10 Things Good Leaders Do!!

I've had good and bad leaders influence my career. I've thought about all the qualities that make up a good leader, and while its hard to always do them I've got the top ten. Everyone has different experiences so these are based on my own experiences, good and bad.

1. Treat employees the way they deserve to be treated. You always hear people say they deserve respect and to be treated as equals. Well, some may not want to hear this, but respect must be earned.
2. Inspire your people. Inspire people by sharing your passion for the business. By knowing just what to say and do at just the right time to take the edge off or turn a tough situation around. Genuine anecdotes help a lot. So does a good sense of humor.
3. Encourage employees to hone their natural abilities and challenge them to overcome their issues. That’s called getting people to perform at their best.
4. Build team spirit. Great groups outperform great individuals. And great leaders build great teams.
5. Take the heat and share the praise. It takes courage to take the heat and humility to share the praise. That comes naturally to great leaders; the rest of us have to pick it up as we go.
6. Delegate responsibility, not tasks. Every leader delegates, but the crappy ones think that means dumping tasks they hate on workers. Good leaders delegate responsibility and hold people accountable. That’s fulfilling and fosters professional growth.
7. Tell it to people straight, even when it’s bad news. One of the most important things any leader can do is to man up and tell it to people straight. No sugarcoating, especially when it’s bad news or corrective feedback.
8. Manage up … effectively. Good leaders keep management off employee’s backs. Most people don’t get this, but the most important aspect of that is giving management what they need to do their jobs. That’s what keeps management away.
9. Pay people what they’re worth, not what you can get away with. What you lose in expense you gain back several-fold in performance.
10. Take the time to share your experiences and insights. Labels like mentor and coach are overused. Let’s be specific here. People learn from those generous enough to share their experiences and insights. They don’t need a best friend or a shoulder to cry on.

These are my top ten, any thoughts??