Good Leaders Empower Their Employees

“Are you a boss or a leader?”

That’s one of many questions posed by Dr. David Vik in his book, “The Culture Secret: How to Empower People and Companies No Matter What You Sell.” In it, he focuses on the keys to creating an inspiring and sustainable company culture.

The book is broken down into the many elements that are vital to building a positive company culture, including having a vision, purpose and values.

One particular chapter from the book that stands out is titled, “This Is Empowering and Passing the Torch — Leadership.” It’s now featured in our IT Downloads library for you to download and read at your leisure. The chapter makes you think about the differences between being a manager and a leader. Don’t think there’s a difference? Well, Vik argues that “Managers have power over people, and Leaders have power with people … “ And being a good manager doesn’t necessarily equate to being a good leader.

So what makes a good leader?

Of the many qualities a good leader demonstrates, trustworthiness is one of the most important. If you don’t have the trust of your employees, you can’t lead your team. It’s as simple as that. Vik offers the example of an employee looking to speak to her manager in confidence only to find out that her manager turned around and shared their private conversation. Eventually that kind of behavior leads to bad morale, and that can be detrimental to any organization.

If you’re trying to improve on your leadership skills or are looking to incorporate a solid leadership program in your organization, be sure to check out the book excerpts below from our IT Downloads section. Each one offers a different perspective on how to build solid leaders from the inside.

‘Leadership, Teamwork, and Trust’ Excerpt: Authors Watts Humphrey and James Over explain concrete and necessary steps for reshaping the way in which software development is conducted to gain competitive advantage and realize remarkable returns.

‘Millennials into Leadership’ Excerpt: ‘Millennials Into Leadership’ is the ultimate handbook for Millennials aspiring to be respected, effective young leaders at work. This excerpt is of the book’s introduction.

‘The Trustworthy Leader’ Excerpt: Co-founder of the Great Place to Work Institute, producer of “The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America” rankings, Amy Lyman poses the question: “How do leaders from the best workplaces build trust in their organizations?”