There are leaders in every industry, from marketing to sales automation. However, it’s not always easy to pinpoint what sets these leaders apart from the crowd. The ingredients of impeccable leadership are elements that often come under consideration at professional conferences surrounding the development of technology, and economies. One of the ways that professionals expand their understanding of great leaders is to look at people across a range of sectors who can show us how it’s done.
Fortune’s list of the “World’s Greatest Leaders” was recently updated for the fourth year. This outline includes an insight into some of the most inspirational leaders in both small and large organisations across the world. Here, we’ll look at just some of the lessons that these experts can teach us.
Lesson 1: Leaders Hire the Right Talent
When creating a team they can be proud of, today’s leaders know that they need to focus on diversity and talent. Research indicates that diverse leadership teams are more likely to contribute to business success, and that’s why managers and human resource professionals have to think carefully about their recruitment strategies.
Hiring the best starts with knowing what to look for in today’s competitive environment. Leaders search for intelligence, but not just in the form of IQ. They also look for people who are creative, adaptable, and versatile. Leaders seek out the benefits of unusual talents and new skills that might help their businesses to evolve.
It was the search for diversity and skill that first convinced the head coach of the American NFL League, Bill Walsh, to bring more African Americans into the coaching ranks. Not only did this move help to improve Bill’s own team, but it also changed the future of professional football too.
Lesson 2: Leaders Need to Evolve and Embrace Technology
One consistent characteristic that can often be found in today’s leaders is their ability to adapt to their environment. Today, the world is constantly growing and changing, with new technology and strategies emerging every day. Something we are all too aware of in our own industry. For leaders to take advantage of this fluctuating marketspace, they need to understand and leverage technology in a way that has a positive impact.
For instance, Shakira is currently the most digitally-popular female celebrity online, with 43 million Twitter followers, and 104 million Facebook followers. The reason that Shakira has been listed as a world leader is that she’s learned how to use these new digital platforms to support her cause.
To be a great leader, you don’t have to be a social media expert, but you do need to be in the right position to take advantage of the latest technology. From salesforce solutions to marketing automation, companies either need leadership development programs in place for their industry, or access to the right talent pool in the job market.
Lesson 3: Leaders Need a Clear Vision
Although the definition of what makes a great leader is something that’s often under scrutiny, many experts agree that leadership begins with a clear direction and vision. For instance, Raj Panjabi from “Last Mile Health”, wanted to take steps to help and educate people in third-world countries.
In simple terms, for a leader to be effective, he or she needs to prompt passion and innovation from his or her followers. In order for a group to be moved towards an end goal, they first need a clear vision for what they want to achieve, and an idea of what needs to be done to cultivate success. Often, the best leaders know how to engage other people in their team when it comes to developing a shared vision, and bringing an idea of the future to life.
Lesson 4: Leaders Need Great Character
For any person to be accepted as a leader, they first need to act like a leader. Often, this means showing a combination of specific character traits, including drive, confidence, and accountability.
While accountability is something that eventually catches up to everyone who under-performs, or fails to meet their goals, the best leaders aren’t afraid of taking responsibility for their actions. For instance, a few years ago, Facebook was slow off the mark when it came to making mobile work. However, Zuckerberg quickly acknowledged his mistake and made a change to his business.
Lesson 5: Leaders are Teachers
Finally, we’ve already discussed how great leaders need to adapt and learn as their industry changes, but it’s worth noting that leaders can also help to shape the change around them, by delivering lessons to the people in their community. Leaders should be equipped with the knowledge to give technical insights into their businesses that employees can’t get elsewhere.
After all, a leader should know his industry inside and out. The best person to teach someone about a vision is the person who created that vision in the first place. Additionally, leaders can also offer a second layer of lessons in the advice that they offer about how to lead organisations, foster collaboration, and encourage growth.
Tony Burch, for instance, the billionaire and entrepreneur thanks Ralph Lauren for teaching her that having a “complete vision” for a company is essential to leadership.
Becoming an Industry Leader
One of the most amazing features of great leaders is that they make leading look easy. However, as we all know – it isn’t. Leadership requires confidence, courage, and persistence. However, the attributes listed above are things that can be learned and cultivated by any professional. If you’re willing to do what it takes to be a great leader, then you’ll accomplish great things.