Today’s executives face challenges unlike anything else. The demand to provide better services, the pressure to get results and the scrutiny of making sure all aspects of a business are performing as ethically as possible are enough to cause any executive to become discouraged.
To help, to offer a little management leadership consulting, I’ve put together five lessons for today’s executives—lessons that are both practical and central to your personal life as well as your work life.
Know Yourself. I increasingly hear more executives reference the importance of knowing themselves as they carry out their work. By knowing yourself, you are more able to perform and behave in a way that accentuates your strengths. Knowing yourself ensures that you are more authentic to others. And being more authentic typically causes others to want to listen to you more attentively which lends itself to more success in getting important work done.
Show Appreciation for Others. When you demonstrate appreciation for others, you are giving them a great gift of recognition and support that seems often absent from the workplace. When appreciated, your friends, family and employees will, in many cases, be very willing to give beyond what you request and to deliver more work, love, and attention than you asked or is required.
Remember Why. This lesson is extremely important. It helps you stay focused on what is important and what your purpose is in doing the work in front of you. Encourage others to remember “why” with you. Ask “Why do I do this work and how does it affect the community I live in and the larger world as a whole?” You do everything for a purpose. Strive to be able to articulate and demonstrate your purpose in your work and action.
Silence and Reflection. Make time for silence in your busy work routine. In silence, reflect on issues and individuals. During this process, ideas and solutions to resolve difficult situations will make themselves known to you. This is not magic, but the power of allowing yourself to be fully attentive in the quiet space.
Head Up. Executives who walk into a room with their head up and eyes searching to meet the others conveys confidence in yourself and also instills confidence in others. Keeping your head up is a way to communicate hope for the situation at hand. When you have your head up, you will see more clearly where you are going and display a winning attitude. Your teammates all want to be part of a winning effort!
What are your top lessons learned?
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