1. Listening
"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." - Ernest Hemingway
Listening
is the foundation of any good relationship. Great leaders listen to
what their customers and prospects want and need, and they listen to the
challenges those customers face. They listen to colleagues and are open
to new ideas. They listen to shareholders, investors, and competitors.
Here's why the best CEO's listen more.
2. Storytelling
"Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today." -Robert McAfee Brown
After
listening, leaders need to tell great stories in order to sell their
products, but more important, in order to sell their ideas. Storytelling
is what captivates people and drives them to take action. Whether
you're telling a story to one prospect over lunch, a boardroom full of
people, or thousands of people through an online video -
storytelling wins customers.
3. Authenticity
"I
had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as
I've become. If I had, I'd have done it a lot earlier." -Oprah Winfrey
Great
leaders are who they say they are, and they have integrity beyond
compare. Vulnerability and humility are hallmarks of the authentic
leader and create a positive, attractive energy. Customers, employees,
and media all want to help an authentic person to succeed. There used to
be a divide between one’s public self and private self, but the social
internet has blurred that line. Tomorrow's leaders are transparent about
who they are online, merging their personal and professional lives
together.
4. Transparency
"As a small businessperson, you have no greater leverage than the truth." -John Whittier
There
is nowhere to hide anymore, and businesspeople who attempt to keep
secrets will eventually be exposed. Openness and honesty lead to happier
staff and customers and colleagues. More important, transparency makes
it a lot easier to sleep at night - unworried about what you said to
whom, a happier leader is a more productive one.
5. Team Playing
"Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds." -SEAL Team Saying
No
matter how small your organization, you interact with others every day.
Letting others shine, encouraging innovative ideas, practicing
humility, and
following other rules for working in teams
will help you become a more likeable leader. You’ll need a culture of
success within your organization, one that includes out-of-the-box
thinking.
6. Responsiveness
"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." -Charles Swindoll
The
best leaders are responsive to their customers, staff, investors, and
prospects. Every stakeholder today is a potential viral sparkplug, for
better or for worse, and the winning leader is one who recognizes this
and insists upon a culture of responsiveness. Whether the communication
is email, voice mail, a note or a a tweet, responding shows you care and
gives your customers and colleagues a say, allowing them to make a
positive impact on the organization.
7. Adaptability
"When you're finished changing, you're finished." -Ben Franklin
There
has never been a faster-changing marketplace than the one we live in
today. Leaders must be flexible in managing changing opportunities and
challenges and nimble enough to pivot at the right moment. Stubbornness
is no longer desirable to most organizations. Instead, humility and the
willingness to adapt mark a great leader.
8. Passion
"The only way to do great work is to love the work you do." -Steve Jobs
Those
who love what they do don’t have to work a day in their lives. People
who are able to bring passion to their business have a remarkable
advantage, as that passion is contagious to customers and colleagues
alike. Finding and increasing your passion will absolutely affect your
bottom line.
9. Surprise and Delight
"A
true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve, which
others cannot grasp but which keeps his public excited and breathless."
-Charles de Gaulle
Most people like surprises in their
day-to-day lives. Likeable leaders underpromise and overdeliver,
assuring that customers and staff are surprised in a positive way. There
are a plethora of ways to surprise without spending extra money - a
smile, We all like to be delighted —
surprise and delight create incredible word-of-mouth marketing opportunities.
10. Simplicity
"Less isn't more; just enough is more." -Milton Glaser
The
world is more complex than ever before, and yet what customers often
respond to best is simplicity — in design, form, and function. Taking
complex projects, challenges, and ideas and distilling them to their
simplest components allows customers, staff, and other stakeholders to
better understand and buy into your vision. We humans all crave
simplicity, and so today's leader must be focused and deliver
simplicity.
11. Gratefulness
"I would
maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude
is happiness doubled by wonder." -Gilbert Chesterton
Likeable
leaders are ever grateful for the people who contribute to their
opportunities and success. Being appreciative and saying thank you to
mentors, customers, colleagues, and other stakeholders keeps leaders
humble, appreciated, and well received. It also makes you feel great!
Donor's Choose studied the value of a hand-written thank-you note, and
actually found
donors were 38% more likely to give a 2nd time if they got a hand-written note!
The Golden Rule: Above all else, treat others as you’d like to be treated
