The selection of leaders within your business is critical to the future success of your business and should not be taken lightly. When we look at great leaders around the world and captains of industry what do we see and admire in these people? It’s not their technical competencies or product knowledge but their ability to inspire, motivate and make the right choices. These great leaders are leaders of people not process – they have instinct and courage, and take calculated risks with confidence.

Leadership is leading, guiding and motivating others towards common goals and successful performance.

Manages the team

– Is approachable to team members.

– Ensures that the basic, practical needs of the team are met.

– Passes on information as required and tackles escalated issues.

– Defines and assigns tasks and activities.

– Manages meetings effectively.

– Leads by example on health and safety behaviour and ensures compliance.

– Says ‘thanks’ when a job is well done.

Sets goals and expectations

– Defines clear objectives, expectations and roles for the team – ‘what and why’.

– Delegates tasks with clear goals, expectations and plans.

– Fully involves others in decisions and ideas when appropriate.

– Adapts management style to suit the different team members.

– Ensures that the team has the right tools, equipment and resources to do the job.

– Gives on-going feedback on performance.

– Celebrates successes and addresses underperformance.

Creates a positive team culture

– Takes action to increase the commitment and performance of the team.

– Shows how the specific contribution of each team member links to overall business goals.

– Leads by example; acting as a role model in all areas of work.

– Demonstrates leadership and influence beyond own team.

– Rewards successes and achievements in creative ways.

– Builds a health and safety culture within and beyond the team.

Inspires

– Clearly communicates a vision for the team that motivates and energises the team members.

– Communicates the company vision and values in a way that inspires others and gets their buy-in.

– Combines clarity of purpose with personal conviction and integrity; communicates this sense of purpose to others.

– Establishes processes, structure and systems to improve employee performance and engagement across the business.

When selecting your leaders of tomorrow, remember good managers do not always make good leaders – it’s a completely different skill set. The next great leader may not hold the most senior position, but has all the right skills and needs to be nurtured for the future. Do you have people who are thinking differently, who connect with people, who lead by example, who are great communicators? They challenge themselves, involve the team, but make the difficult choices, sharing the success but are ultimately being accountable. People follow these people and are proud to be part of their team. If you find the right person then special times are ahead. Do not make someone a leader just because they have long service or are highly respected, they need to have so much more. Great leadership is in short supply in the industry, show your leadership skills and select the right person for your business.