Recent research from Gallup uncovered the fact that when companies look to hire a new manager, 82% of the time they fail to choose the candidate with the right skills for the job.

What’s more, they say that only 1 in 10 people possess the talent to manage.

While there is value in Gallups’ findings, I think they are looking at management all wrong. Sure, managers often struggle when placed in leadership roles without sufficient training and mentorship, but the notion that we either have the talent and skills to manage or we do not neglects the importance of continued learning over the course of a career.

“The myth of the great leader riding in on a white horse pollutes our thinking about the value of good management.” – Dan Rockwell

If you aren’t a manager, you may wonder how this relates to you and what you do. No matter what your role in a company or organization, or even your role within community organizations or your own family, you have the ability – and responsibility – to serve as a leader.

What Makes a Leader?

Plenty of good managers (and non-managers) are also good leaders. Both connect people and ideas, delegate, motivate, and mentor. But what sets a leader apart?

While a good manager sets short-term goals for the team, a good leader looks far into the future to determine the outcome he or she wants. For example, if a leader decides she wants a Legacy Business, her short-term goals work toward that long-term objective.

While a good manager figures out how to get things done, a good leader figures out who she is, what her company stands for, and how to achieve according to her values.

A good manager keeps things efficient and stable. A good leader makes a “ruckus,” as Seth Godin puts it, in order to propel an organization forward.

A good manager refines systems and processes. A good leader builds on those systems and processes to make an organization effective.

A good manager monitors and measures progress. A good leader creates a culture of accountability.

A good manager can turn chaos into productivity. A good leader turns stagnating productivity into visionary productivity.

Uncovering Your Leadership Potential

If after reading through those marks of a good leader, you know that you need to work on your leadership skills, here are the most important areas for you to focus:

• Motivate your team: Get people to take action according to a mission and vision.
• Connect with purpose: Determine the “why” for what you’re doing and share it with passion.
• Be accountable: for your successes and failures and encourage others to do the same.
• Make goals both visionary and concrete: connected to the ground, within the right scope, but at the same time, reaching for the clouds.
• Maintain positivity: A positive mindset makes all the difference in leadership.

At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I have coached many entrepreneurs whose sales have exploded when they kicked their negative thinking to the curb and became committed to developing a positive mindset as a mark of their leadership.

If you want to build a Legacy Business but are struggling to achieve the results you want, contact me today. We can work together to determine what skills are holding you back from leading a great company and put a plan in place to Double Plus your business income this year.

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Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge, and attitude necessary to “DoublePlusTM” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.

To learn more about Celeste, click here.

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