Leadership Traits

Dear Debbie,

In your opinion, what are the most important traits for a leader to have? Are these qualities the same for men and for women?

The most important traits for a leader to possess – and exhibit – are integrity, courage, a high level of emotional intelligence, and great communication skills. Of course, there are many other characteristics of a good leader, but these are the main ones that come to mind.

The first two traits on the list, integrity and courage, should be givens in the business world but unfortunately they do not apply to everyone who rises to a leadership position. Part of integrity and courage is having the ability to be honest with yourself and others at all times and in all situations. It takes integrity and courage to always do what you think is right, especially in the absence of parameters or guidelines, which you will likely experience with time in any leadership position. And, it particularly takes integrity and courage to do the right thing when people are trying to persuade you otherwise.

Many times, doing the right thing without a precedent also takes a tremendous amount of emotional intelligence and mental toughness which not everyone possesses. A high level of emotional intelligence enables you to behave decisively and calmly, even under the most difficult circumstances. Leaders simply must be able to separate feelings from facts.

To be effective, these qualities must be combined with the ability to communicate clearly to and with all types of people, regardless of their backgrounds, positions, and goals. Poor communication ability has stalled many careers. If you aren’t a strong communicator, chances are that you will not be a strong leader.

I think you’ll find that these traits apply to all great leaders, regardless of gender.

Want to Succeed Wildly?

I have not shared an article on my blog until today when I read 'Want to Succeed Wildly, Adjust Your Attitude' by Vanessa Van Petten. I wanted to share it here because it describes one of the ways in which we as individuals get in our own way of success and achievement. It is something we can all change about ourselves. Vanessa Van Petten specializes in social and emotional intelligence research and development. The focus of her company is on research of youth behavior and helping adults keep up with young adults. Want to Succeed Wildly, Adjust Your Attitude Have you ever wondered what makes someone a world-renowned musician or a critically acclaimed novelist? Malcolm Gladwell would say it all comes down to practice—over 10,000 hours of practice, to be exact. But a study by Gary McPherson, discussed in David Brooks’ book The Social Animal, highlights that there is also an important attitude needed for success. In 1997, Gary McPherson decided to study musicians—namely what exactly contributed to a musician’s success. Was it practice? Genetics? Environment? He studied 157 randomly selected kids as they picked and learned a musical instrument. Some went on to be professional musicians, and others quit playing after they left school. He was looking for patterns. Were there traits or characteristics that all of the successful musicians had? Amazingly, the commonality was not one of the obvious ones. It was not IQ, aural sensitivity, math skills, natural rhythm, or even their parents that dictated success. There was only one question that provided a clue to indicate which students would be successful and which wouldn’t. Before they even selected their instrument, McPherson asked the budding musicians one question: "How long do you think you will play the instrument you choose?" The answer to this question predicted whether or not a student would be successful. If they thought they would play an instrument their whole life, they did better; if they thought they would only play temporarily, they did not play as well. Their success had nothing to do with skills—it was all about their attitude. Logically, this makes sense. If you think you are going to do something for life, you work harder at and you are therefore better. However, we often do not apply this knowledge to our choices and work. For example, how often do you hear someone say, "I couldn’t be a doctor, I am terrible at science," or "I can’t do that project, I’m not good at organization." We do not need any inherent skills to be able to be good at what we do, we only need an attitude that we are going to stick with it. Our minds and skills sets will grow with us as we stick to our goals. How can we use McPherson's study in our own lives and businesses? 1.Set your mind up for success. When facing a business project or when applying to a job opening, throw away unhelpful mindsets like "I wouldn’t be good at it," or "I could never." 2.Forget how and focus on when. When picturing your work or projects, start by adjusting your perception of how long you will stick with it instead of focusing on whether or not you have the right skills. 3.Dependent on others? Don’t forget to tell time. When working with team members on a business project, you can gauge how successful they will be by asking them about their timeline. This is especially good if you are interviewing employees. If you want to know how someone will be at a potential job, ask them how long they expect to do it—this will be a better predictor of their performance than anything else. Knowing how our attitude affects our performance is an essential aspect of furthering our understanding of ourselves, and the probability of our success. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vanessa Van Petten specializes in social and emotional intelligence research and development. The focus of her company is on research of youth behavior and helping adults keep up with young adults. The Young Entrepreneur Council is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the world's most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC recently published #FixYoungAmerica: How to Rebuild Our Economy and Put Young Americans Back to Work (for Good), a book of more than 30 proven solutions to help end youth unemployment.

Executive Leadership Coaching

Dear Debbie,
What is an executive coach? How do I know if one would be beneficial for me and my career?
Executive coaching is a formal engagement in which a qualified coach works with an organizational leader in a series of dynamic, confidential sessions designed to establish and achieve clear goals that will result in improved managerial performance. The relationship between a manager and a coach is different from other types of professional relationships. For example, a coaching relationship focuses on enhancing performance while a mentoring relationship usually has broader objectives. An executive coach is much more involved in execution and outcome assessment than the typical consultant might be. A coach is not an authority figure, but is someone who is engaged with their client on all levels to provide assessment, challenge, and support.
Above all, a coach is someone who is there for the professional client for collaboration and to offer the type of counsel and support that the executive may not otherwise receive. A great coach will work with clients to assess individual circumstances, strengths, weaknesses, and developmental opportunities.
In some circles, having a coach is something to brag about. In other situations, a coach may be brought in as a reaction to a certain set of circumstances that indicate a performance deficit. In today’s business climate, coaches are seeing an increased demand across the board at the ‘c suite’ level. An executive coach is a perk to which some top executives feel entitled and that some leaders negotiate as part of their total compensation and benefits package. Some companies provide coaching initiatives for new, transferring and high-potential employees, while other individuals seek out coaches and pay for them on their own. In my practice, I see a variety of circumstances that prompt individuals and organizations to engage me in the role of advisor and coach.
If you are considering an executive coach, keep in mind that your perception of coaching greatly affects your readiness to benefit from having a coach. If you have a positive perception of coaching and think that it could help you, you’ve taken the first step toward realizing its benefits. You should assess your own readiness for what will be a serious commitment and an occasionally uncomfortable experience. There are coaching readiness questionnaires that I use with my clients to help them fully understand and assess where they are before the coaching process starts.
When you work with a coach, you can expect to change your skills and your behaviors and develop better leadership abilities. Resistance to any kind of personal change is normal, realistic, and to be expected. It’s not a light decision to engage an executive coach. Only you can accurately assess your thoughts, feelings, and needs. A great coach will use some very sophisticated behavioral and competency based assessment instruments that will enable you to clearly understand where you are starting and what you will need to work on.
Executive coaches have become much more common than they were even five years ago. If you decide that you’re ready to benefit from coaching, take time to find a well-qualified coach with whom you can relate on a personal level. Selecting the right coach has a dramatic impact on successful results. Engaging a well-qualified coach that is a good fit for you will positively affect your individual growth and your future career path. Good luck!