Future Leaders | Un-Documented attributes to look for

There probably more articles, books and training courses about Leadership then there are books on how to improve your Golf Game. All of them will have some good kernels of wisdom. The reality is that since people all have different personalities each Leader will have their own Leadership style and presence.

Some people are placed into Leadership positions but that does not make them a Leader until they have amassed a group of loyal followers. Often when I observe Leaders in Action I start to see common characteristics. These characteristics are not outlined in some text book ... they are just part of being you.

Here is what we look for in our future leaders. Something that hopefully you can take one or two takeaways from.”

• Be passionately curious. Hire people that just want to learn and ask a lot of questions, If they are interested in exploring departments within organization outside of their current position, “The advice to give them is, ‘Be open with your management team about your willingness to try other areas.’”

"Attend other meetings,” Take opportunities to sit in a lot of meetings. Was he a guest? Yes. Did he contribute? Not necessarily. “But I learned a lot.”

• Prepare…then prepare again. Be organized. Leaders can walk into a meeting and pretty much know who's prepared and who's not. Great to see new hires, future leaders, hopefully, that are really organized.”

• Be flexible. When the opportunity comes up, they say, ‘I’ll try that.’ … That’s a person I know is going to do well in our environment.”

• Be a good listener. It’s a piece of advice shared in every leadership book and “is largely self-explanatory, If you're hiring people, you can tell right away, during an interview, how good a listener are they, and I just encourage you as leaders and managers to kind of get your ‘spider senses’ out on someone when you're meeting them for the first time.”

• Differentiate yourself. “Be different. I like someone that’s different, If everyone thinks the same all of the time then some of them are likely not needed. Different opinions combined usually make for a better solution.”  

• Be patient and resilient. The road to success is never a straight line. . For yourself, a lateral move is sometimes even better than a promotion, Because you already have experience. .

• Be a good corporate citizen. For example, at Toyota, “It's pretty much a rule that you have to contribute to society in some way.” Toyota gives everyone in the company two paid days off annually to work on a charity. When I was working at Rockwell Automation any time during the work day to attend meetings regarding my association with a non-profit organization was considered regular work. However, it was expected that my regular obligations would be met.

• Show charisma. One of my favorite thoughts about charisma, is people won't remember what you said. People won't remember what you really did, sometimes. They're going to remember how you made them feel, Future leaders, they [had] better just be bouncing around the office saying, I'm so happy to be here … Negative energy is contagious. So is positive energy. Positive energy really spreads around.”

• Have an elevator speech about yourself ready.  “So, tell me about yourself.” These are five words, one sentence, that could strike fear, or at least make a young professional nervous if they are posed by someone who could influence their career. My advice:, Create an elevator speech. “Actually prepare it, think about it, and then try to differentiate yourself.” For the person hearing the elevator speech, they tend to listen carefully. “It’ll tell you a lot about that person and a lot about if they’re a future leader.”

• Keep in mind: Appearance does matter. Dress for the job you want. “There’s a place for jeans and hoodies. It’s probably not Monday through Friday in the office environment.”

As a bonus piece of advice,to build your network. “Your network is your net worth,” That doesn’t mean just building it within your company or even your industry. Companies love to hire people [who] are learning ideas from other companies and other industries.

I recall my father telling me that part of your work day should be to wander to socialize with others in different departments. This allows you to create relationships and ultimately relationships form business connections.