The Six Elements of a Great Leader, by Sue Coyne

 Great guest post by Sue Coyne Leadership and team #coaching. Sustainably effective #leadership. Her new book “Stop Doing and Start Leading” is now available from Amazon here.

Sir Bob Geldof spoke about trust at a conference a couple of years ago:

“100 years later we are back where we were, a new world struggling with an old structure that is no longer fit for purpose. If businesses want to be successful they need to be authentic, genuine and real.”

The point Sir Bob was making really resonated with me. The old fashioned view that people are simply cogs in the machine of an organisation is now outdated. It was this culture that created a breed of leaders who saw command and control as the way to get things done, and people looked up to these super-hero leaders. Today, however, the number of scandals and crises arising as a result of leaders’ ruthless pursuit of short-term gains has left levels of trust in leaders at a low ebb.

The knock-on effect of relentlessly driving for short-term profit is the creation of a climate which puts people at risk of burnout. What we need to recognise in the 21^st century is that organisations are made up of people rather than cogs, and to create sustainable success, leaders must build a culture that allows people to be happy and healthy in order to really thrive.

Based on 20 years as a business leader and 13 years of coaching business leaders I have identified six key areas to pay attention to in order to become the kind of leader who can create sustainable success.

Excited that the first copy of Stop Doing Start Leading has sold from my website today and it is also selling on Ama…https://t.co/H1cWUHRaxu

— Sue Coyne (@susancoyne) September 1, 2016

Identity

You need to know who you are as a leader and the difference you want to make through your leadership. This is about developing your personal authentic leadership brand and understanding your why. Having a clear sense of identity builds trust, gives you more influence and a greater ability to inspire and motivate others.

Balance

Many business leaders struggle to get balance in their lives. Working long hours can stop you finding the time to stay healthy and happy, so you may need to find a different definition of success – one that enables you to be successful in all areas of your life.

Empowerment

For you to step up as a leader you first need to trust yourself. Next, you need to be able to trust others to do things on your behalf. If you are a leader who gets too involved in the detail you run the risk of getting frustrated and dissatisfied – and so do the people around you.

Development

Task-focused leaders often spend very little time on developing their people. For sustainable success you must continue to learn and grow and for that to be possible your people have to learn and grow. Create the time and space to grow and develop yourself and it has a compound effect on your team and the business.

Engagement

As a leader you will inevitably have many stakeholders who are affected by what you do. You must build win/win relationships if you are going to enjoy long-term sustainable success for all concerned.

Change

Change is the one thing that is constant in our 21^st century world, so it is now essential for all leaders to be great at leading change. Change only happens successfully when the individuals involved are able to change themselves, so being able to navigate yourself and others through change is a vital skill to develop.

Incorporating these six keys into your leadership development will enable you to Stop Doing and Start Leading, helping you to thrive in all areas of your life and create a ripple effect that impacts your organisation and enhances the lives of your team, your family and everyone else you come into contact with.

Stop Doing, Start Leading- How to Shift From Doing The Work Yourself To Becoming A Great Leader, by Sue Coyne is available 01 September from Amazon, priced £15.99.

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