LEADERSHIP REINVENTION

Learn to spot your weaknesses & address them >> most leaders will be able to score success just by virtue of their natural strengths and talents. However, this tends to last for a finite period. On the flipside of strengths are weaknesses that need to be addressed if leaders wish to be adaptable and effective. Addressing weaknesses is part of being emotionally intelligent – a concept that describes our ability to be aware of our conduct and impact on others, and our willingness to develop positive behaviors to the benefit of all concerned.

Become a leader of leaders >> as your business or project grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to handle everything on your own, no matter how talented you are. An important part of reinventing yourself as a leader is to realize that you’ll need help along the way, and if you can develop other leaders to help you over the long haul, it makes your job a lot easier in the long run, especially if you can attract people who are smarter than you are.

Remember you’re only human >> it can be too easy to get caught up in your own hype, to the point where your personal worries, insecurities and struggles get suppressed. With no one offering criticism and every idea – the best one yet boss – it’s critical to take regular time to reflect honestly on any personal issues and shortcomings, keeping in mind that you’re not superhuman and can’t solve every problem immediately. This allows for a healthy sense of perspective which helps enormously in keeping you grounded.

Keep on learning >> the best leaders are those who see themselves as lifelong students – they’re always looking to learn. Today’s knowledge and skills will be tomorrow’s old way of doing things. You have to keep yourself sharp. Read often and widely, consider new skills that will be useful to learn, attend conferences, converse with people ahead of you. Investing in your learning is vital if you want to maintain your edge.

Embrace change >> as a leader, you’ll probably have made changes from what went on before you arrived on the scene. While it’s easy to make changes to other people’s ideas, it’s not so easy changing your own way of doing things. If you ever find yourself saying things like – but this is how we did it 5 years ago and it worked fine then – it’s time to re-evaluate where you’re at. Times change at a rapid pace. What worked 6 months ago might now be irrelevant, what more 5 years ago. Seasons change and you have to change with them or suffer the consequences.