When you’re a successful leader, there are some things you just don’t say.
Let’s all panic. Let’s ignore this lesson. Let’s do our second best.
These are the obvious ones. Others are not so obvious — and some are flat-out easy to overlook. That said, each of these executive “no-nos” is absolutely critical to your success as a leader. They are clear messages to both yourself and your organization about the values you support and the working culture you hope to create.
So what are some of the not-so-obvious sentiments that successful leaders should never propagate? After over 20 years of guiding global executives towards greater success, I’ve discovered four subtle statements that sabotage otherwise inspiring leaders without them even knowing it.
1. “My failures are shameful.”
Modern leaders need to understand that failure is a natural part of success. Failure doesn’t deflate your efforts — it forces them to be better. Failure isn’t something you dwell on — it’s something you learn from and move beyond. In fact, a comprehensive study about the commonalities of failure revealed only one universal truth: Failure happens to everyone. Are you responding as you should?
Failures are rare outlets for tacit knowledge. Explicit knowledge is simple. It’s the knowledge you actively acquire, and it can be easily transferred to someone else via a book, presentation, or ongoing conversation. Tacit knowledge is the other side of the coin — the implicit side. This knowledge can only be gained through trial and error, and its lessons demand real failure to manifest completely.
Failures make your personal experience totally unique. Many executive milestones are somewhat common. Before too long, what you’ve achieved inside of your industry can start to blend in with the competition. That said, your personal failures and how you responded to them is uniquely and totally you. Embrace them and make them part of your success story.
Failures are a formative part of your professional values. On top of that, your failures are a large part of how your values are developed within the industry. Studies show that failures not only offer specific lessons given their context, but they also help mediate our relationship between intrinsic motivation and self-esteem.
2. “Innovation is outside my control.”
Innovation can feel like a totally uncontrollable force. It happens or it doesn’t — with a randomness seemingly linked to some sort of divine providence. The truth is that innovation is more like a plant, growing or withering depending on its surrounding environment. Successful leaders understand that while they might not be in control of the innovation itself, their style of leadership goes a long way in creating an environment with rich soil and the right amount of sunlight.
You can encourage and reward participation. Don’t just ask people to speak up. Ask them to speak up, then reward those who do, either through positive and public feedback or actual additional compensation. It won’t take long before you see a new trend emerging.
You can make your working culture more inclusive. Fear and exclusion are two of the biggest forces trying to squelch innovation at your organization. Exclusion keeps every voice from being heard, and fear prevents those voices from speaking up. The result: neglected employees and less progress across the board. In fact, 85% of executives say fear prevents innovation, and inclusive cultures are linked to a number of bottom-line benefits.
You can set the tone with your own actions. At the end of the day, you set the initial tone for your team. If you want your workplace to be more innovative, start with your leadership styles and techniques. Show your employees that innovation is something worth seeking out.
3. “Process is most important here — not personnel.”
Leaders love to perfect the processes within their organization. After all, they are seemingly the engine that keeps everything moving. But, that’s simply not the whole truth — not even close. What gives life to the processes you’ve worked so hard to perfect? People. Your personnel and their satisfaction must come first. That’s why successful leaders are more often than not empathetic leaders as well.
Empathetic leadership boosts productivity and engagement. Empathetic leaders create highly productive working cultures by ensuring everyone feels heard and has freedom to play toward their strengths. This level of engagement has a direct impact on innovation. In fact, 61% of employees with highly empathetic leaders report feeling innovative at work, compared to 13% of those with less empathetic leaders.
Empathetic leadership creates a more sustainable work-life balance. Of course, no working culture is worth much if it can’t be sustained over time. Empathetic leaders understand the needs of their employees and can create an environment that retains team members for the long term.
Empathetic leadership honors individuality. Practicing empathy as a leader is meaningful and symbolic. This style of leadership acknowledges the many diverse individuals that make your success possible while simultaneously stressing the need for equal treatment. It is a clear signal that every individual matters, and this positive messaging goes a long way in promoting productivity..
4. “I wish my team members would speak up less often.”
If you’re practicing empathetic leadership, your workplace will start overflowing with ideas. When people feel acknowledged and empowered to speak, you’d be surprised how often they have something to say. That said, unless you get the right systems and the right temperament in place to hear all those voices at once, you’re going to end up ignoring a lot of people. That sort of unfair leadership limits your potential and has a direct impact on the bottom line.
More ideas means more progress. When Sir Isaac Newton said that he “stood on the shoulders of giants,” he wasn’t talking about one specific genius or even collection of intellectuals. He was talking about the collective innovation of humanity and how that makes such amazing things possible. Simply put, the more people you have freely dreaming up solutions to your problems the better.
More ideas means more perspectives. On top of that, every idea brings with it a fresh perspective. Those perspectives, in turn, broaden and deepen your organization’s viewpoint on any given situation. In this sense, the more employees you can get to freely contribute to your efforts, the more well-rounded and fully-realized those efforts will become.
More ideas means more inclusion. And inclusion is an essential part of the working culture you want to build. Companies with inclusive cultures are twice as likely to meet their financial targets, six times more likely to be innovative, and eight times more likely to achieve above and beyond their expected outcomes.
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Atlanta-based Dr. Sam Adeyemi (SAY: Ah Day yeh me) is CEO of Sam Adeyemi, GLC, Inc. and founder and executive director of Daystar Leadership Academy (DLA). More than 45,000 alumni have graduated from DLA programs, and more than 3 million CEOs and high performing individuals follow him on top social media sites. Dr. Sam's new book is "Dear Leader: Your Flagship Guide to Successful Leadership." He holds a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership from Virginia's Regent University, and is a member of the International Leadership Association. He and his wife, Nike (say Nee keh) live in Atlanta and have three children. Learn more at SamAdeyemi.com.
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