What Makes A Good Leader

Are you a high-expectations leader, who gets frustrated by people around you turning up but not switching on?

This page has two purposes:

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To get you thinking about what makes a good leader remarkable, and
2
To provide you with a series of articles that explores the styles and characteristics of good leadership.

If you have already visited this page, just click on the three dots on the left of the box below to open up the Table of Contents and go to the category or article you are interested in

Table of Contents

Have you ever wondered, why it is, that we go the extra mile, and would walk over hot coals, for one guy, and yet, the guy in the next office can barely raise a yawn out of us?

The difference is between what makes a leader a Rockstar Leader rather than just a Performing Leader, is that Rockstar Leaders are masters at influencing others to:

1
to change their mindset or
2
see something differently, or
3
to WANT to go out on a limb to get a result for their team?

My deep research into high performance leadership and having worked as a leader in a high performance team tells me ... there is not ONE or even TWO things that these leaders do that set them apart.

There are many different qualities, characteristics and traits that go into creating that 'x' factor which makes a good leader become outstanding.

The articles below are designed to help you build your own 'x' factor and become a Rockstar leader who makes a dent by being inspired and inspiring!

Leaders arise from all walks of life and for all sorts of reasons. Leadership may be inherited, it may be unexpectedly thrust upon a person or it may be something that is deliberately pursued because of a big dream or goal.

Each of these famous leaders: Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Anita Roddick, Pol Pot, Richard Branson, Herb Kelleher, John Howard, Adolf Hitler, Queen Elizabeth, Francis of Assisi, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Rupert Murdoch, Steve Jobs, Steve Bullmer, Majora Carter, Satya Nadella, Barak Obama have different qualities, styles and characteristics.

Some evil, some good.

Some loved, some feared.

Some brave under fire, some quietly diligent.

Some inspiring, some analytical.

And, the good news for you, is that if you focus on your strengths and make sure that your weaknesses don't derail you, you can be successful ... no matter your personality.

But there is one thing that I've noticed consistently about great leaders who have a powerful impact ... they love to learn, they love to share that learning and inspire those around them to discover their best.

If you are dedicated to being the best possible version of you, (like myself and the hundreds of leaders I have worked with and/or coached have been), you too can be a leader who makes a positive dent in the universe.

High-Performance Leadership

The articles below are filled with tips, ideas and tools to help you grow your capability as a leader.

Leadership Tips to Get People to Perform

These leadership tips help you to get your people's emotional connection and improve their performance. By holding yourself to a higher standard, you become the leader you want to be!

Here are a few tips to help you inspire your team and it takes next to no time out of your day. It doesn't take a lot of effort, money or time to inspire people

If your team is frozen because of an uncertain future, these easy to implement tips on how to be a leader who inspires and keeps people on track

Spending time on what's wrong, what caused it, who is to blame is focusing attention in all the wrong places. Being a solutions focused leader will set you apart.

The more frequently you tap into your leadership strengths the better your personal and organizational performance. Discover what the research tells us

No doubting Richard Branson's empire is successful! Discover leadership advice he followed to create enduring success and how you can use it to improve your leadership career

Here are the qualities you need to refine so that it is easy for your team members to take the leap of faith and trust you.

Use this leadership self-assessment to identify the 9 key areas you need to nail if you want to enhance your skills as a high-performance leader

10 Qualities that set High Performance Leaders apart. How many of these leadership qualities are you really, really good at?

Discover how to develop leadership skills in five easy steps

Want to know some of the best leadership assessment tools, without a survey or 360 in sight! Here are a few criteria that will never fail to let you know how you are going as a leader

Using the N.E.W.Y.E.A.R acronym here are 7 ways you can take your leadership to another level

Shifting from management to principle-centered leadership is not for the faint hearted

Are you using a reactive or proactive leadership style? Rate yourself on the 12 elements of reactive leadership and then decide what you want to do differently

Discover key distinctions between high-performance leadership versus management

Looking for a different leadership style? Here are some leadership lessons from horses that may assist you to become a high performance leader

Effective Leadership Styles

Wondering "What is the most effective leadership style to inspire high performance?" Your culture will have a lot to do with how you lead

Discover the advantages and disadvantages of being a charismatic leader, along with the leadership qualities that can round out this leadership style

Blake and Mouton studied leadership behavior and described two extremes of leadership concern: Concern for Production and Concern for People. Take the questionnaire to identify your style

Shift your leadership style appropriate to the individual's level of development

How good are you at working out which is the best style of leadership to use? Take this quiz and find out!

The Autocratic Leadership style enables people running organizations to meet their instinctive needs. Staying stuck in Stage 1 "Here's What To Do" leadership is not fun for anyone - including the leader stuck there.

The Transactional Leadership model suggests that people are motivated by rewards and punishment. That's not necessarily so!

Micromanagement and Delegation

There is nothing worse than a snooperviser - make sure you aren't guilty of any of these 7 deadly sins of over managing.

Here are a series of time management tips that are simple and easy to implement and sure to help you improve your productivity

The more frequently you tap into your leadership strengths the better your personal and organizational performance. Discover what the research tells us