Five rules to powerful leadership

When people think about leadership, they will undoubtedly turn to their senior management to provide it. This also means that these leaders have an obligation to set a compelling example by incorporating a set of values, attitudes and practices. There is no one-size-fits-all, pre-formulated pill to effective leadership. However, since much about it can be learnt from emulating others, we benchmarked and examined some of the best leaders in the world to develop the "five rules of powerful leadership".

Rule 1: Practice what you preach

It may be a very simple rule, but surprisingly not an easy one to follow. More often than they realize, there are discrepancies between what the management preaches and what they actually do. Such discrepancies might even seem insignificant, but could potentially cripple the credibility of your leaders and management. For example, if you preach a "promote-from-within" culture but keep recruiting from outside to fill the senior level positions, your employees will eventually lose faith in your leadership.

Rule 2: Walk the tightrope

There are times when being a leader requires sound judgment and the ability to make tough or even unpopular decisions so that things can get done. People look up to their leaders for directions so that they know where to go and how to get there. A good leader walks a tightrope at all times, balancing between the consent he must win and the control he must exert in order to move the organization and his people to the next level.

Rule 3: Be a good follower

The best way to learn is to be a good follower and constantly benchmark yourself against those whom you aspire to be. As a follower, you learn to support and advocate good leadership and, at the same time, understand what constitutes bad leadership and what people are looking for in a leader. A good follower can effectively shape and have a positive effect on the leadership of the company by keeping them on track.

Rule 4: Treat people as assets

It is important for leaders to acknowledge that they are not perfect and very few have all the gifts and talents themselves. But one common trait among great leaders is that they have a strong self-awareness of their strengths and capabilities, as well as the confidence to surround themselves with great people who can complement them and compensate them in areas where they are lacking.

Rule 5: Assess yourself regularly

Leadership is a constant, on-going process of learning and refining your management styles, influencing skills, approaches and understanding of the people working with you and for you.

(Contact yangning@chinadaily.com.cn for questions and career advice).

Contributed by Carter Yang, managing director of Robert Walters Talent Consulting Ltd China.

China Daily

(China Daily 12/06/2011 page14)