5 Transitions

Great Leaders Make

That Average Leaders Don't
 5 TRANSITIONS GREAT LEADERS MAKE
THAT AVERAGE LEADERS DON'T

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 5 TRANSITIONS GREAT LEADERS MAKE
THAT AVERAGE LEADERS DON'T

The secret to leadership is there aren’t any real secrets. The best leaders have simply gone to school
on improving their tradecraft. While the capabilities possessed by the best leaders might seem strange
to many, they are merely the outcome of hard work, experience, perspective, and yes, a bit of luck.
The best leaders have just learned to make certain transitions that less effective leaders curiously
remain blind to.

Some leaders hit their stride early in their career, others find their path later in life, and regrettably, far
too many leaders never seem to get their footing. Great leaders discover pivot points and transitions
that create a certain rhythm and balance, while average leaders tend to be somewhat tone deaf and
awkward. We all recognize great leadership when we see it, but many fail to see what it is that actually
makes the leader great. In a book called “Hacking Leadership” by Mike Myatt he outlined several
transitions great leaders make; following are 5 of these transitions great leaders make that average
leaders do not.

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 FIND PURPOSE

Purpose is the one thing all great leaders have in common. Great leaders have a clearly defined purpose, while average
leaders just show up to work. Purpose fuels passion and work ethic. These characteristics afford great leaders a
competitive advantage over those who do not understand the dynamics of this relationship.

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 PEOPLE FIRST

Leaders are nothing without people. Put another way, people will make or break you as a leader. You’ll either treat them
well, earn their trust, respect and loyalty, or you won’t. You’ll either see people as capital to be leveraged or humans to be
developed and fulfilled. You’ll either view yourself as superior to your employees, or as one whose job it is to serve them,
learn from them, and leave them be better off for being led by you.

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 DEVELOP AWARENESS

Great leaders are self aware, organizationally aware, culturally aware, contextually aware, and emotionally aware.
They value listening, engaging, observing, and learning over pontificating. They value sensitivity over insensitivity and
humility over arrogance. Leaders who come across as if they know everything haven’t fooled anyone – except
themselves.

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 SHUN COMPLEXITY

Complexity is a leader’s enemy not their friend. Great leaders live to eliminate or simplify the complex, while average
leaders allow themselves and those they lead to be consumed by it. Complexity suppresses innovation, slows
development, gates progress, and adversely impacts culture. Complexity is expensive, inefficient, and ineffective.

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 GET PERSONAL

If I only we will have a dollar for every time we’ll hear someone say, “It’s not personal; it’s just business.”
Great leaders understand nothing is more personal than leadership, and they engage accordingly. The
best leaders understand a failure to engage is in fact a failure to lead. Average leaders remain aloof and
distant – great leaders look to know and care for their people.
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© 2016 Convergys Corporation. All rights reserved.
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