How do you gain your authority as a leader? What actions do you take to get work accomplished? What do you do differently when the pressure is on you?

Do you lead from a place of POWER, using your positional power to get things done? As a leader you have it, but it is how you use it that is important.

“Trust,” according to Warren Buffet “is like the air we breathe. When it’s present, nobody really notices. But when it’s absent, everybody notices.”

As I have been collecting data on the top 10 leadership capabilities, I have found that "creating an environment of trust" is at the top for almost everyone. The fact that trust comes out on top does not surprise me, what has surprised me is how it is non-existent in many work groups.

How do the people around you influence you? What behaviors change when you are with certain people? How have you noticed shifts in your behavior over time? 

The truth is, everyone is impressionable and we can all be influenced by the behavior of others, the good and the bad.

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” ~George Bernard Shaw

Creating a culture of open communication takes continuous intention. One great way to get started is to stop doing all the talking and listen.

I have encountered many leaders who operate in a constant state of frenzy. This "leadership frenzy" is the opposite of being a strategic leader. This leadership style focuses on creating and managing tasks and activities. The bigger the list of activities, the better. Throw in a massive excel spreadsheet with pivot tables and they are in heaven!

How your employees feel about their job influences some of the most important measures of the health of your organization - retention, customer service, revenue and operational efficiency. Did you know that as a leader, you influence at least 70% of your employees' engagement?

I have worked with many leaders over the years and accountability always comes up as an important topic. A leader will almost always say, "yes, I hold my employees accountable". Oddly, when you ask employees they will say, "no one is held accountable". Interesting difference in perspective.

Holding yourself and others accountable is about keeping commitments that are made.