7 Skills That Great Leaders Can't Live Without

YouTube Version (If You'd Rather Watch 👉) https://youtu.be/LAhQYfQ0iwQ

Many years ago, I read a book that turned everything I knew about leadership upside down.

For the longest time, I didn’t realize that leadership is something you can improve.

Like so many people, I thought leadership was just something you were born with.

I realize now how ridiculous that is.

Leadership can be learned, practiced, and improved.

There are actually research-backed elements that have been proven to enhance leadership effectiveness.

Because these elements can be learned and improved, I think it’s appropriate to call them skills.

If you learn these leadership skills, you become a better leader.

Now, the book I’m referring to that made all this click for me is an old book by Jim Collins and Bill Lazier called Beyond Entrepreneurship.

It was originally written nearly three and a half decades ago, but Collins released an updated version, B.E. 2.0, back in 2020.

The updated version revealed just how solid the research really was.

This one really stood the test of time.

I want to say on the front end that today’s episode is inspired by this classic leadership book.

This book, among others, has helped me go from zero to leading a team of over 60 staff and volunteers serving thousands of people each week.

I highly recommend it. It should be an annual read for anyone in leadership.

If you want a list of great leadership books like this, I encourage you to download my free leadership resource list (you'll find it at the bottom of this page).

Okay, let’s talk about seven skills that great leaders have.

No time to waste, here’s the first one.

SKILL 1: AUTHENTICITY

This skill is all about what’s within you as the leader and how that influences people around you.

Do you genuinely believe in what you’re doing?

Effective leadership has less to do with what you say and more to do with what you model.

The joke, “Do as I say, not as I do,” shouldn’t be funny to a leader.

Because it’s toxic and the opposite of great leadership.

Words must be followed with actions.

If you, as the leader, authentically believe in and internalize the mission, vision, and values, you will successfully model them within the culture you’re responsible for leading.

Unfortunately, you can’t fake authenticity.

You really do have to believe in the cause you’re serving.

If you don’t believe in it, how could you possibly lead others to believe in it?

Becoming a more authentic leader really comes down to whether or not you believe in the work you’re doing.

If you don’t, you need to go to work on purpose immediately.

Why are you doing what you’re doing?

What is the greater purpose behind it?

For instance, if you’re in finance, your purpose shouldn’t be to make more money; it could be to fight poverty.

If you’re a coach, your purpose shouldn’t be winning; it could be helping young players realize their full potential.

As the leader, you need to have the purpose deep inside you.

This is the only way you can lead authentically.

So, what is your purpose?

What makes you able to lead authentically?

SKILL 2: DECISIVENESS

Indecision is one of the great enemies of great leadership.

When it comes to decision-making, a lot of leaders wait around for the perfect amount of information.

This can easily become a type of defense mechanism against risk aversion if you aren’t careful.

We tend to think, “the more information, the less risk.”

The problem is, you’ll never have perfect information.

You’ll be waiting forever for that kind of forecast.

This eventually turns into procrastination or “analysis paralysis.”

Leaders can’t forget that the objective is not to have all the information or do the analysis.

The ultimate objective is to make a decision.

The best leaders learn how to do this well.

They don’t neglect the process of gathering information and conducting analytics; they just know when they’ve done enough to make a decision.

How do great leaders do this?

Well, they use intuition.

In other words, they make a gut decision.

Now, I know that makes many of you squirm, but this is a skill you need to develop.

It’s important to remember that a wrong decision is often better than no decision at all.

You’re not going to have a 100% record on good decisions.

It reminds me of the quote by Wayne Gretzky (or was it Michael Scott? I can’t remember now)

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

It’s true, but you also don’t have the opportunity to learn from the misses if you never shoot.

Great leaders are decisive.

SKILL 3: FOCUS

Peter Drucker said, “Do first things first - and second things not at all. The alternative is to get nothing done.”

The greater the focus, the greater the intensity.

Unfocused light might illuminate a room, but focus that same light, and it can become a laser that cuts through metal.

Now, focus can apply to a number of things.

It can apply to time management, mental clarity, distraction mitigation, priority setting, and much more.

In a world of distractions, we have to fight really hard to stay focused.

I can’t remember where I first heard this, but I remember one leader saying how we don’t need more “to-do” lists; we need more “to-don’t” lists.

It’s true.

SKILL 4: PERSONAL CONNECTION

This skill is about being a “hands-on” leader.

Great leaders aren’t detached, removed, distant, or uninvolved.

Great leaders create a culture of great relationships and personal connections.

Some people refer to this as MBWA (management by walking around).

Personally, I actually don’t like that phrase.

I think it misses the entire point of the personal connection.

If you’re walking around with the intent to manage, then you’re looking around for things to manage. And consequently, your team will feel managed.

I think a better approach would be CBWA (connecting by walking around).

In other words, if you want to build meaningful relationships, then emphasize connection, not management.

If you’re walking around with the intent to connect, then you’re seeing relational opportunities, not management opportunities. And consequently, your team will feel connected to you rather than managed by you.

Now, personal connection also allows leaders to make strategic personal corrections.

Collins references the story of Debbie Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies.

Apparently, she had a habit of showing up at her stores unannounced.

On one occasion, she noticed “…a very unhappy-looking batch of cookies laid out for customers.”

She asked the young man behind the counter what he thought of the cookies.

He said, “Aw, they’re good enough.”

She nodded and gently took the trays one by one, emptying nearly $600 worth of cookies into the garbage can.

“You know,” she said to him, “good enough never is.”

I bet that young man never forgot the interaction he had with Debbie Fields that day.

She took a personal connection and used it to deliver a powerful correction.

It was gentle, yet impactful.

SKILL 5: HARD & SOFT PEOPLE SKILLS

Great leaders have incredibly high standards (hard), yet they build people up to meet those standards (soft).

A lot of this is done through positive feedback, not as a critic or boss, but as a mentor or teacher.

Great leaders recognize that the bar of excellence can never be compromised.

However, people will inevitably miss the bar.

What do these leaders do?

They don’t lower the bar; they help the individual rise to it.

This does two things.

First, it builds a culture of trust in which team members feel safe to fail without fear of being let go.

Second, it builds a culture of improvement where team members have the resources to continually grow.

SKILL 6: COMMUNICATION

Great leaders understand the importance of stimulating constant communication.

Communication should be humming in all directions at all levels.

The number one thing the leader communicates is vision and strategy.

The best leaders err on the side of too much communication rather than too little.

If you aren’t sick of communicating the mission, vision, and values, then you’re not doing it enough.

Keep in mind that there are a lot of ways for a leader to communicate, and there are endless ways to improve your communication skills.

The best leaders are constantly trying to improve their communication skills and spend a lot of time preparing what they are communicating.

In so many ways, this is where the leader earns their keep.

Okay, here’s the last skill.

SKILL 7: EVER FORWARD

Great leaders have an “ever forward” mentality.

They are constantly growing and never complacent.

This growth mindset influences the culture.

Collins writes, “The moment you cease to be excited and energetic about your work, you will simultaneously cease to be effective as a leader.”

That sounds pretty cutthroat, but it’s true.

Related to the “ever forward” mindset is the need for optimism and tenacity.

Great leaders don’t let obstacles deter them from persistently pressing onward.

There you have it.

Time to get to work.

This was obviously a gross summary of some very important leadership skills.

If you’re itching to go even deeper, I encourage you to download that free leadership resource list below.

It has resources in every category we discussed today.

As always, keep fighting the good fight.

I’ll see you again real soon!