04 Oct Acquiring Critical Leadership Criteria
Senior management understands the value of investing in future leadership, but also realizes that to find extraordinary leaders it is important to look for outstanding qualities that are multidimensional, strategically developed, and tempered by experience.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself regarding your leadership development objectives:
Do I have a panoramic vision of the organization?
Leading from the top doesn’t always work in today’s diverse and complex companies, so develop a more panoramic and cross-departmental vision and understanding to ensure sustainable success. Knowing how to operate horizontally and diagonally, in other words, is the fastest way to earn a vertical promotion.
How do I handle workplace politics?
Volunteer up, praise down, and never repeat office gossip. Pitch in to reinforce the performance of your bosses when you see room for improvement. Promote and support those on your team or your employees. Never speak about someone in a way that you aren’t prepared to say to their face. Follow that code and you’ll
Speaking with greater clarity and purpose is vital for any leader, whether they are talking to an employee, client, board room, or the news media. Those who lack this ability will appear weak, befuddled, and ineffective – and will fail to convey their ideas and leadership vision. But those who have a mastery of communication have a powerful asset that can influence others and ensure extraordinary success.
Believe it or not, the biggest obstacle to success and faster promotions for most people is not fierce competitors or a tough economy. Granted, those are major factors. But the truth is that it’s oftentimes ourselves who are standing in the way of our own career progress.
The key to sustainable success in any business or as a high performance leader is to constantly fuel the talent pipeline. But the easiest, most cost effective way to gain more valuable human resources and maintain a roster of top talent is to develop your talent from within the organization.