RAISING YOUR LEADERSHIP IQ: Salient advice from seasoned execs.

• Author: Beers, Heather
• Position: Leadership

When asked what makes a great leader, Carine Clark, CEO of Banyan, shares, "Someone recently said to me, 'I don't understand why people don't do what I tell them. I'm the boss."' Clark then replied, "You know that Lincoln freed the slaves, right?"

Clark's no-holds-barred response reveals truths she has learned throughout her career as an executive at companies like MaritzCX, Allegiance and Symantec--and lessons she gleaned from her father, a colonel in the U.S. Army.

"My father was always calling out what a leader does, showing us good examples, bad examples," says Clark. "He taught us that a leader may be in charge because of a rank, but people still don't have to follow you. A leader needs to be someone who is an example, who also inspires people. The best leader is someone you want to follow when you don't have to."

From a first supervisor promotion all the way to C-level advancement, leadership opportunities come a-knockin' for many people. But does moving up the ranks necessarily open the door to excellence in leadership? What are common mistakes leaders make--and how can those pitfalls be avoided? How can folks raise their leadership IQ and truly practice great leadership?

Great leaders are ...

It all starts with defining the leadership role. Kevin Ames, director of speaking and training for O.C. Tanner, a Utah-based leader in employee appreciation and leadership, explains that a leader can be 1) a dictator, focused on command and control, 2) a travel guide, leading employees on a valuable journey, or 3) an orchestrator, integrating the talents of different people to succeed with collective purpose, collective power and collective passion. When leaders rise above the base instinct to control others, when they go beyond merely guiding employees, when they ultimately take the baton and empower others to perform in harmony, that's where true leadership takes place.

Leaders also "get results--in a way that fosters trust and credibility," according to Jeff Weber, senior vice president of people and places for Instructure, the Utah-based provider of platforms like Canvas and Bridge. Weber emphasizes that leaders are people who are "open, willing to listen to new and different ideas, and who focus on developing others, believing that the success of others is valued as much as individual success."

This idea of focusing on others is powerful, according to Alex Shootman, CEO of Workfront, a Utah-based project management software company. "Some leaders think, 'What are people going to do for me today?' Then there are leaders who ask, 'What am I going to do for my folks today?' When we see our purpose is to help our folks be more...