Most business owners would answer the question ‘what makes a good leader?’ differently. And, while it’s important to note there are varied opinions as to what constitutes the right approach, the truth is, great leaders will adapt their style to their surroundings, and empower their team to succeed together. In our latest blog, Steve Lees, operations director at DealTrak explores what makes a successful leader at our HQ.
Since joining the DealTrak family in June 2016, I’ve often wondered what a good leader looks like. I’ve been in such a role for the past 20 years, and during that time I’ve been lucky enough to have worked for some fantastic companies – as well as some not-so-fantastic ones too. Those experiences have all played a part in shaping the type of leader I am today.
Since joining DealTrak, I’ve been proud to be a part of a business which gives me the freedom to lead the firm in the way I think produces the most positive results for everyone. So, if you’re wondering what great leadership looks like, here are my top 10 tips.
Purpose
It all starts with your purpose. Having clarity around why you get out of bed each day will help you focus all your attention on making the business a success.
Share your goals and ambition with the team regularly to ensure everyone is ‘on the same page’. But remember, you can’t just walk the walk, you really must talk the talk! Your colleagues need to see that you’re committed and passionate – if you don’t take heed of your own voice, no one else will.
Values
Values are key to creating the right environment within your business. At DealTrak, we measure internal and external success against benchmarks we developed as a collective.
We firmly believe that everyone has a voice, and it has a right to be heard. While values may ebb and flow over time, one of my responsibilities here is to monitor our beliefs and keep them at the forefront of people’s mind.
Input
Great leadership does not mean having all the right answers, it means providing the environment for your entire workforce to be involved in decision making. Your job title, position or length of tenure do not give you the monopoly on good ideas.
Of course, at DealTrak we try to get relevant people around the table when it comes to making a business decision – not everyone needs to be involved in every choice the company makes – but we openly admit that some of the paths we take will end up being wrong ones. The strength of a true leaders is to allow mistakes to happen and embrace the learning which will emerge as a result.
Culture
Many companies spend lots of time and effort trying to describe the culture of their brand – and DealTrak is no different. For me, rather than being defined by a word, I think it is held within the feeling the team gets when there’s a certain ‘buzz’ around the building.
Now that’s all well and good, but what do good leaders do? We’ll be looking at this during the concluding part of Steve’s blog next week.
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