Leadership: Go from good to great

Being a leader can put you on the fast track to success. But not everyone is a born leader—some of us have to work at it. These eight keys to leadership greatness from Executive Leadership can help you reach your full potential:

1. Maintain absolute integrity. If you stick to a code of integrity, people will take notice and respect you for it. “You cannot maintain your integrity 90% and be a leader. It’s got to be 100%,” says Leonard Roberts who has been the CEO of Arby’s and Shoney’s restaurants.
   
   
2. Know your stuff. Show ‘em what you got. Before Stephen Spielberg hit the big time, he was rejected from USC’s film school twice. So he took the initiative to make some contacts, create a short film and prove that he was worthy. Not long after, he was signed to a seven-year deal with Universal Studios.
   
   
3. Declare your vision. People and organizations that have a clear vision in mind of where they want to go have a better chance at success. “When you have a vision and someone comes to you with a convoluted idea, you can hold it up to the vision and ask: ‘Does it fit? Does it fly? If not, don’t bother me,’” says former Southwest Airlines CEO Howard Putnam.
   
   
4. Show uncommon commitment. Find ways to work faster, smarter and better than the rest. Dell Computer Corp. went from zero to No. 1 in six months because Michael Dell was able to save money and time through assembly and distribution deals.
   
   
5. Expect positive results. Even when faced with a disadvantage or obstacle, you can find an opportunity for success. As a leader, you need to be able to find those opportunities.
   
   
6. Take care of your people. When you manage others without bias or predilection, you will not only encourage stronger performance, but you’ll gain their loyalty.
   
   
7. Put duty before self. Good leaders look at the bigger picture. When the Homer Laughlin China Co. was about to go under in the late 1970’s, the company’s owners were ready to call it quits. But they knew if they did, it would destroy their community. So instead, they took a chance and re-launched the old Fiesta design. They are now the largest pottery company in the U.S.
   
   
8. Stand out in front. Go ahead and set big goals—you can achieve more than you know. Take Peter Ueberroth, who ran the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, for example. He claimed that the games could make an outrageous profit of $15 million (remember, this was 1984). Ueberroth hit the pavement and negotiated sponsorship contracts worth millions. He dug in and made himself accountable, and when the games ended, they had made $215 million in profit.
   

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