What makes someone an exceptional leader? How can you inspire and empower others to reach their highest potential?
Ed Mylett’s leadership philosophy centers on helping others surpass their perceived limitations. His approach combines practical strategies with the understanding that anyone can develop leadership skills through dedication and practice.
Read on to discover five ways to transform your leadership style and create lasting change in your organization and the lives of those you lead.
Ed Mylett on Leadership
According to Ed Mylett, leadership is about helping others achieve more than they could achieve on their own. He writes that, while some people have a natural gift for leadership, anyone can become a great leader with practice.
(Shortform note: The type of leader Mylett encourages you to become is what John C. Maxwell refers to as a Level 4 leader. In The 5 Levels of Leadership, Maxwell defines the fourth level of leadership as People Development. There are various key practices that effective Level 4 leaders do, but the overarching theme is to have a genuine interest in your people’s growth, both professionally and personally. Once you become a Level 4 leader, you can prepare to advance to Level 5, where you develop other Level 4 leaders and create a lasting legacy in your organization.)
Mylett discusses several things empowering leaders do.
1. Rally people to an inspiring mission. Empowering leaders create a mission that encompasses the hopes and dreams of those you lead and communicate how being part of this mission will positively transform their lives. To create an inspiring mission, define what you stand for and against. For example, you might start a food bank with a mission to fight against hunger in your community.
(Shortform note: In The Vision Driven Leader, Michael Hyatt says a company must have both a mission and a vision to be successful. A mission is your current purpose while a vision is what you want to do next. So, consider creating a vision alongside your inspiring mission. Hyatt defines a compelling vision as one that’s extreme and challenging, but not reckless. It should be extreme in the sense that it’s a completely new and ambitious idea. However, it shouldn’t be so reckless that it’s likely to fail or alienate your team or stakeholders.)
2. Reinforce your mission and values. Repeat simple, memorable messages about your values and expectations until they become part of your organization’s culture. This ensures everyone knows their roles clearly and aligns with shared goals. Mylett adds that you must consistently model the mindsets and actions you expect from others. If your conduct doesn’t match the standards you set for your people, they’ll quickly notice the inconsistency and see no reason to meet those standards.
(Shortform note: Boost the impact of your repeated messaging by communicating them across a wide variety of media. In The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, Patrick Lencioni explains that communicating across different media helps team members absorb your messages because people have different learning and communication styles. To accommodate these differences, use both traditional communication methods like in-person meetings and modern ones enabled by new technologies like company-wide email bulletins.)
3. Develop your team. Mylett writes that one team player can elevate the whole team’s performance. Proactively create opportunities for team members to step up as leaders, which boosts their confidence, lightens your load, and uplifts the entire team.
(Shortform note: In The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, John C. Maxwell refers to these team members as catalysts—those who bring fresh energy to the team and inspire everyone to overcome challenges and get things done. They are excellent communicators, passionate about their work, generous, and creative, and they take initiative before others. If you recognize team members with these traits, help them recognize their potential as a catalyst and encourage them to step up as Mylett recommends.)
4. Show you care. Recognize each person’s unique value and show them how their talents fit into the bigger picture. Tailor your approach to what motivates each person most, whether it’s public recognition or quiet encouragement. When you show you care, you boost people’s confidence and help them contribute their fullest.
(Shortform note: The five love languages categorize the primary ways people feel appreciated receiving gifts, benefiting from a service, touch, kind and encouraging words, and quality time. While they’re typically associated with personal relationships, the five love languages can also be applied to your professional relationships. In The Success Principles, Jack Canfield says you can discover someone’s love language by listening to what they ask for, watching how they behave with other people, and taking note of their complaints.)
5. Provide resources for success. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to equip your people with the resources they need to succeed in the tasks you give them. This should be an ongoing process. Similarly, make sure you have the resources you need to lead effectively.
(Shortform note: In an ideal world, we would have all the resources we need to succeed, but this isn’t always the case. In The First 90 Days, Michael Watkins suggests you take the initiative and start a resources conversation with your boss. Identify what resources you already have access to and which ones will require your boss’s approval. Then when making resource requests, help your boss see how fulfilling your request will benefit their interests and priorities. Present your request as a menu of options and clearly link the resources you’re requesting with what you’ll be able to deliver—for example: “If you want this outcome, I will need these resources.”)
