Lead by example

Dear leaders, you must lead by example and as such you should never ask anyone on your teams to do things you haven’t done in the past or anything you wouldn’t do today. While you may not be as good as others on your team in a particular area (out of practice), it is essential to demonstrate your willingness to …

Leadership is not a popularity contest

Leadership is not a popularity contest. Privileges of leadership come with responsibilities to make decisions that positively impact the lives of the majority and the firm as a whole. It is very rare that you will be able to make decisions that will be well received by everyone, by 100% of the people impacted by that decision. With that in …

Surround yourself with amazing people

Promote, encourage and even demand learning and exchanges of ideas across your organizations and your teams. As I often say, best ideas must win and as such it is essential for leaders to create environments where it is safe to fail, safe to dissent and have respectful, collaborative conversations. Surround yourself with amazing people. People who are passionate, excited and …

Don’t jump to conclusions

Our vantage points and perspectives differ and they matter when making decisions which is why it is important to do your best to understand as much of the environment as possible. Understand what and who influences decisions. As you progress in your career, your priorities and responsibilities will change and so will your decisions. It is important to do your …

You are only as good as your team

Your team matters a lot, even more than some of you might think. They matter as much as you do (if not more in some instances) as their actions, values and contributions speak volumes about you, their leader. Your job is to select (attract and retain) the best people you can, provide them needed resources then get out of their …

Proactively recruit the best people

As I like to say, focus on people first, they matter the most. This is essential when leading your current teams and it is also of great importance when recruiting new employees. Don’t rely on the traditional way of hiring and finding talent. Posting a position on your HR website (in addition to few other websites) is no longer enough …