What matters most

I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions or thinking that magic makeovers are possible. Change is hard work and often people’s last choice when they have exhausted all the other alternatives. However, I have found that the clients I work with benefit from taking a step back and refocusing on what leadership behaviors matter most. There are three core behaviors that underlay all good leadership, and here they are…

The core behaviors of excellent leaders

All great leaders show a talent for dealing with people and issues that goes beyond personality traits or management training. They understand that success is about relationships and getting things done with other people. It requires integrity, vision and commitment.

Successful leaders make the connection for their people between what needs to be done and how it needs to be done. They act in a principled way focused equally on engaging people and aligning activities.

It is not about being task focused or people focused. It is about being both task focused and people focused.

Here are the three core behaviors:

1. Treat everyone with integrity

2. Align activities to deliver what matters most

3. Engage stakeholders to commit their time, talent and trust

Treating people with integrity, focusing on what matters most and engaging key stakeholders enables superior performance. It can be hard, but it’s surprisingly learnable. When it comes to delivering results, the soft stuff is the hard stuff.

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