4 Mindsets Of A Successful Leader

The author is Keith Ferrazzi, Author of book"Who's Got Your Back"

Have you found yourself thinking of starting your own business? Are you trying to climb the corporate ladder while the company is working through the recession? In other words, are you aiming to be a leader?
Well, behind every great leader, at the base of every great tale of success, you will find an indispensable circle of trusted advisers, mentors and colleagues. These groups come in all forms and sizes, and can be found at every level and in nearly all spheres of both professional and personal life. What they all have in common is a unique kind of connection with each other that I've come to call "lifeline relationships."

In order to build these all-important lifeline relationships, there are four core mindsets that can be learned and practiced, and help lead you on a path to personal and financial prosperity. They are:
Generosity: This is the base from which all the other behaviors arise. This is the commitment to mutual support that begins with the willingness to show up and creatively share our deepest insights and ideas with the world. It's the promise to help others succeed by whatever means you can muster. Generosity signals the end of isolation by cracking open a door to a trusting emotional environment, what I call a "safe space" -- the kind of environment that's necessary for creating relationships in which the other mindsets can flourish.
Vulnerability: This means letting your guard down so mutual understanding can occur. Here you cross the threshold into a safe space after intimacy and trust have pushed the door wide open. The relationship engendered by generosity then moves toward a place of fearless friendship where risks are taken and invitations are offered to others
Candor: This is the freedom to be totally honest with those in whom you confide. Vulnerability clears the pathways of feedback so that you are able to share your hopes and fears. Candor allows us to begin to constructively interpret, respond to and grapple with that information
Accountability:Accountability refers to following through on the promises you make to others. It's about giving and receiving the feet-to-the-fire tough love through which real change is sustained.
The real key to establishing close relationships with people you consider your trusted advisers in your career and in your personal life is how these four mindsets work together.
The process starts with generosity. It jolts people out of traditional transactional do-for-me-and-I'll-do-for-you relationships. Actively reaching out to and helping others gives us the opportunity and permission to take a relationship to a deeper level. This allows us to explore intimacy, ultimately to the point of being vulnerable and open with one another.
If we've created a safe space, a place where we feel safe enough to say candidly what we think and feel, we can take greater risks in the relationship. It can lead to making a commitment to mutually support one another through thick and thin and to hold one another accountable for doing the things that will allow us to achieve our dreams and destinies. Taking such risks can lead us to create more than just friendships -- we can create lifeline relationships to a better future.
This process is iterative: The more you give, the deeper you get and the more profound your sharing becomes. That strengthens your safe space, and provides more freedom to be vulnerable and candid -- which opens the relationship even more deeply. Trust builds incrementally, by stages, growing deeper and stronger as the mindsets are practiced more sincerely and passionately.
Once you work within the four mindsets, you will see it's a truly inspiring experience. Whether you're working with an experienced sales team or building a business from scratch, the lifeline relationships you build will become more than your colleagues or assistants. They will become you're a trusted circle of advisers and your peers.
That's worth repeating: peers. Equals. Even though one of them may have clear organizational authority -- and the title and decision-making power to go with it -- each member functions as a highly respected equal, offering up creative ideas, candid feedback and criticism voiced with authentic concern for the others' interests, and rigorous attention to accountability around goals, goal setting, follow-through and, of course, results. Each member has free, open and respectful permission to call the others out when they are falling short (because we all fall short, and most of us, as I know well, tend to do so repeatedly).
Do you want to be more successful in your career and more fulfilled in your life? Then let's get started.

Keith Ferrazzi, CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, has counseled the world's top enterprises on how to dramatically accelerate the development of business relationships to drive sales, spark innovation and create team cohesion. His most recent book is "Who's Got Your Back: The Breakthrough Program to Build Deep, Trusting Relationships That Create Success -- and Won't Let You Fail" (Broadway Business). You can find more information about him at www.keithferrazzi.com.

Employability Skills - Types

In my earlier blog, I had mentioned about employability skills and the need for it. Let us discuss the various employability skills.

Employability skills can be categorized into three skill sets:

(a) Basic Academic skills which includes reading, writing, science, maths, oral communication and listening skills.
(b) Higher-order thinking skills which includes learning, reasoning, creativity, decision making and problem solving, and
(c) Personal qualities which includes honesty, integrity, team spirit, adaptability & fexibility, good work attitude, social skills, cooperative, self motivation, self confidence and self control.

Basic Academic skills are essential at all levels of the job, but more so at mid and senior levels. At the entry-level jobs, basic academic skills are essential for high job performance. Ideally, employees at the entry level jobs should have the ability and desire to learn. They also need the ability to listen to and read instructions and then to carry out those instructions. These individuals should be able to respond appropriately both orally and in writing. Reading ability includes comprehending what has been read and using a variety of written materials, including graphs, charts, tables and displays. Entry level employees also need the ability to complete basic math computations accurately.

Higher-order thinking skills refer to the ability to think, reason, and make sound decisions, which is very crucial for employees. A person who can think critically, act logically, and evaluate situations to make decisions and solve problems, is a valuable asset to the company.

In addition to basic academic skills and higher order thinking skills, personal skills are also very important. It is difficult to utilize workers effectively who lack personal skills. Entry-level employees with good personal skills have confidence in themselves and deal with others honestly and openly, displaying respect for themselves, their co-workers, and their supervisors regardless of other people’s diversity and individual differences. They view themselves as a part of a team and are willing to work within the culture of the group. They have a positive attitude and take the initiative to learn new things to get the job done. Rather than blaming others when things go wrong, they are accountable for their actions. They also have the ability to set goals and priorities in their work and personal lives so that resources of time, money and other resources may be conserved and managed. These individuals practice good personal habits, come to work as scheduled, on time and dress appropriately, and are agreeable to change when necessary.

Employability Skills

• The two greatest concerns of employers today are finding good workers and training them. The difference between the skills needed on the job and those possessed by applicants, called the skills-gap, is of real concern to CEO’s and HR managers looking to hire competent employees. While employers would prefer to hire people who are trained and job ready, they are usually willing to provide the specialized, job-specific training necessary for those lacking such skills. However, certain skills, referred to as employability skills, are mostly found missing in most of the applicants, especially at the entry level. Employability skills are those basic skills necessary for getting, keeping, and doing well on a job. These are the skills, attitudes and actions that enable workers to get along with their fellow workers and supervisors and to make sound, critical decisions. Unlike occupational or technical skills, employability skills are generic in nature rather than job specific and cut across all industry types, business sizes, and job levels from the entry-level worker to the senior-most position.
  In a recent survey carried out, following were the Top 7 skills which the employers were looking in employees:
   Communication
   Team Working
   Integrity
   Planning & Organization
   Good writing
   Numeracy (good with nos.)
   Analysis & Decision making
  
  These skills are transferrable or teachable skills and the earlier the person is trained in the skills the better. Governments all over the world are siezed with the problem and are taking steps to ensure that these form a part of school curriculum rather than being taught at a later stage, as is being done now.