7 Things The Best Leaders Do

Having worked in various large multinational corporations and been part of teams led by very competent people throughout my career, and some incompetent leaders too. I have compiled a list of what makes prominent leaders stand out.

People of the world test their leaders continually, as the pandemic and the responses to the pandemic are front and center in most people’s daily lives. I am referring here to democratically elected leaders, not autocratically lead societies.

Information flows faster than politicians and leaders think or can digest information, so the populace grows ever more skeptical or fearful depending on people’s attitude towards the pandemic.

Leaders don’t have to try too hard these days to engage the people they lead. The pandemic has given them all the engagement they require, whether that is positive or negative.

So the question now is how much integrity the leader has. What currency of integrity is the leader trading in with the people? Does he or she have a precious currency or has his or her integrity currency dropped in value to ‘junk’ status?

Some key principles of increasing integrity as a leader are below. I have looked at this from the perspective of political and business leadership.

1. Create a vision

Have a grand vision that you can easily explain in bite-sized chunks of information, the simpler the better. The greatest leaders explain and illuminate their vision in clear and concise terms.

They ensure the average person they are leading understands exactly what they are proposing, and they persuade them with the key principle of any presentation; the WIFM principle ‘What’s In It For Me?’

Leaders only become influential leaders when they serve the people that they lead. The first task is service. Dictatorial leaders have to use fear and coercion, but they create an environment where they have to watch their back and they cannot lead freely.

In a corporate sense, the leader may not have their life threatened, but the team will not support them when challenges come along if the leader is too dictatorial.

Leaders who attack the opposition rather than explain what they will do differently fare worse than positive leaders that have ideas and plans.

In the corporate sense, any leadership challenge mounted needs to be thwarted by persuading team members that your vision is better than the vision of the challenger. You need to ensure that your reasoning is sound and your vision is clear.

2. Solving problems

Understanding the key problems of the people you lead is the golden thread of success.

In most cases, there are fundamental problems that need action and attention. An outstanding leader marries his or her vision to the greatest problems the people face. They explain how their vision will solve these problems for the people that they lead.

They explain the steps of operation and remain transparent at all times about progress, even when the news is not good. Admit it and be honest when challenges arise and then state how you plan to overcome the challenges.

By keeping people focused on the vision and the progress, outstanding leaders outperform others.

Incorporations, reporting back to superiors and subordinates, and remaining transparent, relieve a lot of stress while you carry people along with you on the journey of the project. The support you receive from superiors is well worth the cost of transparency. Superiors dislike being challenged with ‘surprises’, so it is important to keep team members and superiors informed at all times.

3. Be available to answer questions — be accessible

By being open and ready to answer questions from the people, a leader will always set himself apart. Accessibility for discussion is very important. It is also important to set the tone of any such meetings prior to the meeting. Explain to the people that the only way we all win is when we all work together. There will always be frustrations because nobody is perfect, but by saying upfront that the best way to get the most out of the meeting is to tone down emotion can help make discussions more civil.

Only with civil discussion and clear thinking can we can make any actual progress. Be willing to adopt new and better suggestions, don’t let your ego override the best plan. Recognize those who propose better ideas. Recognizing others motivates them and creates a positive and more competitive environment. Where others too will seek to add value to the project or discussion.

4. Deliver what you promised

By carrying out and completing the tasks that make up your vision, you can build a record of achievement. People love achievement and by doing what you said you would, you build your own confidence and grow the confidence of those you lead. Achievement of goals is the bread and butter of any leader.

Achievement builds trust. Trust and integrity are of utmost importance in any relationship. Once you have won over the trust of the people, it will be very difficult for anyone to challenge you.

5. Have a team that keeps the people informed

Surround yourself with people who can get the job done and hold your team to account. The more that the people see your team aligning to the vision that you agreed with the people, the more trust they build in your team and you benefit from your team’s performance and achievements.

Be very selective in who you choose to work in your team and if anyone is not up to standard, replace them quickly. The public does not have patience for non-performers, particularly when it affects them directly.

6. Competence instills confidence

Naturally, people trust experts, so ensure your team has expert competence. People that are highly qualified and that have achieved significant success already always make for better leaders and leadership teams.

What we are seeing is a backlash against celebrities that have no expertise. Celebrity endorsement can support a certain idea, as long as the endorsement comes from a celebrity that has credibility. The internet and information flow so fast that celebrities that have no credibility are quickly exposed as ‘hacks’. It is better to have expertise over celebrities. For instance, it is far better to have a doctor presenting medical information than a celebrity. If it is a ‘celebrity doctor’ as long as that celebrity doctor has high credibility, you have a powerful endorsement.

Competence and expertise are superior to celebrity status. I don’t think this was the case a few years ago, but I think this is definitely the case now.

7. Be likable -Put people first

All leaders live on borrowed time. Those that lead the longest are the leaders who let people know they understand the struggles of those that they lead. By interacting more with the people, the leader then becomes a leader of the people, by the people, and this is the most powerful leadership currency there is. When the people know you identify with them and you know what they are struggling with in life.

We like people who are like us, that is what we have learned from behavioral economics. Giving people an identity that they identify with and allowing them to align to a purpose and enhance their own identity through that purpose is probably the greatest persuasive power any leader can have.