John Adair on Leadership

Decision-making ability, leadership and integrity are the top three characteristics of a successful chief executive, but all leaders must be able to inspire team members.

To be a leader, first define the job at hand. Be very clear and specific about what needs to be done and when. Set realistic but challenging expectations. Make sure that all the steps and goals you outline can be measured and monitored. Then, plan, prepare and motivate, using these ideas:

• Be prepared. For good performance, plan and prepare properly.
• Call in experts for advice when you need it.
• Brief your people to keep them informed and motivated.
• Steer with loose reins. Give your people enough autonomy to work but keep enough control to make sure they don’t pull in contradictory directions.
• Focus on the consequences of actions so that you can evaluate performance, offer
training to people who need it and make judgments about employees’ abilities.
• You can’t give what you don’t have. To motivate others, first motivate yourself.
• One of the best motivators is success. Recognize and reward it.
• Organize yourself so that you can organize others.
• Lead by example. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.
• Treat your people as you’d like them to treat each other.
• Admit it when you make a mistake and be generous in your praise of others.
• Do you have what it takes to lead? Examine your leadership conscience. Identify any shortcomings and make a plan to overcome or remedy them.

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