Signs you might be leadership material

1. You expect setbacks

Rarely do things work out exactly as planned. And, when you lead people, you have to accept and expect that sometimes people make mistakes, choose a dead-end path on a project, or drop the ball. In fact, these setbacks often inspire better innovation and results as employees discover, “what doesn’t work.” Jay Samit, author of Disrupt You, puts it best, “I have always told my employees that if they do not fail within the first year of employment, they will be fired. If people are not failing then they aren’t truly trying to improve something.”

You believe everyone wants to be their best

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking employees who perfectly meet expectations by following rules, policies, and procedures are the best employees. However, leaders who truly appreciate people for what they are trying to accomplish, rather than what they’ve already accomplished, inspire the best from people. According to Prabir JHA, president and global chief people officer at CIPL, “We often get stuck focusing on the policies, procedures, and business systems of work, but forget the fact that we’re all just people trying to do great work.”

You seek differing opinions and perspectives

While many of us choose friends based on similar interests and perspectives of the world around us, great leaders seek opinions from people who may not agree with them. In fact Tim Sanders, author of Deal Storming, said, “Companies and people need to stop living and working in silos. It’s the collective input from different departments, different perspectives, and different networks that enable the biggest deals.”

You enjoy removing hurdles

This may sound strange at first, but we’ve seen how many of the best leaders are constantly looking for barriers and hurdles to remove, so their teams can focus on the goals at hand. Former Sony Pictures Executive, Libby Gill said, “It’s not enough anymore to just bring out the leadership in yourself. If you are not creating leaders at all levels of your organization, you’re just not fulfilling the obligation of the role. It’s what’s not in the job description, that defines you as a leader.”

Results and trust are more important than control

Control may sound appealing to some people…but it’s rarely, if ever, appealing to the people being controlled. Author of Make Change Work, Randy Pennington, said during an interview, “A leader has power. But, that power comes from trust rather than fear. Good leaders pay attention to relationships as well as results, and they stress credibility rather than control. As a result, they generate confidence in their people rather than cynicism.”

You care about “the rest of their lives”

The idea that we can separate our work lives from our home lives would require us to be robots. The best leaders care about their people outside of work too—their health, and their happiness. As Tom Rath, author of Strengths Finder 2.0 and Are You Fully Charged? said, “The most important thing leaders can do is send a clear message to their employees that they care about each person’s overall wellbeing, and that they want to be a part of helping it improve over time.”

You get excited about other people’s talent

Whether it’s performing complex mathematics in their head, articulating a concern, or having impeccable hand-eye coordination while operating a machine, great leaders are awestruck by other people’s talent.

You understand the goal is to help them succeed

Although this may sound obvious, there are many new managers who think the opposite—that their team should be helping them succeed. Josh Bersin, principal and founder of Bersin By Deloitte, said, “The most important role a leader plays is his or her ability to inspire and energize the team.”

You get “ownership”

While many of us might not be official owners of the companies we work for, great leaders understand ownership in a different way—accountability, for yourself and your team. Cy Wakeman, author of No Ego, is quoted as saying, “Once we stop focusing on what is happening ‘to’ us, and focus instead on what we can do within our current circumstances to succeed, we will get the results we’re looking for.”

You understand the power of appreciation

David Novak, co-founder and former chairman of Yum! Brands, Inc., one of the world’s largest restaurant companies with over 43,000 restaurants in more than 130 countries and territories said, “Recognition has the power to transform leaders into great leaders. It can transform an entire culture.”

Our Reporter