What's the secret to creating a leadership culture that will move your organization forward in the years to come? There is no secret: it starts at the top with you.
In my experience as a speaker and consultant, senior leaders think internally to understand their reason for being, to clarify what they represent and what the organization represents, and determine how to communicate this with the rest of your organization.
It's the strength of the individuals who make a world-class organization. And companies that make leadership development a strategic priority have the ability to attract and retain the best leadership talent and move to the front of the pack.
Leadership culture begins at the top
Transformational leaders understand that a leadership culture does not begin with a written document, but by the behaviors that they model each and every day. You can not just write what you want your leadership culture to be and expect others to follow. Your culture is the values you live in daily – and these are not ambitious – they are real.
Leaders must understand and communicate a clear vision to create an environment that attracts people who share their values.
You lay the groundwork by being clear with your purpose, and by showing the example and modeling the behaviors that they would like to see practice. It's only then that you can begin to establish the right structures and processes to foster and enhance the desired culture.
If you want to develop great leaders, you must first learn to be a great leader yourself.
5 Things All Great Leaders Do to Create a Culture of Leadership
Although it's easy to assume that great leaders are born – and some are born – leadership is most often hard work, gaining experience over time, continually evolving and being open to learning new skills. Fortunately, most of us were not born natural leaders, we had to learn – and this willingness to grow and develop will help create a culture of leadership.
Here are 5 things that great leaders do to help create a culture of leadership:
- Set Clarity of Purpose: All great leaders find their reason to be. It's clearly defined and it's the catalyst for everything that they do. The goal helps to fuel their work ethic and drives their passion for what they do. More importantly, they create a purpose that resonates with others, and they communicate organizational values and vision in a way that brings people together to rally behind their vision, creating a strong leadership culture.
- Walk the talk: You must reinforce the culture and values of the company daily and consistently. The leadership culture is a living and breathing entity. Strong leaders understand that organizational culture is dynamic and know that it is essential to reflect a leadership culture through their actions. If your team sees you practicing what you preach, it will be more open to membership. Values should be a regular point of contact in making decisions to make sure that they are lived everyday, not just when it is easy or convenient. Leaders also build a culture of leadership when they hire new people by recruiting skills rather than skills (read Three Essentials for Finding the Right People in High Performance Environments) and Clearly Set Expectations Integration, training and coaching. people in management positions who share the same values and live in a consistent way. Read more: Why leaders need to strengthen the culture and values of the company.
- Practice of self-awareness: Leaders must be willing to change before organizations can change and transform. Leaders must have the capacity to be aware of the impact of their actions and decisions, as well as their organizational and cultural awareness. They allow others to have a voice, they are open to criticism and outside ideas, and they are ready to grow individually and professionally. Read more: Leaders must first change before organizations change.
- Recognizing the Value of People: Great leaders understand that the most valuable resource of their organization is that of people. They invest in people and help them develop their own leadership capacity, adapting it to the entire organization. Transformational leaders have a real desire to uplift people to achieve their own success.
- Creating Transformational Organizational Change: Leaders themselves must be transformative in order to inspire higher performance and a customer-focused culture. As stated in 6 Ways Leaders Create Organizational Change, "The way you approach change is just as important as what you want to change. If you want to be a transformative leader and create lasting organizational change, you need to approach it in a way that minimizes negative feedback, which is in keeping with business strategies and cultures. 39, business and inclusive. "
No matter who can occupy a leading position, but that does not mean that he is a leader. There is a difference between managing and directing. Managers take care of things / checklists (budgets, invoices, scheduling, reports) and usually do it behind a desk.
However, people are led. Great leaders know that to connect with their teams, they need to be engaged – ready to step in and support their employees, even working side by side to get the job done. Leaders take the time to develop their social skills and interact with others to create an atmosphere of teamwork.
Forget searching for the secret formula or shortcuts to create a leadership culture. You will not find them. Start by taking a look in the mirror and think about your own leadership. This is the first place to look for answers on how to create a leadership culture.