One of the best books in the world on leadership is “Extreme Ownership”. Key takeaways from the book:
Admit & Own mistakes and No BLAME Game:
The best leaders are not driven by ego or personal agendas. They are simply focused on the mission and how to accomplish it. Own everything in their world and blame no one.
There are no bad TEAMS only bad LEADERS:
When a team is malfunctioning, there is no point in blaming the people in it. One must look to the leader’s abilities. Good leaders are able to inspire transformation in people and improve their ability to complete the task. Effective leaders create mutual accountability. The success or failure of a team is always up to its leader.
Beware of your EGO:
Ego can be a dangerous thing. To be an effective leader you must check your ego and not involve in your professional business. Always accept ideas better than yours even if it comes from lower ranks than yours. When a mistake happens, take full responsibility and then chart a new path of action.
Simplify the PLAN:
When the plan is simple enough, everyone understands it, which means each person can rapidly adjust and modify what they are doing. If the plan is too complex, the team cant make rapid adjustments, because there is no baseline understanding it.
Set up Priorities and Execute:
Be it in business or in Special Forces military operations, there are times when human beings may feel submerged by demands, challenges, and uncertainties. Everything cannot always be done or resolved immediately. But a leader must remain calm and focused and make the best decisions possible. Take a step back and determine the most important priority to be taken into account at this moment, set up a plan to resolve the problem and act until this problem is resolved. Then move on to the next challenge.
Leading down and up the command:
If your team isn’t doing what you need them to do, you first have to look at yourself. You must figure out a way to better communicate it to them in terms that are simple and clear so that they understand.
If your boss isn’t making a decision in a timely manner or providing necessary support to you and your team, don’t blame the boss. Examine what you can do to better convey the critical information for decisions to be made and support allocated.
DISCIPLINE:
Discipline starts every day when the first alarm clock goes off in the morning. If you have the discipline to get out of bed, you win — you pass the test. If you are mentally weak for that moment and you let that weakness keep you in bed, you fail. Though it seems small, that weakness translates to more significant decisions. But if you exercise discipline, that too translates to more substantial elements of your life.
Author Bio: Vignesh R | Consultant | Helping Brands Realize The Superior Benefits Of Customer Experience With Capillary’s EASYVERSE Platform.
