7 Winning Character Traits Of Leaders You Want To Work For
I have been very fortunate in my life in so many ways. One that has often gone overlooked or taken for granted is one that upon further review may be…
I have been very fortunate in my life in so many ways. One that has often gone overlooked or taken for granted is one that upon further review may be the most valuable. I have worked for some outstanding leaders. Unfortunately, for one to recognize what makes a leader great, one also has to work for some who just don't have what it takes. I've done that too. Whether it be on athletic teams that played at some very high levels, or with some of the most successful country radio stations in America, my life has been blessed by outstanding leadership. Here are the "magnificent 7." Success and great leadership go hand in hand. So, as you're looking for a job, or evaluating if you should stay in the one you're in, these are 7 winning character traits of leader you want to work for.
GREAT LEADERS ARE MORE CONCERNED WITH 'GETTING IT RIGHT' THAN 'BEING RIGHT'
This is a big one. How many times have you worked for someone who has one and only one way something could and should be done-their way? That's now how the world works. As my mother always used to say, "There's more than one way to skin a cat." The best leaders I've been around are ones who always have a plan going in, but are more than willing to alter their plan, pivot their direction in the name of success. There's nothing worse than working for someone mired in his or her own myopic way of thinking. Find a leader who wants to get it right more than prove his or her self-right, and you've found a great leader you want to work for.
GREAT LEADERS ARE COLLABORATIVE
This trait goes hand in hand with the one above. I worked for many years in the radio business for a boss who I met with every day, all of his team did. This guy was a creativity fountain. Chances are during that meeting he would ask, "What do you think about ____?" If I thought it was great, I would say so. If I thought something could be added or subtracted to make the idea better, I would say so. And if I thought it was crap, I would say so. In any event, I knew that everything I said would be taken into consideration. Sometimes, he'd take my input and say, "You're right, let's go with that." Sometimes he'd say, "Yeah, I get what you're saying, but I think my way will work better, let's give it a try first." This collaborative spirit fostered a feeling of investment in the final product among all his employees. A collaborative leader is a great leader you want to work for.
GREAT LEADERS ARE DECISIVE
Collaboration is great, but at the end of the day, a great leader must be decisive. A leader who is decisive is one who has taken in all the data and reached a conclusion that he or she feels confident in its success. And once that conclusion is reached, the plan is put into motion. A decisive leader not only is confident, but because so, inspires confidence. A decisive leader is a great leader you want to work for.
GREAT LEADERS ARE TRANSPARENT
In today's world, "because I said so," is unacceptable. Great leaders have NO ISSUE WHATSOEVER with member of their team asking, "Why?" Decisive, confident leaders have no trouble sharing in the methods of operation and why they are so. A leader who is unwilling to allow his team to ask "why" is a leader who has something to hide. And you should hide from these leaders. A transparent leader is a great leader you want to work for.
GREAT LEADERS MANAGE DOWNWARD
There are two and only two motivations for a leader. One is to do whatever it takes to make his or her self-look good to those above (regardless of what it means for those on the team). The other is to do whatever it takes to make sure the team feels protected. In other words, a great leader "has his people's backs" before he even thinks of being concerned for his own. A team that feels like their leader has their best interests is a team that will fight for that leader to be successful. A leader who manages downward is a great leader you want to work for.
GREAT LEADERS ARE QUICK TO GIVE FLOWERS TO THEIR PEOPLE
Is there anything more frustrating than to have something go REALLY right in the workplace because of the combined efforts or many, only to see those with corner offices feel the need to only congratulate themselves and each other publicly? Nothing is more eye-rolling or soul-crushing than to see supervisors crediting each other in company e-mail for work that others did. Great leaders are the first to heap public praise on those who did the work that made the project successful. A leader who is quick to "give flowers" to his people is a great leader you want to work for.
GREAT LEADERS SURROUND THEMSELVES WITH PEOPLE WHO HATE TO LOSE MORE THAN THEY LOVE TO WIN
This is the only winning character trait of leaders that primarily is dependent upon the rest of the team. This means you. Embracing winning is easy. Embracing the grind, the work that goes into winning, is hard. With each victorious moment a leader is looking to those who aren't as much about the celebration as they are about greater victory. The thought of losing is abhorrent to these people. Whatever it took to win, these people are consumed with being better and fully embrace what it will take to do it. Great leaders want people who grind daily and celebrate rarely. Are you one of these people? Then I can promise someone is looking for you to add to the team. A leader who surrounds himself with people who hate to lose more than they love to win, is a great leader you want to work for.
List: Looking To Start A Business In North Carolina? These Are The 28 Best Small Cities For Success
Looking to start a business? Location, location, location is key. And sometimes, many times, the best place to start a business it's not in the big city but in the smaller ones. Of course, this is dependent upon the type of business. Small cities offer often times cheaper start-up costs, as well as less competition. So if you're looking to start a business in North Carolina, you may want to consider a smaller city instead of Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro or another larger one. But which is best?
Our friends at WalletHub compiled a list of the best & worst small cities to start a business in. They ranked 1,300 small-sized cities in states across the country. Cities were scored on 18 key metrics, and those scores were averaged out and compiled into rankings. Metrics included things like labor costs, access to investors, and business environment. One North Carolina city actually cracked the top 10 of those 1,300 cities. And even more impressive is that all 28 North Carolina small cities featured on this list, ranked in the top 50 percent. That's great news for anyone looking to start a business in North Carolina.
Keep reading to see each of the 28 cities and how they ranked in North Carolina as well as where they stand nationally. Want more details? Read the full WalletHub study here.
1. Morrisville
Overall Rank: 10
Total Score: 60.05
Business Environment:35
Access To Resources: 62
Business Costs: 419
2. Asheville
Overall Rank: 48
Total Score: 56.67
Business Environment: 175
Access To Resources: 152
Business Costs: 138
3. Holly Springs
Overall Rank: 50
Total Score: 56.62
Business Environment:140
Access To Resources: 69
Business Costs: 501
4. Wake Forest
Overall Rank: 62
Total Score: 55.68
Business Environment:263
Access To Resources: 49
Business Costs: 418
5. Salisbury
Overall Rank: 70
Total Score: 55.27
Business Environment: 228
Access To Resources: 462
Business Costs: 16
6. Mooresville
Overall Rank: 73
Total Score: 55.14
Business Environment: 243
Access To Resources: 174
Business Costs: 184
7. Apex
Overall Rank: 82
Total Score: 54.75
Business Environment: 274
Access To Resources: 46
Business Costs: 518
8. Fuquay- Varina
Overall Rank: 85
Total Score: 54.68
Business Environment:330
Access To Resources: 56
Business Costs: 215
9. Garner
Overall Rank: 87
Total Score: 54.55
Business Environment:295
Access To Resources: 281
Business Costs: 205
10. Statesville
Overall Rank: 53.32
Total Score: 240
Business Environment:845
Access To Resources: 39
Business Costs:
11. Concord
Overall Rank: 173
Total Score: 52.03
Business Environment: 268
Access To Resources: 488
Business Costs: 258
12. Kannapolis
Overall Rank: 183
Total Score: 51.64
Business Environment:226
Access To Resources: 1031
Business Costs: 162
13. Huntersville
Overall Rank: 188
Total Score: 51.6
Business Environment: 227
Access To Resources: 373
Business Costs: 484
14. Cornelius
Overall Rank: 195
Total Score: 51.43
Business Environment: 311
Access To Resources: 455
Business Costs: 283
15. Gastonia
Overall Rank: 202
Total Score: 51.2
Business Environment: 279
Access To Resources: 1001
Business Costs: 141
16. Chapel Hill
Overall Rank: 236
Total Score: 49.98
Business Environment: 886
Access To Resources: 21
Business Costs: 448
17. Burlington
Overall Rank: 236
Total Score: 49.98
Business Environment: 782
Access To Resources: 469
Business Costs: 65
18. Indian Trail
Overall Rank: 240
Total Score: 49.93
Business Environment:328
Access To Resources: 679
Business Costs: 336
19. Monroe, NC
Overall Rank: 243
Total Score: 49.81
Business Environment: 328
Access To Resources: 679
Business Costs: 336
20. Mint Hill
Overall Rank: 267
Total Score: 49.28
Business Environment: 347
Access To Resources: 783
Business Costs: 325
21. Greenville
Overall Rank: 278
Total Score: 48.99
Business Environment: 854
Access To Resources: 351
Business Costs: 63
22. Jacksonville
Overall Rank: 292
Total Score: 48.79
Business Environment: 773
Access To Resources: 823
Business Costs: 72
23. Sanford
Overall Rank: 303
Total Score: 48.65
Business Environment:997
Access To Resources: 693
Business Costs: 19
24. Wilson, NC
Overall Rank: 308
Total Score: 48.61
Business Environment: 1008
Access To Resources: 284
Business Costs: 64
25. Goldsboro
Overall Rank: 332
Total Score: 48.23
Business Environment: 1192
Access To Resources: 263
Business Costs: 2
26. Thomasville
Overall Rank: 254
Total Score: 47.83
Business Environment:870
Access To Resources: 1118
Business Costs: 51
27. Asheboro
Overall Rank: 417
Total Score: 46.89
Business Environment:839
Access To Resources: 1170
Business Costs: 13
28. Rocky Mount
Overall Rank: 569
Total Score: 45.04
Business Environment:1258
Access To Resources: 386
Business Costs: 58
