I was in a meeting the other day for a possible Change Management contract. The leader of the organization walked in and impressed me with the way he carried himself, responded to questions, and generally led. I left thinking, not only do I want to work with that guy, I want to be like that guy.
This morning I came across an article with a tremendous bullet list describing several characteristics this CIO has.
Here are some characteristics that make for my ideal leader:
You’re noticeably calm and comfortable at work. You’re aware how your attitude and behavior affects those around you, and you care deeply about having a supportive climate at work.
Work is one part of your life. You fit your work into healthy working hours. You take vacations. You switch off. When you choose to work unusual hours, you don’t expect others to, therefore you don’t disturb them.
No matter who you’re speaking with, when you’re speaking with them, you are present.
You listen.
You operate on intentional, thoughtfully chosen processes based on what you and your team value. Because you value other’s engagement, and time, you don’t add or persist process for the sake of process.
You don’t just expect your people to do their best work, you empower and trust them to. You give or find them the support they need to grow into new challenges and be successful.