Building an Ownership Culture

 

As much as all of us aim for perfection and to never have anything go wrong, as a leader, you’re going to make mistakes. It isn’t the mistakes themselves that are terrible, it is how they are handled typically. Taking ownership for your mistakes is a key leadership distinction.

Blaming others, justifying your actions or pretending like mistakes never happened erodes trust among your team and will discourage them from being accountable for their own mistakes. Great leaders take more than their share of blame and less than their share of credit, which creates an organizational culture of accountability, trust, empathy and humility. 

When you’re accountable, you can also hold your team accountable for their actions, ultimately creating a sense of responsibility that will keep them continually striving for their personal – and your business’ – goals.

As surprising as this may seem, the logic is straightforward. When you want to connect with someone, having empathy allows you to discern whether you’ve gotten your message across. When you’re able to see another person’s perspective, you’re able to predict the effect your words and actions will have on them.

Without empathy, the reverse happens and you risk alienating the very people you’re attempting to create connections with, whether they’re your customers, employees, colleagues or competitors. Cultivating empathy is the precursor to almost every other soft skill required for leadership, from self-awareness to critical thinking.

Powerful leaders have a clear sense of purpose and are able to take their teams in the right direction.

Additionally, as they lead their group, they utilize strong leadership qualities to create a supportive sense of community for all who are involved. Becoming an empowering leader is about not only creating something that’s better for the group, but encouraging those around you to embrace their strong leadership attributes as well.

Best, 

Manal

What Does Honest & Postive Leadership Look Like?

 

What has your experience with leaders been? They say more people leave their jobs because of leadership than any other reason. 

Many people believe that successful leaders are inherently dishonest, but strong leaders treat others just as they expect to be treated – in an honest fashion. Being honest is not only one of the leadership qualities that will allow you to lead your business with integrity, but it’s the only real way to make strong connections with others. Whether you’re leading your business or your family, the truth is that every single person you interact with looks to your own honesty and code of ethics to set their own bar.

Make sure each member of your team knows what your culture and core expectations are, and show them how much you value honesty in your everyday interactions with others by setting a valuable example. Don’t sugarcoat information, but find a way to deliver honest comments and feedback in a direct and compassionate manner.

You can be both honest and positive with your feedback. 

One of the top leadership qualities of truly great leaders is a sense of abundant positivity that energizes everyone in the room. It’s not that true leaders never have moments of frustration or disappointment, but that they’re able to take a positive approach to tackle challenging issues. Inspiring leaders know how to turn setbacks into successes and make a point to display optimistic leadership attributes on a daily basis.

Choose empowering beliefs that will propel you forward, not negative thought patterns that will weigh you down. Seeing challenges as opportunities rather than obstacles is one of the most important qualities of a good leader. When you practice positive thinking, it becomes a powerful cognitive habit and allows you to reassure and elevate those around you.

Best, 

Manal

Focus on What You Really Want

 

Have you learned how to really focus on what you want?

Those who embody strong leadership qualities keep their eye on the prize. They are very organized and plan ahead while still remaining flexible enough to handle unexpected challenges. Like a grandmaster in a chess game, a good leader thinks out each strategy and understands how each action will affect the rest of any given scenario.

Distractions can be one of your biggest business saboteurs, but those who display strong leadership attributes don’t let them intrude. Focus is a key leadership quality. Limit distractions by creating an environment that is conducive to focus. 

For example, your office can have an open door policy between certain hours so your team can freely communicate, but make it known that you will not be as available during your “focus times.” This helps you get deeper into your work without having to deal with the many moving parts of your business.

Most leaders didn’t get where they are because they were born with innate leadership qualities. Becoming a leader doesn’t always come naturally. You must be willing to embrace a growth mindset, develop your skills, work on your weaknesses and challenge yourself daily. You must be willing to do your best and fail – then get back up and fail again.

This inner strength comes from realizing that life happens for you, not to you. Everything you experience can teach you something if you let it. Learn how to find the lesson in all of life’s events, take it to heart, and get back out there. You’ll inspire others to do the same.

Best, 

Manal

2 Attributes of the Art & Skill of Leadership

Leadership has both an art and a skill to it. Everyone can learn the skills but the art of leadership takes time, finesse, and practice.

We are going to take a look at some of the key characteristics of a leader that has both art and skill. Today, we’ll look at two characteristics: confidence and vision.

True leaders are confident and know they can think – and act – outside the box to take their companies to the next level. They know that leadership qualities like openness, emotional agility, and resourcefulness are often more important than being able to make a sale or wow a group of investors.

How does one display the confidence necessary to be a good leader? More than half of human communication comes from nonverbal cues. Know how to set the right tone as a leader by letting your confidence show. Confident leaders win over and inspire others because everyone else wants to embody confidence, too. Practice strong nonverbal communication by standing tall, making eye contact, and learning to control your fidgeting. When you appear confident – even if you don’t feel confident – others will be more likely to follow your lead and believe in your authority.

Think of some of the world’s greatest leaders: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela. Mother Teresa. Each of them had very different leadership attributes, but they all had one thing in common: a powerful vision not only for their own lives but for the world. They had an unstoppable belief in themselves and in their dreams.

This type of vision can only come from having a purpose that is so crystal-clear, that others see it too. A purpose that gives your life meaning and leaves you feeling fulfilled. One that is so strong you inspire others to join you. Having a clear purpose allows you to not only achieve your goals but to foster leadership among your staff as well.

Best, 

Manal

Be a Better Leader

In talking to some of the business leaders in my life, we have concluded that investing time is an important part of leadership. 

There are meetings to attend, community events, leadership training, conferences, and events. But, it was taking the time to invest in yourself that most people don’t do. Invest in time to rest. 

Life is busy and taking time to rest is not always at the top of our priorities. I think of myself as a highly productive person but I understand that there must be clear boundaries for work, family, community, and self. If I don’t take care of myself through rest, I will not be able to keep up my productive life. 

Resting is an investment in yourself. It allows you to recalibrate, refocus and rejuvenate. 

Resting doesn’t mean you need to take two weeks off and fly to some tropical island though I think we all can agree that sounds amazing too. 

Let’s take some examples from other areas of our life that support the investment of rest. 

When you work out, your body needs recovery time. Just like the muscles in your body recover and get stronger through rest, your leadership muscles do the same.

Taking time away from the hustle and bustle of a busy life also allows you to see the things you are passionate about. Much like the gym, it is a moment where your mind and body can reflect. The heart and soul of a person rekindle too. People tend to go to the things they love when it is their time!

Taking a moment to reflect is generally best done when you step away from a situation or environment. Reflection allows you to see things from a different angle, have a new perspective, or get a flow of new ideas to move forward. 

As a leader, we need to rest so we can build our leadership muscles, reflect, and follow our passion. When you do this on a routine basis, you will not burn out and your leaders and team will know they must carry the torch in your absence. 

Resting is one of the most important investments you can make. 

Best, 

Manal This article was first published in Locala Magazine

Leading a Hybrid Workforce

 

If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s this: As much as we plan, things can turn on a dime. 

We need to be agile and flexible. As focused as we are on output, the well-being of our employees is equally, if not more, important. As committed as we are to making 2022 successful, the reality is that we cannot predict what the next six months will look like. Learning to lead a hybrid workforce is mandatory in today’s world.

Here are five leadership tips to help:

Success will be determined by those who can swiftly adapt, shift, monitor, and adjust. Constant change is the norm, and the sooner accepted, the better equipped we are to ensure our teams are poised for growth. People are looking to their leaders to provide direction, guidance, and support.

Leaders must remember less is more. When it comes to meetings, presentations, onboarding, training, and webinars, there is now such a thing as digital overload.  What once was done in person has moved online, virtually overnight. All that remote work means people are connecting digitally at a level that couldn’t possibly have been predicted.  

It’s time for a complete audit of all internal systems and processes to gauge where improvements and efficiencies can be made. Leaders will need to consider how their operations align with this new workplace landscape.

When you fully engage your team, you better understand what motivates and empowers them right now. By giving them what they need—respect, recognition, resources—you’re showing trust and good faith. This translates into employees that are feeling fulfilled and focused on contributing.

Set aside some time to think about how to keep everyone connected and drive team bonding. A foundation needs to be established to ensure that your remote workers feel just as much a part of your organization as your in-house staff already do.

These tips will help ensure the ongoing success and long-term viability of the year ahead.

Best, 

Manal

Leadership and Influence

Extraordinary leaders inspire, but just how do they do it? An extraordinary leader is a person who has learned how to influence others, including their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; people like Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Oprah are just a few examples.

Here we’ll cover the 10 essential qualities that all excellent leaders share.  

Hunger and drive set a leader apart from a follower. Leaders have an insatiable hunger to make something happen; they must do, create and share. This drive is the force that makes them unstoppable. Through their drive, they discover how to influence people and the culture around them.

Small visions have no power to inspire or move people. Instead of influencing others, you’ll be fighting for their attention. If you want to unlock an extraordinary life, you must have big dreams. This is why great leaders always have a vision larger than themselves.

A leader always has an absolute core belief that they can bring their vision to life. There is true power in belief, and influencing others always starts with conviction. Certainty is also a crucial component in how to influence people.

People who are trying to influence others make the blunder of communicating in the style that works for them. Unless they get lucky and are with a group of people who think just like them, this type of communication will fail. Those who understand how to influence people know that getting to know them better is a crucial step to communication and that influencing them cannot be done without it. 

Leaders who know how to influence others are strategic in their communication style and messaging. They’re strategic in how to get the job done and know how to work with a variety of people. They know they need a strategy for what they’re doing and a strategy for communicating. 

Leaders truly care about those they are influencing and know how to connect with them. When you care enough to connect with someone and learn their patterns, you gain the ability to influence them. This skill is vital because as a leader, you’re going to come up against someone or some group that’s going to try to stop your progress at some point.

To influence others and change the world, you must set a standard of unreasonable expectations. The only way something revolutionary happens is when you won’t settle and when you know how to influence others not to settle. 

Having courage means you’re afraid of a task and you do it anyway, and having faith means you’re able to work toward a challenging goal because you believe it serves a greater good. Leaders have the ability to tap into both; they also know how to influence people to embrace the same courage and faith.

All great leaders continue to learn with every interaction and every experience. They never turn off that capacity for adapting to new environments or developing new skills. There’s something inside them that hungers to know all they can know to be able to master something that’s related to their vision.

A true leader leads by example. When attempting to influence others, they always walk their talk. They never ask others to do what they are not willing to do – or have already done – themselves. They lead from their core values and know that influencing others is meaningless unless it comes from a place of authenticity.

Best,

Manal