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Bonus: 4 Attentions of a Great Leader
The Four Attentions of a Great Leader
1. FOCUS: WORK ON THINGS TODAY THAT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON FUTURE TOMORROWS Everything in the organization should flow from its vision. Every day a leader should be creating, implementing, or elevating vision. The clearer the vision, the better the organization. The leader’s vision is a vision of the future that must be communicated and deployed. Great leaders are futurists. They look and lead many years into the future.
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2. EMPOWERMENT: ENCOURAGE OTHERS TODAY SO THEY CAN REACH THEIR PEAK PERFORMANCE TOMORROW Leaders are memorable in the lives of their teams. Great leaders are significant because of their empowerment of others and their belief in their team. Leaders who wish to make an impact should give attention to helping others and learning how to encourage, challenge, and support the critical people on their team.
3. ACCOUNTABILITY: KEEP OTHERS ON TRACK TODAY SO THEY CAN MOVE ON TO SOMETHING NEW TOMORROW Bestselling business author Tom Peters reminded leaders: “The simple act of paying attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity.” 2 The best people in the organization need the most attention from the leader. The best people of the organization require the accountability of a leader to achieve breakthroughs. A leader’s accountability can be one of the best gifts this person can give to their people.
4. CHANGE: FIND A NEW AND BETTER WAY TODAY TO ENSURE THAT YOU STAY CURRENT TOMORROW Leaders find new and better ways to get things done. They are always mapping the landscape for new and innovative ideas that will be better for their people and their organization. The leader should be in front of change and innovation.
While often attributed to Peter Drucker, one researcher credits the saying to William Thomsen, a Scottish physicist also known as Lord Nelson. Regardless of who said it, the old leadership proverb is still valuable today: “What gets measured gets done.” 3 In other words, what gets the leader’s attention is what gets accomplished. The leader must give extra value to their attention because such focus may be their organization’s most valuable asset. When they focus on the right thing today, they ensure that the organization and their people will have bright tomorrows.
