Being a good leader (ongoing post)

Leading people can be joyful and fulfilling as it enables you to broaden and achieve your purpose, and because you can enable your team to experience that same joy too.  It's a magical feeling when a team works well together and makes great things happen. It is not an easy to be an effective leader and I'm keeping an ongoing list of what it takes here:

1) Bring clarity around what the organization does and why (mission). You don't have to come up with these answers by yourself, but it is your responsibility to consolidate, edit, and develop a deep shared understanding. 

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

2) Establish and embody how to work together, treat customers/partners, make decisions (values and culture). Establish and embody a culture where everyone can do their best work towards the mission - a culture of high integrity, company over self, truth-seeking, growth mindset, collaboration, and bias for action. Reward and promote people who are role models. 

3) Generate energy within and outside the company. This can only happen when you are genuinely excited about the mission and methods. You have to show up and participate. You have to enjoy thinking, discussing, and acting on them so much that your energy is infectious. 

4) Put right people in the right seats. Attract, incentivize and enable the right people. Promote and hire leaders who embody values and do the above. Hold people accountable to a fair and high bar. Treat them right, coach them and reward them well.  

5) Empower your people: Bolster confidence and growth of people you are leading. Give them autonomy and space. Listen to their points of view. Ideas and execution should win, not hierarchy.

6) Deliver results. Without results (delivering on the mission), the organization doesn't matter.