How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

Anne Frank

Now that we know that the world will go on and that the doomsday scenario interpretation of the Mayan Calendar didn’t quite unfold as predicted, we still have the opportunity to grab hold of the notion that it might be time to change the standard leadership approaches that we’ve been applying.  The New Year brings with it the opportunity to change the world as we know it and to integrate social responsibility into both our business and life approaches.  What are the ten leadership approaches that will set you apart from the textbook leaders?

1. Integrate fun and play into the workplace.  A Littleton, Colorado-based energy company found that its unwanted turnover decreased from 25 to 5 percent within a year after it instituted a “play policy”.  This will help you get along better with your employees and address the boredom and lack of inspiration that creeps in by employees who are on the verge of disengaging.
2. Develop yourself to develop your business. As the leader, you set the tone for your organization.  A healthy sustainable organization has a leader who is willing to work on himself so he can best lead the organization.
3. Cultivate your corporate culture.  Your corporate culture can ruin, hinder or drive the company’s success.  You have to be willing to take on conflict and negativity in an open fashion to turn it around to where employees feel included, rewarded, enthused and committed to be part of your company.
4. Understand that as a leader you’ve been gifted to serve.  If you want to be a leader, first figure out how you can give back to your team and your community.  By in serving them, they’ll honor you with their loyalty.
5. Focus on both your and your team’s health.  To serve as a fully present and enthusiastic leader requires that you run on a full battery.  When you and your team are physically healthy, you’re mentally strong, which contributes to your own person success.
6. Mentor women to channel their strengths.  Vive la difference!   We’ve been teaching women that they have to kick their Cinderella ways to the curb and be more like Prince Charming in the workplace to move up the ladder.  It’s as if we’re making the feminine something that is innately flawed for the corporate environment.  However, wouldn’t we have much more of a ball (no pun intended!) in the workplace if we allowed both men and women to dance in partnership with their complementary ways?
7. Bridge the generational differences and play to their gifts.  We tend to stereotype employees according to their generation and make the newer generations out to be “lazier, less loyal, and entitlement-thinkers”.    Why not instead focus on the strengths of the individuals and foster the growth of these traits and not the perceived inadequacies of the generational association?
8. Share your knowledge and collaborate. Participate in panels, conferences, networking events and media requests and be a role model to motivate others to jump into action as well.
9. Make your life matter.  Be inspired to use your “day job” as the tool to help you achieve the impact you want to have and achieve major satisfaction in life.
10. Develop your own unique leadership style.  Instead of trying to follow some prescribed cookie-cutter leadership style, make a conscious effort to utilize your own traits and behaviors that make you unique and give you drive.

I would love to hear which approach is most meaningful to you in your own leadership style?  How can you integrate it into your goals for 2013?  Join me in the conversation below.

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