Australian Institute of Management CEO Daniel Musson reveals secrets of good leaders and how to steal them for yourself

THEY’RE not perfect and they won’t try to please you either. Here are the key traits of top executives and how you can steal them for yourself.

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ARE good leaders born or made?

It’s an age old debate that has no real answer, despite the scores of training schools and self-help books on the issue. But there’s no denying good leaders are in command of a few certain skills that can elude the rest of us — earning them a fat pay cheque and lots of kudos for their troubles.

The Australian Institute of Management CEO Daniel Musson leads an organisation that provides business and management training to everyone from multinational corporations to small companies. He said while most leaders aren’t perfect, there are a few behaviours that can set them apart from the rest.

Here are some of their key attributes you can steal for yourself:

THEY HAVE A VISION — Whether you’re running the local fish and chip shop or a global grocery chain, the main thing that sets good leaders apart is having a blockbuster vision.

“Taking something that might seem quite complex so people can absorb that and act becomes a skill in itself,” Mr Musson said.

“The world is very complicated. Consumer processes, technology, everything is creating this uncertainty and lack of clarity. The technical skill is breaking that vision down into achievable steps that people can buy into and execute against so they feel that’s achievable.”

THEY MAINTAIN NETWORKS — Communication is a skill so often talked about and so rarely done well. Mr Musson said good leaders will keep connected with everyone in the organisation through their ‘manager once removed’ i.e. — the people two steps below or above you which will ensure everyone from the cleaner to the CEO is on the same page.

“That is one of the things a really practical leader will do to make sure that vision is getting through,” he said.

THEY EMPOWER OTHERS — You might think being the top dog means doing everything at once, but Mr Musson said a crucial trait of good leaders is the ability to get out of the way.

“If you’re operating at a level where you’re providing strategic direction and vision you can’t be doing customer service as well. Don’t try to do everything for everyone,” he said.

Instead surround yourself with the best staff who can balance out your weaknesses and make a strong team.

THEY KNOW WHERE THE LINE IS — Sometimes leadership is about sparking ideas. Sometimes it’s about squashing them before they take hold. A good leader will know the difference.

Mr Musson said there’s a fine line between fostering creativity and getting stuck making every decision by committee so bosses need to be comfortable with the fact they’re always in charge.

“That’s what your job is, to provide the decision and direction [but] that doesn’t mean you have to be cold and detached. You don’t necessarily need to know the ins and outs of a person’s life but showing an interest in the real life part of what they’re doing whether it’s family or friends, positive or negative things, that’s a really helpful way for people to connect both.”

“My view is you can never forget you’re the boss. At one point you’re the one who’s going to make the tough calls.”

THEY AREN’T PEOPLE PLEASERS — “I’ve never met the perfect leader” said Mr Musson, who has worked with lots of inspirational people throughout his career but said “no one has this whole thing nailed.”

Instead of trying to be all things to all people, good leaders acknowledge who they are and try to be authentic.

“The best thing they can do is really be sure about what they stand for and what are the types of things people would like to say about them, That could be smart and intelligent or engaged. It could be charismatic, it could be being a technical expert. That’s really the trick I think is authenticity, that starts with knowing who you are, what your strengths are and how best to deploy these.”

THEY’RE NOT PERFECT — The saying ‘done is better than perfect’ holds a lot of weight when it comes to management. Mr Musson said he’s seen countless careers stall because people are waiting for all the stars to align rather than getting on and doing something.

“A common mistake is trying to analyse a problem to come up with the perfect solution instead of acting.”

“Having a great plan executed is much more effective than having a perfect plan that never gets started. That’s what leaders want, they want people to make good decisions and clever decisions and stay within the law. Action is such a powerful tool.”

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