Being a leader is not about getting underlings. It’s not about having an opinion more valuable than others’. Being a leader is not about seeming unattainable. Let’s take the example of Jack Welch, former General Electric CEO and current consultant for a select group among the 500 CEOs of “Fortune Magazine”. His principles of leadership brought him to build “a boundaryless organization”. And it sounds interesting, but what it really means? It’s simple: everyone is free to think of ideas to improve the company, instead of waiting for someone higher in the hierarchy to think of it first. He wanted his team to be more extroverted, engaged, and promised to listen to the ideas of everyone in the company. Welch kept his promise. From workers to managers, everyone had their attention if they had something to say or a new idea to improve the company. Great, huh? However, what the professionals we know – people like us – have to say about it? Check out now the list of principles of leadership of three different leaders in the group “Leadership” on Linkedin:

Carlos Velasquez, New Mexico

1. Improve daily.
2. Lead by example.
3. Communicate expectations.
4. Apologize when needed – take responsibility.
5. Know your people.
6. Reward performers.
7. Follow up – make sure tasks are completed.
8. Teach/Train.
9. Develop emergent leaders.
10. Incorporate metrics and quality standards.

Terrie Hall Thaler, Colorado

1. I put my team first.
2. If I meet their needs, then they can get the job done. Go to bat for them.
3. Bring them into the loop so they have the latest information available to do their jobs.
4. Encourage them.
5. Reward them regularly.
6. Give them enough autonomy that they know I trust them to do their jobs. But not so much that they feel they are out of the loop.
7. No false praise. If they make a mistake, then use it as a time for training and learning.
8. Sincerity in the relationship. I once had someone tell me that they believed me because I was sincere in my praise. I learned from that!

Glen Esnard, California

1. Be clear on purpose and direction: no one wants to ride a train unless it is going somewhere they also want to go.
2. Be clear on decision priorities: 1st, health of the team. 2nd, health and development of the individual. 3rd, health and desires of the customer.
3. Be clear on behavioral and performance expectations: personally demonstrate those expectations all the time, every day.
4. Be transparent: it is the evidence of integrity.
5. Be authentic: be who you profess to be.
6. Be inclusive: better cohesion and better decisions.
7. Create choice: people should have a free choice to be in or be out.

Do you agree? Have something to add? Why don’t you make your own list of your principles of leadership? So, you can check from time to time if you have been the leader you admire. Talking about lists and principle, try Runrun.it! We are the project management software and our principle is organizing your workflow in a list of tasks, according to the priority you give to them. Our customers report an average increase of 25% in their productivity – the equivalent of having an extra day in the week. Try it on for free: http://runrun.it

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