8 characteristics of conscious and effective leaders… that you might already have
Please be aware that this article was written way before COVID-19 and we’ve tried to keep this evergreen. That is, content that lives beyond our current climate of uncertainty and undoubted challenge.
You might be surprised to hear that anyone can be a leader. That’s because we see leader as a verb – instead of Leader as a noun. And while you might think a leader has a special set of skills that you could never reach, this simply isn’t the case.
In fact, you might be surprised to find that you’ve already got many of the necessary (but lesser known) characteristics that high performance leaders have, and the sort of people we believe make excellent board directors.
Here are the most important ones:
1. Patience
Patience is an important virtue for everyone, especially those in positions of influence. You cannot expect decisions to be made and actioned quickly. The changes and impacts that occur in the boardroom for example, can be motivating and exciting, but you need patience in order to see each step through properly.
Being too gung-ho can lead to rash decisions. While you shouldn’t allow too much time to pass, you should be ensuring you’re collectively considering every angle and avenue, making sure each box is ticked correctly, and having a full understanding of what’s going on. Communicate with two ears and one mouth to ensure you’re applying this patience correctly, and your team is headed in the right direction.
2. Calmness
Staying calm in a crisis can be difficult to do – no more than during a global pandemic. As part of a leadership group, your organisation will very likely come up against many different problems. Whether they’re legal, reputational, strategic, personnel, health or safety issues, being able to navigate these issues calmly and with finesse is a key characteristic of a successful leader.
While it might be tempting to begin running around panicking at the first sign of problems, resist that urge. Instead, sit back and consider it logically. Being slow to respond to an issue doesn’t mean you’re not being proactive, it means you’re thinking things through in order to come to the best decision.
3. Curiosity
Curiosity from a learning perspective helps you see and understand the blind spots that appear in yours (and everyone else’s) knowledge. No one knows absolutely everything, and fostering a healthy curiosity of the unknown is a great way to learn more. Being curious to new ideas is equally important. Knowing how to open your mind and view things from different perspectives is essential in encouraging progression and diversity on the team.
Often, new ways of doing things are dismissed immediately. This is caused by arrogance and fear, whether it’s admitted or not. But no one ever learned anything new by rejecting things because they were innovative and different. So, be curious to new ideas, and encourage exploration of them before they’re dismissed.
4. Commitment
When it comes to a leadership role, there are two types of commitment. The first is (obviously) a commitment of your time. The second is a commitment of your mind. You could dedicate all the time in the world to your board meetings, but if you aren’t committing your mind and endeavouring to be fully present in those meetings, that’s a failure to commit.
Being fully present and in the moment invites clarity, understanding and a sense of calm. So, before your next meeting, have a think about the reasons that drove you to join there in the first place and endeavour to honour those reasons by providing the team with your undivided attention and committed mindset.
5. Preparation
So, before each meeting, take the time to study any necessary reports and paperwork. This allows you to absorb the information that will be discussed, and also gives you time to consider any queries or challenges you feel need to be discussed.
6. Support
There’s a duality to support: support for your team, and support for yourself. Support is a necessity, because leadership team or board meetings are stressful. They’re a high pressure, high performance environment (at least they should be), but by creating a supportive environment among everyone you allow for more openness, honesty, communication and understanding. These are key aspects in the proper introduction of diversity.
You also need to make sure you’re properly supported. No matter your position, you’re entitled to professional, educational and personal development and support. If you feel you’re not receiving that, speak up about it.
7. Bravery
Being brave is a big part of organisational success, though it’s one that people often overlook. Bravery is about being prepared to try new things, coming up against situations that may intimidate you, putting your trust in your organisation, listening to your critics and being prepared to ask those questions that no one else wants to ask.
To be an effective and conscious leader, you must be able to find the vulnerability and courage to speak up, tell the truth, own your mistakes, say no to good ideas, ask the uncomfortable questions, and challenge the status quo.
8. Accountability
Accountability is a great way to quantify progress, and it’s a critical role within any leadership team. Accountability can ensure you’re all moving in the right direction. To do this properly, everyone must have a sound understanding of the role each person provides. Beyond holding your fellow team members accountable, hold yourself accountable too. You can even use these attributes as a guideline.
And if you feel you’re lacking in these characteristics, don’t be disheartened. They are learned skills. If you aren’t brave, or curious, or prepared, or anything that holds you back from being the effective director you can be, you can take steps to change that. The first step is to recognise areas in which you could be better. Check in with yourself and ask the important questions: Am I being the best leader I can be? What characteristics could I work on improving?
For those of you who might need a bit of extra help encouraging these characteristics in yourselves, contact us today to find out how we can help you if you wish to lead from your ideal, value-aligned board role (or roles).