Every now and then there’s a moment in time that reflects different milestones and with it, conjures up different outlooks and perspectives. As a temporal milestone, January 2020 certainly fits this description as it reflects not only the beginning of a new year, but also the start of a brand new decade.
On a personal note, it also highlights an important professional milestone – specifically a moment to celebrate both my company’s 10 year anniversary, as well as 10 years of writing my award-winning leadership blog.
Not surprisingly, I’ve been giving the latter a lot of thought over the last few days. After all, writing a blog for 10 years is quite a long time. To put this into context, Twitter will be 13 years old in March and Facebook will be turning 15 in February. Without question, both of these platforms have come a long way, especially in terms of the tangible impact they have on our offline lives regardless of whether or not we actually use these platforms.
Similarly, a lot has changed for me professionally over these past 10 years, as I went from being a writer from Canada sharing his thoughts and insights on leadership, to becoming recognized as one of the top thinkers and speakers in the leadership sphere, the host of a popular and widely acclaimed leadership podcast, and the published author of a highly successful leadership book.
So before I turn my gaze towards the future and what the next 10 years may bring, I wanted to use my first post of 2020 and this new decade to look back on what I’ve shared over the past 10 years so that I might share with you my Top 10 leadership insights to date:
10. Instead of simply asking questions that provide direct answers, leaders should ask questions that allow their employees to share with them their understanding of the problem in the context of how they see the issue. [Share on Twitter]
Read more about this leadership insight here: Leaders, Are You Asking the Right Questions?
9. As a leader, it’s important that you create a culture where employees feel free to challenge assumptions, whether they are their own or yours, without fear of reprisals or finger-pointing. [Share on Twitter]
Read more about this leadership insight here: What The Marshmallow Challenge Can Teach Us About Fostering Team Success
8. Remember, it’s easy to be respectful towards those who share your view. The real challenge is respecting those whose viewpoints challenge yours. [Share on Twitter]
Read more about this leadership insight here: 3 Keys To Successfully Leading Today’s Evolving Workplaces
7. Our failures are not so much an indication of weakness, but an opportunity to improve our understanding of the situation and of what we really need to do to accomplish our goals. [Share on Twitter]
Read more about this leadership insight here: How Can We Learn To Value Failure?
6. Leadership is a learning process that never ends. You’ll never be at a point where you can say you’ve learned it all. [Share on Twitter]
Read more about this leadership insight here: 3 Personal Lessons On How To Succeed At Leadership
5. Leadership is not about you, but about your ability to bring out the best in those you lead. [Share on Twitter]
Read more about this leadership insight here: A Lesson On Bringing Out The Best In Those You Lead
4. Gratitude allows us to see the best in those around us, and how they help us to do and be better. [Share on Twitter]
Read more about this leadership insight here: Why Expressing Gratitude Through Our Leadership Matters
3. Listening is not simply hearing what others are saying. It’s giving them space to contribute. [Share on Twitter]
Read more about this leadership insight here: How Failure Taught Me To Become A Better Listener
2. Our sense of purpose is not simply derived by what we do, but by how we choose to view what we do. [Share on Twitter]
Read more about this leadership insight here: My TEDx Talk – A Personal Journey To Find Meaning In Success
1. The difference we make through our leadership is creating conditions that drive people to aim for greatness because they believe in their ability to attain it. [Share on Twitter]
Read more about this leadership insight here: 4 Questions Every Leader Should Ask To Be Successful