What Do Great Leaders with Winning Teams Have In Common And Why Do People Follow Them?

By Perminus Wainaina

As Warren Buffett puts it; “A leader is someone who can get things done through other people”.

So he/she does not have to actually sit there and watch the tasks being done to completion but is assured that the tasks will be done and they actually do.

So you wonder, how does he do this?

Maybe it’s your boss, your manager or your supervisor at work. How does he get people to listen to him without having to command, shout or threaten them?

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How does he get things done while he is seated in that corner office the whole day or manage every activity in the department and still get his work done? Are these soft skills genetic? Can I ever match up to him?

Here is your answer…

If you keenly follow the stories of people like Tabitha Karanja of Keroche Breweries, James Mwangi of Equity Group or Chris Kirubi of Centum investment to mention but a few,  you will get a clear picture of what am talking about that indeed leadership is a skill that you have to nurture just like any other.

And with my over 10 years of leadership experience in the recruitment industry and in coaching leaders at various stages in their careers, I’ve come to develop a very clear perspective of which character traits produce leaders that actually succeed.

So what do these great leaders have in common?

4 Things…

1. They know how to inspire trust in the people they are leading.

Assuming you’ve been promoted from that comfortable junior position to a very senior one that requires you to oversee several operations in the company as well as supervising some few positions.

Where do you start at?

Please note that earning confidence from the people you want to lead is the single most important step to getting these people to actually listen to you.

So you can earn their trust by ensuring that you do that which you say you shall do, showing competence in every task you undertake (remember they are watching closely), acknowledging your mistakes and swiftly correcting them (this creates good trust) and maintaining high standards as a person to establish authority.

2. They believe in the power of being self-aware as a leader

Simply put, they are emotionally intelligent.

Being aware of who you are as a person is important so that you can build out your team with people who balance your own strengths and weaknesses.

Are you an outgoing person, would you rather send emails than call for a meeting, how do you expect your work to be done?

These are just but a few of the questions you should ask yourself as a leader or a person who intends to lead a team someday.

3.  They know that to lead, you have to create a clear direction for rest of the team to follow

Whether you are leading the whole company as a CEO, leading the HR department or acting as the sales team leader, you should create a clear direction for your team to follow.

The best leaders in Kenya today like the ones I mentioned earlier understand that to get the best results, and create value for everyone, they must have a clear and effective strategy for moving towards their goals.

They create direction by questioning assumptions to get reasonable logic to some occurrences, creating working plans of activities and being careful to make sure that expectations of the plan are clear to everyone in the team.

4.  And above all, they are able to produce extraordinary results, meeting and often exceeding expectations.

This is where you wonder how they were able to achieve all these while you didn’t see them raise a finger.

In other words, the best leaders who always succeed are mostly focused on delivering great results. However, they are not just keen on delivering in a quality way but on delivering over and over again.

So at this point, which kind of a leader do you consider yourself to be?

Does your current leadership, no matter the level you are at , encourage others to follow you or does it threaten them and deny them their job security while threatening their professional confidence?

“Why would anyone follow me?” Would I follow someone who was leading a team as I am currently doing?

Are there areas I should improve on as a leader? Do I need to sharpen some skills?

Answers to these questions will give you a clear road-map on your leadership style and help you identify the loop holes.

This includes being honest with yourself and keeping in mind that, just a single mistake in your leadership style that goes unattended & no one will follow your directives.

Now that you know what to do,

Take some time today and evaluate your leadership skills and style if you are a leader, looking forward to leading a team or just looking to develop your leadership skills as a professional.

Ask yourself if you’re talking and walking the talk. Are you there as part of the team or remotely managing from your office?

If your actions are consistent with your words, then people will definitely have confidence in your leadership.

And when this happens, what else can you ask for!