5 Leadership Tips to Create an Inspiring Culture

[msttasnuvanava]

Much has been written about the importance of leadership in the success of any company. Over the years, many have tried to capture the elusive formula for success. However, to be truly effective, I believe you need to find your own authentic leadership style and approach. There is no one-size-fits-all and no book can teach you everything you need to know. Throughout my life I have learned more from my failures than from any success, and I have realized that a leader must be humble enough to accept those failures in order to ultimately succeed. Great leaders must be able to innovate within themselves, in organizations, and in all areas of the company – not just R&D!

So what have I learned? Here is the list of what I consider most important:

The leader listens
Leadership begins with listening: “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”[1] True, active listening is respectful, reflective, and guiding. As with any skill, strong listening muscles take practice how to get usa whatsapp number Ask open-ended questions and listen carefully to the responses – what is being said and what is not being said, what affirms the general direction and where differences lurk. Too often, we listen only at a superficial level. Listen for enlightenment – ​​that’s when great insights can be found. Listen to the surrounding noise and don’t let the loudest voices override the quieter ones.

It should be “okay” for teams to express divergent opinions. Especially when a perspective is different from your own. It may not always be easy, but leaders must learn to be comfortable with discomfort. This is something I am consciously working on all the time. I have forced myself to be more open to viewpoints and experiences that are radically different from my own. Most importantly, challenge your own natural biases (we all have them!). This is at the heart of embracing diversity.

“I've forced myself to be more open to views and experiences that are radically different from my own. Most importantly, challenge your own natural biases (we all have them!). “This is at the heart of embracing diversity.”

–Pat Gelsinger, CEO VMwareShare
When I joined VMware, the company was coming out of a period of accelerated growth. As a leadership team, we listened carefully to a variety of perspectives. It became clear that we needed to focus on specific parts of our portfolio to develop a more coherent strategy — a concept that is easy to talk about, but decidedly harder to achieve. Without the active listening approach, it would have taken us much longer to reach that conclusion and arrive at the right solution.

The leader learns
Leaders must have a relentless thirst for learning. It’s about having humility and being open to change – maintaining a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. Even when times are good and the wind is at your back, you can be sure there will be a new challenge waiting around the corner. That means having the courage to explore new approaches, seek wisdom in unusual places, and practice new skills.

Make yourself vulnerable and find opportunities to learn something new. Ask others to challenge your thinking or tell you if they think you're wrong and why. This often requires me to do more reading, studying, and reflecting. I may have to privately recruit engineers, sales, or marketing reps into my office to help me understand what's really going on. The goal is to explore the facts behind the facts. I'm constantly synthesizing new data, applying what I've learned to strategy and plans, and making small adjustments as I learn. Over time, I've learned that when I open up to others, they open up to me. I get more feedback and learn more.

Leadership is trained
Challenges will always arise and that requires resilience. However, resilience isn’t just about bouncing back from setbacks, it’s about taking failure and using it as a springboard to push forward and upward. A leader’s relentless pursuit of self-improvement will influence and inspire others to do their best as well.

Silicon Valley is full of examples of how a moment of failure – responded to and managed in the right way – became a defining moment that elevated the individual or company to the next level. Often the forces working against you are what is needed to drive innovation. Not every decision will go according to plan, but how we respond to and build from these moments is key.

I’ve also learned that in tough times, a leader’s most powerful tool is to practice positivity and encouragement. When I show up with a negative demeanor, things can quickly turn around. When I show up with a positive, forward-thinking attitude, the team is encouraged. Being positive doesn’t mean ignoring the reality of the situation, though. People still need to know when you’re not happy with performance. Tell them when things aren’t acceptable, but also ask them, “How are we going to fix this?” A positive outlook is powerful and contagious – use it regularly.

Leadership connects
It’s up to leaders to connect the dots across diverse teams to ensure shared understanding, purpose and inspiration. Great leaders break down silos within organizations to build trust and nurture the exchange of ideas and skills.

““Great leaders break down silos within organizations to build trust and nurture the exchange of ideas and skill sets.”

–GelsingerShare
Ultimately, strong bonds between teams shape your end customer’s experience. If a customer can deduce the silos in your organization when using your products or services, you have some work to do. Alternatively, if the customer says, “I can work with any company in the world, but I chose yours because the products are better, the support is better, and the people are better,” then you’re on the right track!

Leadership loves
Ultimately, all leadership comes together in one word that is not often seen in business textbooks: Love. A great leader loves his or her company, products, employees, communities, and customers. Every leader must be passionate about all aspects of business – all of which inherently come with challenges and rewards.

It starts with self-love and embodying an authentic leader who is comfortable with who they are. Instead of cultivating people for different parts of your life, bring your whole self to work. Likewise, allow your team to do the same and encourage them to be themselves. The skills that individuals have in one area of ​​their life are often beneficial in another part. Our differences in thinking, experience, personal background and culture enrich and empower high-performing teams and ultimately drive innovation.

Remember: In an average week, you'll spend more hours of your life with your coworkers than with your family. You're doing life with them – you need to enjoy them!

Ultimately, innovation is the lifeblood of technology, and increasingly this is true across all industries and functions. Create a culture that encourages, inspires and drives continuous progress – where leadership is visible and practiced daily – and you’re off to a great start.

What did you think? If you have any more, please write them in the comments. I would be happy to add them and make a dynamic and updated article.

[1] Grimm, Sheila and Amy Schakat. “From Literature Learners to Leaders: Our Journey.” Techniques, vol. 89, no. 2, Association for Career and Technical Education, Feb. 2014, p. 10.