant, author, and award-winning speaker who has successfully helped countless organizations learn how to meet shifting customer and employee expectations. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottBrownMSOL, connect with him on LinkedIn, and check out his new book, Alignment: How to Transform Potential into Performance, Productivity and Profit, available on Amazon or CreateSpace to learn more about how to create a healthy organizational culture and highly engaged workforce.