Evan Williams' Secrets - How to be a Better Leader
What distinguishes ordinary leaders from great leaders is their style of doing things. Some people were born natural leaders, with most qualities that make a great leader. Others learn the ropes of leadership in the line of duty. At the end of the day, your leadership title does not matter, what matters is your personality as a leader. What then can you learn from Evan Williams, the cofounder of Twitter on leadership?
Williams’s journey is an indication that everybody starts from somewhere. According to Williams, the greatest mistake that leaders make is taking a bossy seat, knowing that their juniors will work everything out. That kind of attitude is a recipe for disaster since it does not bear fruits. Leaders know that employees are their greatest asset, and your number one fans.
Great leaders should harness a sense of trust with their subjects. They are the people behind the scenes doing all the work, as the leader receives accolades for success. Employees for instance, have the power to make a leader shine or rust. According to Evan, creating an atmosphere of trust is the best way to make people open up to you. Trust is best developed by making people see that you are on the same level, as a team instead of pulling a bossy attitude.
Pressure is bound to mount on leaders to perform. Having your ambitious and priorities right is the best way to tackle some aspects of pressure. Instead of quickly bounding to pressure, great leaders look at the bigger picture to make smart decisions. Sometimes, it never really is about the money or huge numbers, but about sticking to a strategy for a great overall outcome.
Williams’s leadership is proof that a good leader should be passionate and consistent in their work. Williams is persistent and passionate about technology, the internet, and his company. From blogging, to being cofounder of twitter and now C.E.O of medium, William always aims at getting things better and moving. This consistency and passion towards work is a source of motivation for employees to channel their inner passions and target to be the best.
According to Williams, a better leader should be aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Before being a leader, you are human first. Williams exercised his awareness of this by stepping down as C.E.O of twitter and having someone replace him. Being a hands on leader, he knew a behind the desk job was not a perfect fit for him; he wanted to do the dirty work. He therefore took an initiative of stepping down for someone with C.E.O traits persona.
Having spent more than a decade creating communications tools, Williams discovered that a great leader should have a keen eye for details. Leaders should pay attention to even the tiniest of details. Unfortunately, most leaders tend to assume the small details, which usually make a huge difference. Great leadership calls for putting all factors into consideration before making any conclusions.
Being a great leader is an art that continues to gradually evolve. Influential leaders like Evan Williams have set the right pace for great leadership. It is never too late to learn.
