When cooking up a 5-star, multi-course marketing strategy, leadership traits are the key ingredients, never to be left out or substituted. In fact, for us Amebas, it’s a main ingredient in the recipe for YES. Leadership, by definition, distinguishes both you and your brand, from the mundane and ordinary — instead elevating you to the enlightening and indispensable — and who wouldn’t want a piece of that? So, belly up for the leadership qualities you need for both yourself and your company — we’ve got them hot and ready to be served.
After long and hard trials, deliberation, and tests for taste, we have found the three main ingredients for leadership qualities that are best to be applied to marketing practices for you, your company, and your brand. Are you ready? Here we go…
A sprinkle of trustworthiness, a dash of respect, and a smidge of adaptability. Yes, that’s it! But let us explain a bit further.
Leadership Qualities for Yourself
Trust
Think of the great leaders you know. Thought leaders, executives, teachers, and so on. One thing they all have in common? They check in with people, engaging with the others around them. So when it comes to being a leader in your company, show your team that you are there for them, ready to offer guidance and support, as leaders do. When your team knows you are there for them, it builds a bond of trustworthiness and an authority they can count on.
Respect
Beyond checking in with your team, check in with yourself too. Be self-aware and humble, always willing to learn, no matter how much you think you already know. If you find people hesitant to reach out to you for help or questions, address members of your team directly to let them know you are available to them. When you act like a leader, you soon find that you have become one. Before long, people will start following you, backing your ideas, and coming to you for advice. When this happens, you have gained the respect you crave.
Adaptability
Having the confidence to ask for feedback, while being open and receptive to criticism, is part of being not just a good leader but a great one. Always be ready and willing to learn. When something is not going right, accept the problem and focus on solutions. Get ready to stray a little bit from your original plan to take feedback into account, adapting to the needs of your team and the situation your company is in. Adaptability means surviving and thriving, for you and your role in business, not just for Darwin.
Leadership Qualities for Your Brand
Trust
When it comes to your brand, becoming a leading company is about finding your mission and sticking with it. Consistency is key to being a trustworthy brand. Show your values loud and proud and stick with them. Take into consideration the needs and wants of your consumer. What do they care about and how are you willing to address it? Think following through on what your marketing promises and a willingness to stay on top of corporate social responsibility. When you follow through on your promises to yourself, your customers, and your community you have trust and loyal customers.
Respect
Give your audience something that they can agree with and get behind. Whether or not your product is one that a given member of your target audience is ready to purchase, ensure that your marketing campaigns allow them to respect what you are offering as a brand, recognize its value, and recommend it to a friend who needs something along those lines. Respect for your brand promotes not only awareness, but an overall positive overtone to your company as a whole.
Adaptability
As aforementioned, being consistent is the hallmark of recreating any amazing recipe — and of course it’s no different here. But, being too consistent means you become predictable — which translates to bland — throwing off the whole recipe. You have to know when your customers are getting a little too comfortable and add in a bit of extra spice to keep it exciting. Don’t be afraid to stray a little from the norm to capitalize on your uniqueness and be bold in your campaigns. Anticipate the trends and take them on, head on.
Much like how one pinch too many of your favorite spice can make your dish inedible, be careful not to overdo it. Leadership qualities are a delicate balance of trustworthiness, respect, and adaptability — or what we like to call, the recipe for YES. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but who are we to give out our secret ingredients… For more YES in your life, connect with us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
