Leadership Fundamentals

Legend has it that Vince Lombardi, head coach for the Green Bay Packers, used to begin spring training by standing in front of his team, holding a football. He would say, “Gentlemen, lets return to basics. THIS is a football.” So what are the basics of leadership? As you know, there are many authors and speakers out there sharing their ideas on leadership. After nearly 30 years as a coach, consultant, and leader, I offer what I consider the five fundamentals.

1. Create alignment and engagement. An engaged employee is one who works with passion and feels a profound connection to their company and their work. This doesn’t just happen by accident. You, the leader, have something to do with it. You cause engagement through encouraging two-way communication about expectations and responsibilities. Remember, we have left the days of command and control leadership. It’s a two-way conversation now. This is what causes people to feel connected, and valued. You can help to create enthusiasm for the work and a desire to excel by recognizing and motivating team members. Do you know your employees well enough to know what motivates them?
2. Empower others. This essentially means to share your power with those who work with and for you. How? Ask them for their ideas and best practices. Be intentional about building effective relationships. Figure out how to work well with all types of people – even those who are very different than you. Share as much information, knowledge and expertise as you can. And finally, reward employees for innovation and calculated risk-taking.
3. Produce results. You won’t be a leader for long if you don’t make stuff happen. You must produce results. Your job is to keep yourself and others focused on the bottom line. Zero in on key business opportunities and go for them. Challenge yourself and others to exceed their goals. Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan wrote a book called, “Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.” I highly recommend this book to increase your muscle for producing results.

4. Encourage learning and adaptability. Several years ago, Peter Senge coined the term, “learning organization.” These are organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, and where people are continually learning how to learn together. As a leader, you must challenge and stretch your employees to go beyond what they know how to do. Hold frequent discussions to provide coaching and feedback for development.
5. Embody the mission, vision and values. You must walk your talk. Ask your employees if you live the mission and vision. They will tell you. Then, ask what you can do to be better at it. This will help others to translate the company’s vision into action.

As you can see, these five fundamentals could take years to master. And that’s the true nature of leadership. It will challenge and stretch you. It will make you a great person. Congratulations for saying “yes” to the adventure of a lifetime.