Roles of Executive Leaders

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(soft music) Welcome to roles of executive leaders. To succeed as an executive leader, it's crucial to mold yourself into the kind of person who's deserving of executive leadership. In these lessons, we'll go over how to steer yourself in this direction, as well as steering your organization towards success. One of the oldest theories of leadership is trait theory which suggests that successful leaders will have certain recognizable traits. If you possess these traits, you can become a leader, but if you don't, you're more likely to be a follower. These traits can be developed, refined and expanded in the same manner you acquire positive habits. There are many traits associated with being a successful leader, like being a good communicator. To be an effective communicator, you can tailor your message to the needs and abilities of those you're communicating with. Being a good communicator also means being respectful, timely, comprehensive, and open to feedback. People in leadership positions often fail because they think that they're great communicators, but they don't listen to others. They might not even provide subordinates with the opportunity to provide input or feedback. Communications are recommended to be cyclic where you communicate the messages you want to share, and ensure that the recipients understand you. This is a critical trait for any leader, and it becomes more challenging as you move up within the organizational hierarchy, where you'll likely have to communicate through others. Another key trait associated with leaders is integrity. You are recommended to walk the talk, never demanding more of others than you would do yourself. Integrity is about knowing, and understanding both your values and the organizations, then embodying those values. If you hold employees to one standard, but don't hold yourself or your friends to the same standard, people will take notice. If they see this regularly, it sends a powerful and lasting message. If you don't act with integrity, you might find yourself without followers. There are some traits that are associated more with executive leadership, than with those who lead in mid, or frontline positions. Vision building is one of those traits. If you build an effective team to achieve a goal, they need to have a clear, identifiable, measurable concept of success. Effective executive leaders can develop a collective vision which everyone can seek to and wants to achieve. You can create and share this future-focused vision to everyone within your organization. As an executive leader, you could also share it with the external partners you might rely on for success in joint ventures. You are also recommended to determine which traits are necessary for success in your organization and your discipline. It's best to determine your strengths, and find the means to leverage them for your success. You can determine your weaknesses, and find the means to minimize or limit them. Keep in mind that a strength in one area might be a weakness in another. For example, attention to detail and being a reflective thinker might be a powerful trait when developing a strategic plan, but a weakness in dealing with a pressing customer complaint or media issue. If you want to cultivate your executive leadership traits, you can begin with understanding the traits you already have and the traits you desire, then find a means to develop and reinforce these traits on an ongoing basis throughout your career.