Recently reported McKinsey research suggests that a small subset of leadership skills closely correlates with leadership success, particularly among frontline leaders. The research began with developing a comprehensive list of 20 distinct leadership traits. Next the researchers surveyed 189,000 people in 81 diverse organizations around the world to assess how frequently certain kinds of leadership behaviour are applied within their organizations. Finally, we divided the sample into organizations whose leadership performance was strong (the top quartile of leadership effectiveness as measured by McKinsey’s Organizational Health Index) and those that were weak (bottom quartile).
The research, revealed four essential leadership traits that explain 89% of the variance between strong and weak organizations:
Solving Problems Effectively
Involves gathering, analysing, and carefully considering information
Critical for both major decisions (like M&A) and daily challenges
Requires a systematic approach to information processing
Results-Oriented Leadership
Focuses on developing and communicating vision
Emphasizes setting clear objectives
Prioritizes efficiency and productivity
Concentrates on highest-value work
Seeking Different Perspectives
Monitors organizational and environmental trends
Encourages employee idea contributions
Differentiates between important and unimportant issues
Makes decisions based on sound analysis
Avoids decision-making biases
Supporting Others
Demonstrates emotional intelligence
Builds trust through authenticity
Shows genuine interest in colleagues
Helps team members overcome challenges
Prevents internal conflicts
Promotes organizational efficiency
Implications for Leadership Development
While the research doesn’t claim to definitively solve the centuries-old leadership debate, it suggests that these four behaviours provide a solid foundation for developing effective leaders, especially at the frontline level. Organizations investing in leadership development should prioritize cultivating these core competencies.
Strong leadership is something almost everyone has an opinion on; how do we assess whether a leader is successful or otherwise? Which widely-known leadership figures are doing a good job – and which aren’t?
Perhaps one of the most pondered aspects of leadership are the skills a great leader exhibits. I recently came across an interesting article published by Arden University, a UK university with 27,000 students.
With so many different layers to senior management roles and often a wealth of challenges to face along the way, here are five qualities that every leader should demonstrate and aspire to refine if they’re looking to inspire confidence in their abilities and achieve success in their career.
- Decisiveness
The ability to make decisions, particularly when under pressure, is an important skill to master. When you’re in a position of power, people will look to you to make the ‘right’ decision, so it’s vital to take all relevant factors into consideration before committing to a decision – and once you’ve made your decision, you should be able to defend it and provide reasoning if questioned by those you’re accountable to. Furthermore, the ability to review your decision as new data comes to light shows maturity in leadership.
It’s equally as important not to be too proud to ask for advice with decision-making if you feel there’s a stakeholder who is more knowledgeable on the area in question, although the ultimate decision will still lie with you.
- Trustworthiness
No-one enjoys working with a leader that they feel they can’t trust; therefore, it’s crucial to build relationships with your team as soon as you possibly can – and this doesn’t mean becoming their friend, but rather presenting yourself as a credible leader who is always transparent and equitable.
Effective ways of building trust with those you manage include being open and honest, listening to their problems without making judgement, and openly discussing the importance of trust within the team or wider organisation.
Of course, the most important thing to remember here is that your desire to build trust needs to be genuine.
- Empowerment of others
Besides trustworthy, leaders should be trusting in equal measures. When you progress in your career and achieve a high-level position, you may feel as though you need to be perceived as the expert in all areas, but your employees are your employees for a reason – they’re experts in their respective fields and, as a leader, it’s important to trust that they will deliver.
Be sure to delegate to team members wherever possible and empower them to take on tasks or projects that will help them step outside of their comfort zones and grow as professionals. This will demonstrate just how much you believe in them.
- Clear communication
Clear communication is one of the biggest keys to success within any senior management role. Having a vision and a way to achieve that vision is one thing, but it’s also important to ensure you have communicated that vision clearly to your employees, so that you can all work towards the same goal.
A strong leader should use clear communication to ensure that everyone within their team or organisation understands what they should be aiming for, as well as using language to motivate and inspire their employees to reach their full potential for their own benefit, as well as the organisation’s.
- Resilience
Last but not least, a great leader must always be prepared to get back up each time they get knocked down; being in a position of authority does not come without its challenges, so it’s crucial not to dwell on short-term failures and instead focus on the learnings you can take away for future reference.
Reviewing both lists I have concluded that it is the 5th quality, Resilience, that swung many voters across to Trump; in particular his “Fight, fight, fight” speech after the first assassination attempt. Trump again and again has returned to the fight after a setback .
Another famous person has recently said the same thing.
How did Ed Sheeran perfect his craft and eventually find success?
“Failing, time and time again,” said Sheeran. “You learn nothing from success. You learn everything from the failures.”
“Success happens from failing hundreds of times.”
And there it is. With a single sentence, Sheeran provides a concise formula for how to become successful: You have to try—and fail—over and over until you figure out what you’re doing.