The Ultimate Advice for Aspiring Leaders: 6 Non-Negotiables

For all of you aspiring leaders out there, let’s just cut the crap and get right to the point.  Rather than dragging this out into six years’ worth of leadership-advice-blogging, which would innevitably get picked up by Random House, who would publish a best-selling book series, which would lead to 225 days a year on the motivational speaker circuit and then spin-off to a consulting empire where I teach thousands of people the secrets of “How to Not Suck as a Leader,” instead, I will sum up for you very succinctly the secrets of leadership in six bullet points.

Folks, this is what it all comes down to. If you think you want to be a leader, then simply follow these six tips that I am about to share with you. Post them up on your cubicle wall. Hang them from your car rear-view mirror. Make your spouse repeat them to you as you fall asleep.  And pray for strength, because it will not be easy all the time.  Here are the six non-negotiable, bottom-line, end-of-the-day, all-ecompassing elements for becoming a good leader:

1. Don’t be a pansy.  Nobody likes a whiner, so suck it up and do your job! Put on a positive attitude and just accept the fact that no matter where you work, you are going to face difficult people, grueling office politics, long hours, crazy bosses and demanding customers. This is how you get experience and grow. What did you expect?
2. You must deliver results.  If you think you will be a good leader because you are a “people person,” you might as well get off the train right now and take that job at the shoe store in the mall. Soft skills do count, but if at the end of the day you can’t deliver hard, tangible, profitable results, then no one is going to care about your people skills.
3. Have an opinion.  No matter what kind of work you are doing, it’s important to stand up for what you think. And not in a bossy, know-it-all way, but as an offer to truly help your company do better and show that you can take initiative and see things that others don’t. If you can’t work up the nerve to speak up at meetings and contribute some brilliant (or even mediocre) ideas, then don’t bother showing up. There’s nothing more annoying than seeing the same people sitting at meetings over and over again who never open their mouths.
4. Make a decision.   There are good decisions, and then there are bad decisions, but by far the worst is to make no decisions at all. It’s important to gather feedback and analysis, but ultimately you must take on the responsibility of making a decision and living with the consequences of it, which you will never really know until days, weeks or months later. Decision-making involves a combination of risk-taking and responsibility. If you don’t have the stomach for either, then don’t bother reading another leadership book. You won’t make it.
5. Keep Good Moral Character. At the core of every person are the nuts and bolts of how they will behave in a crisis. Will you keep your head? Can you maintain a moral compass? Can you handle ambiguity? This represents your character, and it usually shows up best under pressure. Being ethical is just the ticket into the Leadership game – it’s your character that will drive you to the finish line.
6.   Make Lots of Friends. Yes, it matters if people like you. You’ve got to be well-liked, and it can’t be because you try too hard. Bottom line: no one wants to work with an ass. Your ability to get promoted is directly linked to your boss’s opinion of you, and if you want to lead an effective team, it sure helps if they think you’re a good leader AND a great person.

There you have it.  That’s all you need to know. Now get out there all you potential leaders, and try not to suck! You can do it!

For all of you aspiring leaders out there, let’s just cut the crap and get right to the point.  Rather than dragging this out into six years’ worth of leadership-advice-blogging, which would innevitably get picked up by Random House, who would publish a best-selling book series, which would lead to 225 days a year on the motivational speaker circuit and then spin-off to a consulting empire where I teach thousands of people the secrets of “How to Not Suck as a Leader,” instead, I will sum up for you very succinctly the secrets of leadership in six bullet points.

Folks, this is what it all comes down to. If you think you want to be a leader, then simply follow these six tips that I am about to share with you. Post them up on your cubicle wall. Hang them from your car rear-view mirror. Make your spouse repeat them to you as you fall asleep.  And pray for strength, because it will not be easy all the time.  Here are the six non-negotiable, bottom-line, end-of-the-day, all-ecompassing elements for becoming a good leader:

1. Don’t be a pansy.  Nobody likes a whiner, so suck it up and do your job! Put on a positive attitude and just accept the fact that no matter where you work, you are going to face difficult people, grueling office politics, long hours, crazy bosses and demanding customers. This is how you get experience and grow. What did you expect?
2. You must deliver results.  If you think you will be a good leader because you are a “people person,” you might as well get off the train right now and take that job at the shoe store in the mall. Soft skills do count, but if at the end of the day you can’t deliver hard, tangible, profitable results, then no one is going to care about your people skills.
3. Have an opinion.  No matter what kind of work you are doing, it’s important to stand up for what you think. And not in a bossy, know-it-all way, but as an offer to truly help your company do better and show that you can take initiative and see things that others don’t. If you can’t work up the nerve to speak up at meetings and contribute some brilliant (or even mediocre) ideas, then don’t bother showing up. There’s nothing more annoying than seeing the same people sitting at meetings over and over again who never open their mouths.
4. Make a decision.   There are good decisions, and then there are bad decisions, but by far the worst is to make no decisions at all. It’s important to gather feedback and analysis, but ultimately you must take on the responsibility of making a decision and living with the consequences of it, which you will never really know until days, weeks or months later. Decision-making involves a combination of risk-taking and responsibility. If you don’t have the stomach for either, then don’t bother reading another leadership book. You won’t make it.
5. Keep Good Moral Character. At the core of every person are the nuts and bolts of how they will behave in a crisis. Will you keep your head? Can you maintain a moral compass? Can you handle ambiguity? This represents your character, and it usually shows up best under pressure. Being ethical is just the ticket into the Leadership game – it’s your character that will drive you to the finish line.
6.   Make Lots of Friends. Yes, it matters if people like you. You’ve got to be well-liked, and it can’t be because you try too hard. Bottom line: no one wants to work with an ass. Your ability to get promoted is directly linked to your boss’s opinion of you, and if you want to lead an effective team, it sure helps if they think you’re a good leader AND a great person.

There you have it.  That’s all you need to know. Now get out there all you potential leaders, and try not to suck! You can do it!