Be An Evolving Leader

 

1 There has always been the question of whether leaders are born or made.

Regardless of how a leader becomes one, they all must have the mentality to continually evolve and learn.

“Leadership is a journey; it’s rarely a linear path,” says Ron Williams, author of “Learning to Lead: The Journey to Leading Yourself, Leading Others, and Leading an Organization.” Williams is the former CEO of Aetna, which is now a unit of CVSCVS . During his tenure at the company (spanning from 2001 as executive vice president to 2011 as executive chairman), the health insurance entity rose from reporting a $292 million operating loss to annual earnings of $2 billion.

Tips on the evolving leader’s mentality:

› Reframe like a master. You can create a new mental landscape by seeking fresh ways of thinking, Williams says.

He points to his friend Ken Chenault, the former longtime CEO of American ExpressAXP , who meets with musician Wynton Marsalis to trade ideas between the corporate world and the cultural world.

“That’s the key — using fresh eyes to look at a situation the way someone else might see it,” Williams said. “Reframing helps unlock ideas and new directions.”

› Assume positive intent. So often in business, conflicts rise that lead us to presume the worst of others, Williams says.

His recommendation is instead of immediately getting angry or accusatory, be positive and thoughtful. Williams says with this approach the person might be pleasantly surprised and a potentially negative situation is avoided. It might also help you both think differently about each other the next time differences arise.

He adds if the other person continues to act negatively you can always decide this is one of those instances in which ill intent was intended, and act accordingly

› Embrace and spread optimism. The best leaders define reality and give hope, Williams says.

“They share a vision of the future, and they communicate it daily,” he said. “They also express the values of the organization and demonstrate them through their daily behavior.”

When companies lose their way, Williams says, it’s often related to a failure of culture.

› Be flexible. A major key to success in today’s workplace is agility. That’s the view of Jeffrey Hull, author of “FLEX: The Art and Science of Leadership in a Changing World.”

Hull is an educator and veteran consultant. He says the one-sizefits-all approach to leading, which can be defined as an authoritative, directive style, is no longer the only way.

To thrive in this new diverse and global business environment, leaders need be able to employ a variety of approaches in order to get the most out of their people, he says.

“Today’s leaders may even be introverts, consensus-driven, less directive and more collaborative,” Hull said.

› Foster self-awareness. Leaders need to take inventory of their own strengths.

Take time to reflect on your decision-making style, Hull says. Do you typically make a decision and then communicate it? Or do you ask for input first, or put things to a vote?

Do you practice empathy and are you willing to be vulnerable? Do you ask for feedback from colleagues and confidantes?

“Once you commit to growing as a leader you become a role model for others,” Hull says. “You make it OK not to be perfect and your humanity shines through.”

› Coach. In the process of coaching, leaders gain different perspectives. Leaders “learn the distinction between coaching, delegating, directing and advising,” Hull said. “Coaching is a support conversation that is grounded in questions.”

He says leaders who create a coaching culture have been shown in numerous studies to have higher-performing teams than those who don’t.

› Challenge your status quo. Hull says to ask yourself these five questions:

1. What one thing could I do differently that would expand my leadership repertoire?

2. Who are my role models for leadership and how can I emulate them?

3. How can I foster the leadership capabilities in everyone?

4. What kind of role model for leadership do I want to be?

5. And maybe most importantly, Hull says to ask, “What am I curious to learn about today? And every day?”