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3 Clear Signs to Quickly Identify Someone With Good Leadership Skills by Marcel Schwantes If you’ve ever had the chance to work under a good leader, you’ve probably noticed something important: They actually care about their people. They’re not just focused on hitting targets or climbing the ladder themselves—they genuinely care about helping their team succeed, both in their current roles and in their long-term goals. For many leaders, this doesn’t come naturally. It’s tough to balance caring for others when you’re under pressure to deliver results and meet expectations. But here’s the thing: Research—and countless stories from top leaders I have interviewed on my podcast—shows that focusing on your people is a game-changer for the success of your business. It’s not just a feel-good approach; it’s smart strategy. When leaders consistently show they care and foster the right environment, the positive ripple effects are undeniable. Let’s talk about three clear signs that will tell you someone is fit for leadership: 1. They lead with transparency Transparency is like the foundation of a solid house. Without it, things crumble—trust erodes, team dynamics break down, and toxicity seeps in. When leaders model transparency, they create a culture where trust thrives, egos take a back seat, and collaboration rules. Continue reading at https://lnkd.in/gqZbm9xq

What do we do about bad leaders? It’s a question that came to mind when I recently listened to an episode of the Phronesis: Practical Wisdom for Leaders podcast. It featured one of my favorite leadership contrarians, Barbara Kellerman. In her conversation with podcast host, Scott J. Allen, Kellerman asserted that bad leaders always get worse absent an intervention. She tackles big names, think Vladimir Putin, though my experience has been that followers experience bad leadership in a range of settings. And one of the topics I have wrestled with is the subjectivity of terms such as “good” and “bad.” I think the topic needs to be teased apart a bit. First, I increasingly reserve the term “leadership” to refer to the body of scholarship around the practice of uniting people to achieve more together than any individual could do alone. “Leading” is the practice. It’s a verb. It’s what you do. Thus, “leadership” is neither good nor bad. It simply is. “Leading” is a set of skills and behaviors either practiced well or not. I make a further distinction between “bad” and “evil.” Bad leaders are those people who are bad at leading. Bad behavior may result from insecurity, inexperience, or low self-awareness. The corrective actions include training, coaching, or targeted assignments with structured feedback to close the skill gap or fill the toolbox to improve their performance as a leader. Evil leaders, by contrast, are those who lead with selfishness or malevolence. They may be extraordinarily good at the types of things we expect of leaders: vision, motivation, decision-making, accountability, etc. That they are so good is the problem because of their ill intent. I’d like to downgrade those skills, not improve them. In the piece on Medium, I explore the roadmap forward. We are not waiting for a theoretical breakthrough or practice innovation. Why, then, do bad leaders continue to emerge? I see three principal reasons: 1.     Lack of commitment to leading as a core competency. 2.     Continued commitment to shareholder primacy. 3.     Lack of courage to deal with problem leaders. Like so much in life, we already have what we need. The challenge is only to have the wisdom and tenacity to banish bad leaders. The link to the full post is in the first comment below. #leadership #management #organizationculture

Check out the podcast "Leading from the Inside Out," featuring McKinsey’s Ramesh Srinivasan and Hans-Werner Kaas. In their discussion on The Journey of Leadership, they argue that CEOs need more than confidence and decisiveness - they need self-awareness, humility, and compassion. This episode delves into how human-centric leadership can inspire teams and navigate today’s complex challenges. A must-listen for modern leaders! #Leadership #SelfReflection #HumanCentric

What does great leadership look like to you? Most of us have had varying team experiences including where: - the team spirit and performance was amazing  - general mediocrity - the atmosphere was toxic. And many scenarios in between. What was it about the leadership that made the difference? There are so many books, podcasts, videos, blogs, journal articles etc on leadership. Many are worth reading (I’ve put my top book picks in a link in the comments). But with your leadership experience you’ll also know what a great leader looks and acts like. How they make people feel. The behaviours they exhibit. The conditions they put in place to enable themselves and their teams to thrive. Let’s unpick the secret sauce of great leadership for you. 💡 GREAT LEADERSHIP EXERCISE Grab a pen and paper/phone/tablet and write the answers to the following questions down. Do this when you have time to think. Start by thinking about leaders that have had a positive impact on you. - What made them effective leaders? - How did they create high-performing teams? - How did they motivate you and others? - What was their style? - How did they interact with people? - How did they make people feel? Write everything down. Next step, summarise and write down what you believe the traits of a great leader to be. Take a look. This version of great leadership is unique to you. How do you compare? Honestly. Are there areas you need to develop? PS. I’d love to know how this goes for you, let me know either below or in the DMs. ———————————— Hi, I'm Viv and I help leaders and their teams thrive. If you like this post, you can follow me, Viviane Joynes, for leadership, team building and mindset tips. #leadership #greatleadership #leader4.0 #loveleading

Leadership isn't just about making decisions—it's about evolving from the inside out. In a world of rapid change, geopolitical complexity, and technological revolutions, we need a new paradigm: human-centric leadership. This is a fascinating podcast featuring McKinsey's Ramesh Srinivasan and Hans-Werner Kaas discussing their new book, "The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Can Learn to Lead from the Inside Out." They challenge us to look beyond the outdated notion of the 'imperial CEO', advocating  for leaders who balance courage with curiosity, confidence with humility. Do you lead from the inside, the outside or a bit of both? --- The Purposeworks helps leaders remove gridlock and accelerate the velocity of results with ease, clarity, and constructive action. #LeadershipEvolution #HumanCentricLeadership #ContinuousGrowth #ThePurposeworks #McKinsey #WorkLifeHarmony #Productivity #GrowthMindset #FutureFocus #EffectiveLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #PersonalGrowth

I recently joined Barron's Advisor podcast host and business coach Steve Sanduski, CFP® on an episode of The Way Forward to discuss #TheJourneyOfLeadershipBook. Our conversation centered around “inside-out” leadership, how leaders can navigate fear and failure, and more: https://bit.ly/3Yz9vL2 Steve and I discussed the need for executives to know themselves well before leading others. We also touched on purpose-driven #leadership, which emphasizes aligning your inner #purpose with your outer actions to inspire your team to do the same. At one point, Steve posed a thought-provoking question that I rarely get asked: “Sometimes this fear of failure prevents us from thinking big, being bold, and moving forward with big ideas. As leaders, how should we think about overcoming fear and failure to think big and bold?” My advice would be to get to know fear and understand where that fear is coming from. Why is that action you need to take making you fearful, and what is the worst-case downside if things don’t work out? From a spirit of deep understanding and awareness comes #resilience and creative ideas for processing—and maybe even overcoming—that fear. In my own experience as a consultant, I was sometimes afraid to give people negative feedback. There are times when I have to deliver a tough message. Sometimes I have to be able to point out a leader’s errors or blind spots, and because of that, they may not like me for a period of time. After deep self-reflection, I’ve come to the realization that leadership isn’t a popularity contest and that it isn’t necessary for everyone to like me. My primary objective is to stay true to my own purpose of helping leaders reach their full potential. And if a few people dislike me or have temporary negative feelings toward me during this process, that’s completely OK. I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you overcome your own fears or help others do the same.

💥 What makes a leader truly inspirational? 💥 If you've ever wondered what separates an average leader from an inspiring one, this week's episode of the "Her Leadership Coach" podcast is a must-listen! I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Sue Musson, author of "Firecracker Leadership," and wow, did she bring some insights 🔥 Sue led a major hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, so when she talks about inspirational leadership, you know she's speaking from experience. We dove into the four key behaviours that make a leader truly inspirational: 👉 A compelling rationale 👉 A motivating purpose 👉 Killer communication skills 👉 Genuine recognition of others It seems simple enough, so why don't we see more leaders who embody these traits? Sue pinpoints four key gaps: analysis, communication, humility, and confidence. Her stories (including one about a leader who focused on car parking while facing much bigger organisational issues) will make you rethink how you approach your own leadership journey. And one of my favourite moments from our chat? Sue shared Rumi's wisdom: "The wound is where the light enters you." It’s a powerful reminder that our challenges aren't just setbacks—they’re opportunities to shine even brighter ✨. So, if you're a woman looking to step up your leadership game or just want some inspiration to keep moving forward, you won't want to miss this episode. Sue's even offering a free leadership assessment tool and a chance to chat with her one-on-one. 🎧 🔗 Tune in to the episode now [https://lnkd.in/gcv2UWtz] 💬 And in the meantime, I’d love to hear - What's one challenge you've faced in your leadership journey that turned out to be your greatest teacher? Share your story below! 👇

I've been reflecting on this wisdom shared by recent podcast guest, Urs Koenig, and wonder if it is perhaps the perfect one-liner to encapsulate the essence of effective leadership in today's complex world: "The real test of leadership is how does the ship run when I'm not there." In an age where rapid change and uncertainty are the norms, the true measure of a leader’s effectiveness goes beyond momentary charisma or top-down control. Urs Koenig’s insights urge us to reconsider what it really means to lead—emphasizing the importance of creating systems and teams that are not dependent on the leader’s constant presence. This paradigm shift poses a critical question for leaders: Are we empowering our teams to thrive independently, or are we the bottleneck that stymies growth and innovation? Traditional command and control methods may provide short-term results, but they often fall short in fostering long-term resilience and adaptability. Developing a leadership style that seeks to make oneself obsolete is not about becoming redundant; it is about empowering team members to understand and act on the organization's shared purpose independently. It requires the humility to step back, trust in the team’s abilities, and provide them with the tools and support they need to succeed. For new leaders, this can be particularly challenging. The instinct to assert authority and control can overshadow the more nuanced act of building a robust, self-sustaining team. Yet, as Urs illustrates through his extensive leadership experience, nurturing a team capable of autonomous decision-making leads to a more resilient and innovative organization. As we strive to navigate today’s complexities, consider how you can encourage your team to operate effectively without your constant oversight. This might involve developing deep self-awareness, fostering collaborative relationships, and creating a culture of psychological safety where team members feel empowered to make decisions and take action. Reflect on how your leadership style measures up to this test: Are you building a team that can sail the ship smoothly, even when you're not on deck? The answer to this question might be the key to unlocking your team’s full potential and ensuring long-term success. Listen to the full episode at the link in the comments and be sure to check out Urs's book: Radical Humility: Be a Badass Leader and A Good Human.

This podcast episode was particularly insightful in how it addressed leadership as a challenge of achieving mutual commitment. Inspiring and uplifting a team is one thing, but maintaining that connection over a long period of time requires building trusting relationships that leaders know they can rely on. Trust is a two-way street! 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼@𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺 #Leadership #Trust #ExecutiveRecruitment #WhitmanPartners

Leadership Style: Do You Need One? New Blog Post It’s common for new leaders to spend a lot of time and effort trying to understand and define their “leadership style,” especially when stepping into their first management role. But is this focus really worth it? As General David Petraeus said when I interviewed him on my podcast (listen here: https://lnkd.in/er8N4SPG), “Tell me what you want me to achieve, tell me the situation, tell me who I’m working with, and then I’ll tell you my leadership style.” His point? Leadership style isn’t something fixed. It should adapt to the situation, the goals, and the team. Instead of getting hung up on identifying a specific style, you should focus on something far more meaningful: your core values. Read on & Watch the Video here to learn more about what core values are: https://lnkd.in/e6HHYypY #LeadOn #LeadershipTips #CoreValues #LeadershipStyles