Build It

5Leadership

Chapter Objectives

In this chapter, we will:

• Explore how the role of leaders is changing rapidly and technology is giving employees power that they never had before.
• Look at the 10 key attributes exceptional leaders demonstrate.
• Examine the role of the high‐engagement CEO.

Key Points

• The world is changing, technology is democratizing power and leaders have to serve their people more than ever before.
• Leaders used to be hired and fired by their bosses. Now, if they lose respect, they can be rejected by the people they lead.
• All of the highest‐engagement companies have engagement championed at the CEO level.
• Many of the traits of the best rebel leaders are connected to building and maintaining trust.

Introduction

I'd love to write a whole book just about leadership, but this isn't it. So in this chapter, we focus exclusively on the key role of leaders in creating an organization and culture that staff want to engage with. It turns out there is a very strong overlap between that and what makes a great leader. At the end of the day, what more is there to leadership than setting direction and creating an environment where people can, and want, to do their best work?

The Role of Leaders is Changing

While leadership has always mattered in terms of your ability to get the best out of people, it now also affects how customers think of your business. The Edelman Trust Barometer found that employees who trust their leadership are significantly more likely ...