Successful Leadership - 7 Guidelines for Top Leaders

Over the decades, Executive Coach Dorette Segschneider has filtered out 7 guidelines that characterize successful leadership.

Jack Welch, ex-CEO of General Electric, was famous for his management rules. They worked so well because they came from his practice. No theoretical 'gobbledygook', instead comprehensible rules from a practitioner. "Rules that come from personal experience - that you feel yourself - that reflect your learnings are so much more effective than the 'copy and paste' of leadership courses," says Dorette Segschneider. "Over the years as an executive coach, she has observed many of these practical leadership skills and formulated her personal top sevens from them:

  1. Take endless time for communication! Communication is key for every manager. Communication needs one thing above all: time! Numerous studies also confirm this by the Bertelsmann Foundation in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering, IAO. "The development of successful communication does not take place overnight, rather step by step. It is precisely this process that I accompany, for example, with the Communication Profile Check based on innovative personality diagnostics, the LINC Personality Profiler. This makes it possible to reflect on your communication style as well as your individual behavioural preferences, to understand them better, and to work out tailor-made development strategies for successful and confident communication - even under pressure - in my coaching."
  2. Transparency and clarity create trust. Whether manager, executive, team leader, or board member - to live up to one's role model function towards employees and colleagues, it is necessary to exemplify transparency and clarity. "Especially in times of pandemic, a top leader should also, for example, make his or her vulnerability transparent and create clarity about what problems exist or need to be mastered in the company."
  3. Active listening instead of merely listening. "Active listening is my personal favourite because listening is the basis for good communication. The other way round, it's also the same: communication quickly breaks down if no one listens," Dorette Segschneider is convinced. "Emotionally intelligent people are often much better listeners. They maintain eye contact during the conversation, listen attentively, ask questions intensively and let their conversation partner finish. Emotional intelligence is the basis of good leadership," Dorette Segschneider continues.
  4. Consciously breaking through routines: Out of the comfort zone is where the magic happens. "This is a classical saying, and at the same time it is paid far too little attention to, especially in these times". The reason is simple: in the pandemic, we are permanently forced to step out of our comfort zone in any case. Many people are simply tired of change. So we look for islands that also function according to old patterns. A death sentence for outstanding leadership," Segschneider is convinced.
  5. Make decisions courageously instead of putting them off. After all, we make up to 20,000 decisions every day - small and big ones, unimportant and relevant. Decision-making is easy - says Prof. Philipp Meissner in his book of the same name. I am also convinced of that. Decision-making also has a lot to do with power and the demonstration of power and self-confidence, which many decision-makers have lost, especially in this difficult situation for many companies. Executive coaching provides excellent added value here. It supports top managers in regaining their self-confidence and being able to act under pressure," adds Dorette Segschneider.
  6. Demonstrate and actively demand entrepreneurial spirit and curiosity. "Many managers are satisfied with their work instead of being entrepreneurially enthusiastic. Yet, most employees flourish when they are involved in an entrepreneurial way. That is why actively demanding an entrepreneurial attitude and curiosity is an effective and fast-acting leadership concept," Dorette Segschneider reports from her experience.
  7. Addressing and resolving conflicts. "Conflicts are swept under the table far too often, especially in times of leadership at a distance. That is a disaster," says Dorette Segschneider. "The good old coffee kitchen has nearly become disused at the moment; the office grapevine has faded away - that's where conflicts pile up. The solution is to address them. In my coaching, I teach the 4-quadrant model (ATTENTION: LINK) - almost a guarantee for conflict-free communication," says Dorette Segschneider.

"Every interaction must count, even the small ones. They are all relevant." Dorette Segschneider is convinced of this.

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