Utah Business magazine went behind the scenes with Mike Weinholtz and five other Utah executives who shared what they consider the top 10 leadership traits successful leaders need today. Some highlights include:
Humility/Transparency
“I’ve included ‘openness/transparency’ on my list because I believe people become more committed and engaged when they know what their leaders are thinking and feeling—especially in times of crisis or uncertainty. Last year, the economic crisis caused us to undergo serious cost cutting to align our cost structure with the new realities of the business. We openly explained the situation and engaged all 1,200 of our people in brainstorming sessions with their teams to help us come up with cost-saving ideas. They came up with over 1,000 ideas that resulted in over $3 million in cost savings for the company. Moreover, they felt valued and respected for being asked to be part of the solution. The trust that we built with that approach was probably more valuable, especially in the long-run, than the $3 million we saved.”
Integrity
“I believe the most important quality a leader can have is integrity. People want to know that their leader can be trusted; and that they will be treated with fairness and honesty. Leading with integrity fosters trusting relationships that inspire people to do their best. The importance of this leadership quality gets reinforced every time I have to make a tough decision that might otherwise be met with skepticism. If people believe that you’re always going to do the right thing, they’ll trust your decision even if they don’t immediately agree with it.”
To read the entire article, click here (free registration required to view articles on Utah Business’ site).
