In honor of Father’s Day last weekend, I am writing this week’s posts about a few of the key things I learned from my Dad as I was growing up. I believe that these things have played a big role in my successful career as well as my leadership style. My Dad was (and is) a very confident man. He worked many years as a Corporate Executive and exuded a stance of calm confidence. I always looked up to that and have worked to model that stance throughout my life.
One thing my Dad always taught me was, as a leader, you must always be calm and confident, especially when making decisions. If you do not have confidence in your decisions, it is not only difficult to get anyone to support them but is even more difficult to be an inspiring leader. Who wants to follow a leader who second-guesses their own decisions? No one. Being confident in your decisions and having a stature of someone who is self-assured and calm will inspire others to follow you. And, if your decisions are incorrect (which may happen sometimes), then own up to them. My Dad also taught me that owning up to a mistake and admitting when your decision is wrong is just as important as being a confident decision-maker. Sharing this with your team, along with the reasons why you made the decision, what was wrong about it, or what could prevent a mistake like that in the future will help others see you as human. It builds trust and credibility and continues to encourage others to want to follow your lead.
My decision-making confidence has truly been a key factor in my career and leadership success and is something else that was modeled to me by my Dad; another characteristic and belief he instilled in me for which I am eternally grateful.
