19 Leadership Experts Share Their Single Best Tip

Good leaders all have one thing in common: They know how to seek advice.

It's a bit like parenting. No one who raises a child for the first time understands the job perfectly. You have to keep learning and growing. These experts know the drill. They've written about their experiences in leadership, spoken in front of mass audiences, and honed their skills over many years.

Here are their single best tips, exclusive just to this list.

1. Don't hide anything from employees.
"Your team can tell if you're hiding something. It makes them uncertain or suspicious, both of which you don't want. Lay out the rules of the game as you see them with your team. Let the team know where they are; work on a plan to go forward. Keep individuals up to date on their status as it relates to the group. All this forces you to have and share your vision, which is what makes you a great leader in the first place."

—Tony Scherba, president and founder of Yeti

2. Show empathy in tangible ways.
"You can't just be sympathetic and try to be liked every time someone comes to you with a problem or concern. But you need to be able to understand the problems, as well as that person's point of view. You can't just dismiss them out of hand. And if you're able to see things from their point of view and truly be empathetic, you'll be able to frame your response in a way that will prove you've heard them, and also answer their specific concerns. They might not always be happy, but it will lead to more acceptance if you have to tell them something they're not eager to hear."

—John Turner, the CEO of UsersThink

3. Learn how to lead the younger generation.
"Leaders of younger generations are from the most social generation in history. They are in constant contact with peers and family through iMessages and social media sites. But they are also highly isolated because so much of their relational contact is through technology. This has led to poor people skills, low emotional intelligence, and the inability to handle interpersonal challenges. Leaders should work to build relationships one-on-one. A helpful way to do so: Join industry or peer communities to take advantage of meeting and networking in person. Not only will this help their professional development but also help them learn to communicate on a level playing field with those of various generations and years of experience."

—Tim Elmore, a speaker, author and president of Growing Leaders

4. Don't be afraid of the truth.
"Be willing to look at the truth, no matter how uncomfortable. That includes truths about yourself, your product, your people. If your product stinks and your people aren't performing, pretending that just ain't so won't change anything. At the same time, don't beat yourself up. Just look at it, address it, and move on."

—Katherine Hosie, Powerhouse Coaching Inc.
5. Think like Swiss cheese.
"Be candid with yourself and acknowledge what you know and don't know. Select supportive team members who possess the skills necessary to take the business in the right direction. See yourself as a piece of Swiss cheese — know your holes and add others (slices) whose substance, when layered on your slice, eventually creates a solid, firm unified block of cheese. A single slice of cheese with its many holes can easily be pulled apart, but a solid block is very difficult to pull apart."

—Richard J.Avdoian, the president and CEO of Midwest Business Institute, Inc.

6. Be human, not humanoid.
"Humanoids show (and feel) no emotion at all. Ever. They are incapable of it. You may think there is no room for emotion in the workplace, but think again. There's already emotion there — too bad much of it is negative. Let some positive emotion flow between you and your people. Get to know them better ... and let them get to know you better. People will go to the wall for people they know, like, admire, and respect. But if they don't know the first thing about you (or vice versa), how can they feel as though they know you, or have a relationship or anything at all in common with you?

Humans truly connect with each other on a personal level, not a business level. You don't have to be "best buds," but you must have at least a few human elements in common in order to effectively work together to accomplish common business goals. One way to be more human is to realize that simply saying, 'Hello, how are you?' each morning does not constitute a relationship. Get out and talk with different people occasionally; ask about their families, pets, hobbies ... and share yours. Remember their names (and the names of their significant others/children/pets); ask about a tough situation they've gone through. When they know you really care about them, they will care more about you, and this will bridge the divide and help eliminate the 'Us' and 'Them' mentality."

—Sandy Geroux, the CEO (Chief Entertainment Officer) of WOWplace, International

7. Never forget your responsibility.
"My best leadership tip is to think of leadership as a responsibility as much as an opportunity. Effective leaders understand that they are responsible for everyone that they are leading, and consider that responsibility as the main concern of their position. If you ever lose empathy for, and dedication to, the people you are leading, you are not being a leader."

—Michael Talve, the founder and managing director of The Expert Institute

8. Get comfortable in dynamic environments.
"In today's dynamic and uncertain business environment, the most successful firms are able to act quickly and decisively in response to change. Strong self-efficacy, high achievement, autonomy, and the ability to take decisive actions in the face of uncertainty and dynamic environments are critical capabilities for an organization. Preparing individuals to evaluate a dynamic environment and act in the face of uncertainty is a particular strength of the military and it should be a priority for executive training programs. It all begins with having a clear vision and a specific mission that empowers people to act in alignment with the company objectives."

—Damian McKinney, the CEO of McKinney Rogers and author of "The Commando Way"

9. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.
"Leaders find success when they create teams composed of people who are experts in their areas, and many times, smarter than the leader who's hiring them. Great leaders give them room to grow and innovate. These are the leaders who people want to work for. Unlike the micromanager leader whose insecurity leads them to create teams that include people 'just like them.' These teams may make the leader feel comfortable, versus challenged for the purposes of creating the best work."



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