Do you want to be an extraordinary leader? Do you know what people really need from you to be that leader? It is not all that hard. But you do have to do some very specific things. In this article, I’ll share what those things are, based on many years of coaching and training executive and managerial leaders.
At the basic level, the best leaders know that people have three driving needs: security, purpose and some form of community. As social creatures, people want to know that they are safe and that their lives have meaning. To have that, they need to have the training, tools and resources to be successful in doing their work. This is fundamental employee relations. But to be an extraordinary leader, this is not enough, and more is necessary.
Extraordinary leaders go further to make sure that their people have the means and ability to satisfy their own individual unique needs. People come to work not only to meet the needs of the organization, or their profession, but also to accomplish their own purposes, their own dreams. Extraordinary leaders address this by taking the time to ask people what specifically their needs are for success, while discussing with them the organizational needs that must be met to be successful.
The best leaders then do everything possible to make sure that needs are met in both big and small ways. This means taking action, providing resources and enlisting others to ensure that people have what is required to accomplish their purposes. If people need tools, get them tools! If they need training, train them! If they need supplies, get them supplies! If they need a more effective environment, make some tangible changes to improve the environment! The leader must act! But again, that is still not enough!
Outstanding leaders understand momentum. Momentum comes from follow-through. Taking care of the needs of the people doing the daily work is not a “one-off.” Extraordinary leaders must continually assess, stay connected and adjust action to ensure that needs are met consistently over time as circumstances change.
Once all these things have been done, you’ve done all the basics. But there are five more things you can do, if you want to become that extraordinary leader whom people will be willing to follow because they want to follow. These five steps will take you from being an outstanding leader to being that extraordinary leader:
- Hire great people and treat them like they are the smartest people in the room. If you are hiring the right people, they should be. Let them do their jobs, and never micro-manage them. If you feel you must micro-manage, you’ve either hired the wrong person or you have a control issue.
- Make sure that people know the vision for the organization and their work, and how important they are to that work. One key here is to communicate, communicate, communicate. People want to know what is happening, how it affects them, what they need to be successful and how leadership is going to help them do that. And repetition counts.
- Compensate people competitively. Never let compensation be an issue that causes great people to want to leave. If you are hiring great people, treat them well in how you compensate them. Poor compensation tells people that you do not value them and creates an environment of cynicism and apathy that is nearly impossible to overcome.
- Respect them! No manipulation, no bullying, no gossip, no blame and shame. When you make promises, keep those promises. This is about creating a culture that values the people doing the work. People want to be respected, particularly by their leadership, for the value that they bring to the work. Acknowledge them, frequently and authentically!
- Have their backs when things go south, as they occasionally will. Demonstrating that you have their backs is a sign of leadership support and loyalty, and loyalty is a two-way street. If you show loyalty, that loyalty will be returned.
So, do you want to be an extraordinary leader? Becoming extraordinary literally means doing things that are out of the ordinary for the people doing the work of the organization. And they get to decide who is extraordinary and who is not. If you want to be in that rare group of leaders, then do what you must to meet and exceed the needs and wants of the people doing that work.
Roger A. Gerard, Ph.D., is the owner of Sloan & Gerard Consulting, a private consulting practice serving executives and boards in strategic planning, operational planning, executive coaching and management development. A sought-after speaker, Dr. Gerard is the author of several books, including Owning the Room and Lead with Purpose.
