Let’s be honest: creating leaders within any business can be tricky to achieve. It becomes even more challenging without the necessary tools and guidance. But you might have wondered this: Are successful leaders born? Or can they be made? It depends on who you speak to, but we believe the answer to both questions is yes!
That's why we also believe that anyone at DotActiv, regardless of their role, years of experience, or industry knowledge can be a successful leader. Part of becoming one comes down to whether or not you want it.
So what do we expect from leaders at DotActiv? In this article, we will unpack five things that we expect from leaders at DotActiv to ensure that we create a leadership culture.
1. Contribute directly or indirectly to the growth of DotActiv
The human race is still evolving, and everyone is on a journey. However, it's important to remember that we are not all on the same journey. While you might be on a personal journey, someone else might be focused on their career. That's okay. Whatever journey you're on, it's important to ensure you continue to adapt, learn and grow.
At DotActiv, we also understand the value of contributing towards business growth. It doesn't matter if you've recently joined and are in training or if you worked at DotActiv for a handful of years. Everyone counts and can make a positive difference.
At DotActiv, we aim to provide our colleagues with the necessary tools today to become successful leaders tomorrow.
However, tomorrow remains a mystery. We can make plans and predictions, hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. Sometimes we may even get lucky. But most times, we believe that we make our luck and ensure that these ‘lucky’ days happen more often. How?
One way is to create leaders and encourage a mindset that everyone is a leader! To impact DotActiv's growth, we expect you to display the following leadership skills:
- Be consistent: Success does not happen overnight. Instead, success happens over time, and if you are starting, be patient. Give yourself time to adapt and find your feet - you will get there;
- Have a positive work attitude;
- Don’t make promises you can’t keep;
- Be willing to adapt to change;
- Show initiative;
- Grab hold of any opportunity that might be available;
- Assist your peers and colleagues;
- Always be on the lookout for opportunities within your work environment: Opportunities come in all shapes and sizes. They could be for internal or external clients;
- Have a problem-solving attitude;
- Uphold the company values and culture;
- Have a proactive attitude toward your training, learning journey, and development;
- Lead by example - always!
2. Build leaders within your ranks
Leadership is an investment opportunity that can, over time, lead to better financial performance.
However, if we want to build leaders, we must abandon the 'Lone Wolf' ideology and embrace a "Leaders at all levels" mindset.
Nick Papadopolous, former VP of Sales at CultureIQ agrees in his article for Entrepreneur, stating that if you want to inspire people to think outside of individual gain, you need to share a greater purpose.
“Leadership at all levels is a paradigm, in which regardless of your title, tenure or compensation, you relate to your company as if ‘you own the joint.’ That is, you generate ideas and make decisions from a place of ownership.”
That feeds into the reality that we must admit that business challenges are too big for one person to carry; we need everyone committed and aligned to the same goal to achieve the results we want.
It's also vital to explain that leadership is not about positional authority. Instead, it's about the ability to influence outcomes and inspire others to achieve the desired result.
As Papadopolous continues, "Evidence shows us that leadership at all levels ... creates stronger companies." While Entrepreneur published his article in 2016 - six years ago at the time of writing this article - his words are timeless.
3. Provide your team with a good experience at work
At DotActiv, we strive to provide our colleagues with memorable and enjoyable experiences at work. But where does this fit into becoming a leader at DotActiv?
For one, it's worth keeping in mind that leadership is part of the larger picture called 'Teamwork'. Strong teamwork is vitally important to sustainable growth.
Then there is DotActiv's vision, which we aspire to achieve: "To consistently exceed the expectations of our customers, staff, and shareholders."
As we mentioned in another article, the DotActiv family consists of many different people, all with different aspirations and goals. That can make it a challenge - you can't please everyone. At the same time, it puts us in a stronger position because we have multiple perspectives and opinions which lead to better, holistic collaboration to achieve our goals.
Of course, we can't achieve that without providing support across our teams. We achieve that by:
- Communicating regularly;
- Checking in with each other regularly;
- Being inclusive and giving appraisal where needed;
- Empowering and enabling teams;
- Displaying and maintaining emotional intelligence;
- Setting reasonable goals or deadlines;
- Sharing knowledge or skills that might benefit others;
- Encouraging each other to grow and take the next step toward their career goals;
- Respecting each other’s viewpoints and differences.
4. Lead with integrity
Integrity - the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles - is an aspect that all companies should foster and celebrate. It's certainly what we do at DotActiv. We've baked it into our DNA - it's one of our values. It's also a key element to our success of having leaders who act with integrity.
Leaders with integrity are trustworthy, open, honest, reliable and always do the right thing regardless of how impossible a situation may seem. In short, they “practice what they preach” and own up to their mistakes as opposed to hiding them, blaming their team, or making excuses.
Integrity includes following company policies and procedures, respecting your colleagues, and appropriately using company resources.
So why do we insist on this? Besides it being the right thing to do, leaders who act with integrity benefit DotActiv by:
- Fostering greater trust and satisfaction;
- Demonstrating positive workplace behaviors; and
- Showing commitment to delivering quality work, displaying more loyalty, and performing better.
5. Uphold DotActiv's values
We all have a role to play, and as leaders, we must align our vision, mission, and values to be successful.
It is, therefore, vital to remember that the behavior of a true leader is not only a reflection of their reputation but also the company. We expect the best from our colleagues, and that includes standing tall and proud and being an advocate for upholding DotActiv's values.
What is necessary to uphold the values at DotActiv? Here are a few things to consider:
- Cultivate a good reputation
Your reputation as a leader is based on more than your performance. A good reputation also stems from being perceived as honest, responsible, reliable, and respectful by your colleagues.
Remember: while it takes time and effort to build a good reputation, you can damage that reputation easily with negative behavior. Because your behavior as a leader influences the company’s reputation, it is critical to act responsibly, respectfully, and ethically.
- Hold yourself to high moral standards
Leaders do what is morally and ethically right and avoid questionable practices. For example, when making decisions, they consider the potential consequences for the company and those who work there.
- Always set a good example
It is your responsibility, as a leader, to be a good role model for anyone you interact with. That includes any direct reports and colleagues in other departments.
It’s worth pointing out that we know that no one is perfect - we all have off days where we struggle. However, if we can strive to do our best on the majority of our days at work, showing our support to those who are struggling, we can build a company that doesn’t just say it has values but lives them out each day.
Conclusion
To be a strong leader, you must understand your motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. Great leaders also connect with their teams by facilitating open communication, encouraging employee growth and development, and being open to giving and receiving constructive feedback.
If we do not give those in our charge the nourishment to grow, we will become a company that can no longer grow. However, on the flip side, when we provide those in our charge with nourishment, exposure, guidance, and support, we can become a company full of leaders, which helps us grow sustainably.
Are you interested in joining the DotActiv team and providing category management solutions to retailers and suppliers from across the world? We’d love to hear from you. You can read up about DotActiv, what we stand for, and how we operate here or apply for any open positions here.
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