I’ve been talking with a lot of C-suite leaders lately who are worried because they don’t see next-gen leaders on their teams. It’s not that they lack team members, but they don’t see these individuals as future leaders, or they feel they’re not close to being ready for leadership roles.
The current team members mean well. They want to be leaders and often talk the talk, but just wanting to be a leader isn’t enough. This is a common sentiment among C-suite executives.
Real leadership isn’t about making promises—it’s about taking action and producing results.
Give me someone who can achieve goals, and I believe I can help them become a leader. Too often, we look for leadership qualities like we look for friends. Is this someone I’d want to hang out with? Can I trust them? Are they pleasant? Do they smell nice? Do I get along with them, and do others as well? Would I follow them? If they jumped off a bridge, would I jump off a bridge?
I don’t need my leaders to be my buddies; I need them to accomplish tasks. Can you get things done without upsetting everyone around you? Finding this balance is important. Sometimes, we focus too much on one side of the equation, and it’s not the side of getting things done!
So, you want to lead?
Great! The key is to deliver results. The approach is simple, but many fall short:
Clearly explain what needs to be done. Identify and address obstacles. Set deadlines and agree on how tasks will be completed. Remove roadblocks and excuses. Follow up consistently. Emphasize accountability. Get things done.
In my experience, the most effective leaders don’t make promises; they deliver results. Every day. Every project. Leaders who rely on promises often fade away over time. Turns out most organizations value actions over words—they need tasks to be accomplished.
Hi Tim,
This is very well written. You don’t need someone to be your buddy to be the next leader. Are they able to bring the team around them to accomplish the goals. An effective leader helps people on the team feel like they are professionally wanted and appreciated. In my experience, many C Suite executives are concerned about the next generations ability to make that face to face impact with their people because they spend so much time behind a computer or a phone. Everyone has to start somewhere and to your point of getting results maybe they need to be given smaller projects to start. I believe that Leadership can be taught and that it depends on the person as to how much of an investment it would be.