The world of business has many great leaders. Each one is unique, but they often have overarching qualities and ideas that help with their success. Learning from other successful leaders is one of the most effective ways to become a better leader yourself. When there are so many great examples out there, why not learn from them?
Here are some good leaders and what they are doing (or have done) right!
Walt Disney and Participative Leadership
Walt Disney had many leadership styles over the years, but the style that he took up near the beginning that helped to grow his success was participative leadership.
“It is a leadership style that values the input of team members and peers, though the ultimate responsibility of making the final decision rests with the leader.†– Resourceful Manager
It’s a style of leadership that’s very common, which says something for its success rate. Good leaders know the value of their team. Everyone has different strengths and good leaders embrace that and use it to their advantage. Participative leadership allows more freedom and ideas from employees while still keeping the organization of having an ultimate decision maker—the leader.
Debra Cleaver and Learning from Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes, even leaders. A tell-tale sign of a good leader is someone who learned from those mistakes. Back in 2016, Debra Cleaver, founder and CEO of Vote.org made the mistake of waiting far too long to fire a particular manager. Not only did it create a toxic environment for the team, but it cost the company time and energy trying to coach him.
“Delayed firings can be as costly as a poorly defined hiring process.†– Fast Company
Cleaver learned from her mistakes and better defined her company values so that her company could more easily figure out if someone was a good fit for them when hiring. Those values also provided something easy to look at to decide whether someone needs to be fired or not. Employees with the right attitude are vital in any business.
Aaron Meyers and Recovering from Failure
A good leader knows how to come back from failure. They don’t let it define them. Aaron Meyers, President and COO of Hammer & Nails knows the importance of recovering from failure. So many businesses let one failure ruin them, but the ones with strong leaders take those failures, learn how to fix them, and move on.
“Every time you take on a challenge or make a decision, there’s a chance you may come up short, and that’s alright, […] What’s not alright is to let that mistake or temporary failure define you. In fact, moving on from mistakes—and quickly—is critical to success.†– Aaron Meyers on Inc
Failure doesn’t mean you can’t succeed. It means you need to change something to succeed. A good leader embraces that change. They sometimes even go out and seek it. A good leader is always learning.
Arianna Huffington and Work-Life Balance
Arianna Huffington, the founder of Huffington Post, discovered the importance of a work-life balance by doing what a lot of good leaders do—learning from her mistakes.
“As she carefully crafted the Huffington Post, a national online political news and blogging site, she worked 18 hour days, 7 days a week, and it all felt so natural to a woman who’d spent most of her adult life in the political spotlight. […] Then one day in 2007 she literally collapsed from exhaustion, and her worldview changed.†– Resourceful Manager
Huffington was forced to change the way she did things and find a balance, but that didn’t stop her from building her company into a success. In fact, she became a national campaigner for work-life balance.
Being a strong leader is all about learning from the leaders that came before you, and even the leaders that surround you now. Good leaders take the advice of their peers and learn from it. Business is a constant cycle of growth and development—not just for your company but for you, too!
If you have questions or would like more information, I’d be happy to help. Please send an email, and my team will get in touch with you!
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