As Audeliss celebrates its eighth birthday this month, we felt it fitting to share eight key lessons on how to be a better business leader. Perhaps you’re already doing some of these, maybe these tips will be new to you: in any case, we hope the lessons we’ve learned along the way can help you in your journey to achieving your goals and earning a reputation as a great employer.
Being a great business leader is multifaceted and demanding, however, there are key characteristics that can all become learnt behaviours over time
- Be consistent
Leading a group of people is hard work. Effectively communicating with different stakeholders is an everyday task for a business leader. Nobody likes mixed messages, and nobody likes broken promises; great business leaders avoid these scenarios with ease, by being consistent with all parties they are privy to. A consistent leader isn’t ruled by their emotions, nor do they allow unexpected challenges to affect how they treat their team. Instead, they keep a clear focus on the goal ahead and always keep the company values in mind with any given action.
- Lead with humility
Occasionally eating a big slice of humble pie is a diet recommended by business leaders around the globe. Being able to accept fault and improve because of it is formative of anyone wanting to rise the corporate ladder. To be a great leader, executives must show the humility to accept that often there are employees with a different set of skills to their own, who may have the keys to unlocking change in the business.
- Empower your employees
Empowering employees with autonomy has been a stark transition away from a bygone era of obsessive micromanagement. Though autonomy and empowerment are important, a truly exceptional business leader will provide their employees with a clear vision, reasonable expectations and the necessary support they need to succeed personally and for the company.
- Live your values
Practice what you preach is an adage old as time, but one that is still incredibly relevant to the modern business world. There is no use trying to inject a culture into a business if the person at the top doesn’t live, eat and breathe it. An inspirational leader with steadfast values can inspire a workforce, without compromising day to day performance.
- Never stop learning
Once you reach the top of a mountain and ascend into a true leadership role – you should never rest on your laurels. Being the best isn’t about achieving status or salary; the best leaders constantly improve, evolve, and adapt. Keeping abreast of industry trends and learning new technologies, concepts and ideas will ensure you maintain the quality of your work and continue to find competitive ways to advance and innovate.
- Champion diversity
The advantages of having a diverse workforce are no secret. New ideas, cultures and experiences can allow savvy business leaders to access new markets and create opportunities for brilliant candidates. However, the best leaders recognise that it’s not a simple matter of ticking a box or achieving a quota. If there’s one change you can make to spark engagement, strengthen talent attraction and retention, it’s creating an inclusive environment and speaking to your employees to determine areas that need improvement. Honesty, acceptance and drive are required from any leader looking to diversify their workforce for the good of society and their own bottom lines.
- Build and grow your network
Great business relationships are built on accountability, bad jokes and trust. Networking is a sales/marketing technique that will continue to be relevant until the end of time. The more connected you are, the more people you will have to share ideas and the better off you will be. Between the canapés and free drinks, growing your network is essential to becoming a better business leader. Who knows who you could meet? Potential Customers? Channel Partners? Or even your next great employee.
- Accept your vulnerabilities
The best leaders don’t pretend to be masters-of-all, rather, they work to their strengths and surround themselves with a talented team who are specialists in their respective disciplines and can be trusted to execute the company strategy alongside the CEO. Those who treat weaknesses as signposts to the skills the business needs to succeed will have a clear goal in mind when sourcing talent – the employees they take on board will, in turn, feel their contribution is valued and naturally be more engaged with the company as a result.