How To Take Your Business Leadership To The Next Level As A Great CEO

Whether you are an aspiring CEO or currently in the role of CEO of your own business, excellence in leadership is likely one of your top goals for success. A CEO’s leadership is pivotal in paving the way for a company’s success by fostering excellence within its teams. Bill George, author of “Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering The Secrets To Creating Lasting Value” said, “One of the great myths of the past decade is that CEOs are primarily responsible for the success of operations. Rarely is this an accurate picture of how a great company is created…Great teams create great companies.”

Excellent Leaders Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

Behavioral research by Joseph Folkman and his colleagues at Zenger Folkman showed that leaders who take credit were rated as very ineffective in their leadership effectiveness (13th percentile), while those who tend to give credit to others were rated as highly effective (85th percentile). Foklkman’s summary of the research is as follows:

“Many people underestimate the tremendous impact that comes from making an effort to give credit to others…While those who assume that by taking credit for other’s work they are getting ahead at work may find that it creates a small temporary advantage for them, the negative impact it creates is like a tsunami wave – eventually, it will come back and drown them…The reality is, when a leader makes another person look good, it makes them look good, too.”

Leaders who are generous in giving credit to others, according to Folkman, tend to be perceived as:

• Being fair
• Being trustworthy
• Being responsible
• Being values-based
• Having integrity (walking their talk)
• Being committed to helping others succeed and to doing what’s best for the organization
• Valuing diversity
• Being more effective as a leader

Best Practices For Leaders In Giving Credit To Others

An effective leader looks for opportunities to show value to their teams in a positive manner. When employees and staff feel respected by their leadership, they are more apt to take personal responsibility for the work that they do. Not only is this effective leadership, but another term for it is heart-centered leadership. The following are examples of how leaders can show heart-centered leadership and give credit to others:

• Give credit even when staff are not present. A good leader will give credit by referencing their team members who provided key contributions in meetings and written communications.
• Shout out to the quiet performers who give it their all. Often there are some who go unnoticed for their outstanding efforts. They are the ones who are committed to excellence without seeking the praise and attention of leaders. A great leader will find these hidden gems among their team and praise them anyway, giving them credit for the hard work they do. 
• Recognize those who give credit to their peers. In the competitive business world, you may find some shameless self-promoters who are not committed to the team environment. However, those who can give credit to their peers are the encouragers who lift others up without seeking out their own recognition. A good leader will see the value in that and give those individuals credit for their own heart-centered leadership skills.

Top Leadership Qualities For Top CEOs

A wise leader once said, “Great leaders don’t force collaboration – they invite it”. Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple, once said, “Leadership is about inspiring people to accomplish what they thought they couldn’t do, whereas management is about persuading people to do what they never wanted to do.”

American author, coach, and speaker, Tony Robbins, has several books and speaking seminars on leadership. Some tips he has shared on the top leadership qualities to aim for are:

• Top CEOs act outside of the box to take their companies to the next level.
• They inspire others.
• They listen.
• Top CEOs plan ahead but remain flexible enough to handle unexpected challenges.
• They have a powerful vision.
• Top CEOs must be willing to embrace a growth mindset, develop their skills, work on weaknesses, and challenge themselves daily.
• They lead their business with honesty and integrity.
• Top CEOs see challenges as opportunities rather than obstacles.
• They keep morale in the office positive.
• They are decisive and don’t procrastinate.
• They are effective communicators and have empathy.

Are you working on making the transition to CEO of your own business? We invite you to review the above leadership qualities and assess where you are already strong and where you could improve. Knowing the skills and weaknesses you can improve on is the first step to taking your leadership to the next level.