Bleeding Edge

What does it take to lead others?

Do you believe in the “myth of the natural-born leader”?

If you believe you are one, keep reading, and let’s see how you measure up against the required behaviors.

I was recently reminded of a study focused on human development in leadership. 

The study’s results showed that only 24% of leadership skills are genetic or innate to human beings, and many other mammalian species — while the remaining 76% can be learned along the way.

Methinks that this is good news…

The percentages indicated that the ‘natural born leader’ is a bit of a myth.

One thing seems certain; you can develop and grow your leadership capabilities by strengthening specific skills.

According to McKinsey and Entrepreneur Magazine: “”What great leadership boils down to is simply a subset of behaviors. 

Their findings show that among the organizations where leadership was rated the most effective, its leaders displayed four distinct leadership behaviors, identified out of 20 that they measured. 

They follow here, positioned as four questions:

1. Can you zero in on the essentials you must do for that day and delegate additional necessary tasks effectively?

“To effectively lead, you need to clearly understand what you, and you alone, must be in charge of doing. Not everything that demands your attention is important.” What are the organizational priorities, and how do my primary job responsibilities and related higher-level goals align with them?

2. Can you communicate your idea of a clear definition of success to your company and team?

The best leaders can uniquely communicate their vision for the organization’s mission in as clear of terms as possible. They paint a picture that gives everyone on their team a view of what success looks like. And they never let go of it.

3. Do you check in to support your team?

Beyond once or twice-a-year performance reviews, the best leaders regularly check in on each of their team members’ progress. I’m not talking about a nice chat asking “how things are going,” but 45 to 60 minutes solely focused on each team member. Talk transparently about their progress, what’s holding them back, and what’s working for them; also, ask how you can help them best succeed in their job.

4. Do you seek different perspectives outside of your own?

5. What’s your worldview?

6. Because none of us are smarter than all of us, do you take the time and effort to learn from what others are doing?

7. Do you think ahead, see trends, and look to the future for possible advantages you can apply to your team or company?

Don’t feel bad if you can’t answer a firm “yes” to all four of these questions. Very few of us are considered “natural-born leaders” compared to these measures. 

Still, you should feel great knowing that you can develop these skills.

That you can always get better at your leadership and how you lead.

Yours,

Dr Churchill

PS:

If you fancy yourself a leader — please send me your CV and we shall talk, because I always seek top level CEOs and C-Suite leaders to assist me in Medicine & Life Science Tech Company building.