Four things leaders must provide

As you read this, I'm facilitating RAB's Leadership MasterClass in Alabama, thanks to the Alabama Broadcasters Association. So, it makes sense that my thinking and writing are about leadership, right? First, as we are discussing in class, leadership does not require a title. You can be a leader no matter what your position in the organization. These four things are not just for "bosses;" they are for leaders.

In their bestselling book Strengths Based Leadership, coauthors Tom Rath and Barry Conchie explore the topic of leadership through the lens of strengths. This research led them to the conclusion that leaders must embody these four strengths:

Trust: Building trust is the foundation for leading. Honesty, clarity and behavioral predictability all make up trust. Leaders must adopt the trait of trustworthiness and prioritize it as one of their most essential skills.

Compassion: Being compassionate means caring about your followers holistically while seeing them as more than just their ability to perform. Compassionate leaders should be willing to share their struggles and accept the same honesty from others.

Stability: Providing stability looks like creating space where people feel psychologically safe, like they can depend on you to answer their questions, hear their ideas and address their concerns. Communication is key for this trait. Stability emphasizes the current moment, keeping people grounded in the here and now -- knowing they can count on you.

Hope: Encourage people to believe in a better future. While stability focuses on today, hopefulness deals with the future. People need to see that their leaders have a clear direction in mind. When leaders communicate hope, they can help followers feel more enthusiastic about the future.

If leadership is in your path, these foundational traits will serve you well. This is a perfect tie-in to our Friday tip on vulnerability.

Management is managing people and processes, but leadership is a vision and set of values you bring to the organization, no matter your role. If a strong leader is leading you, you know the impact of these qualities. If you're not being led by a strong leader, think of the impact you can have by leading others this way.

Think Big! Make Big Things Happen!

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@rab.com. You can all so connect with him on X and LinkedIn.