5 Things Great Green Businesswomen Leaders Do

Roxi Hewertson, President & CEO of the Highland Consulting Group, is an expert who helps emerging and entrenched leaders excel. She lays out five winning behaviors that show up consistently in leaders who succeed.

1) Read/understand own emotions and recognize the impact on self and others

Great leaders know what pushes their buttons. They know where their passions lie. They know how to manage themselves and others in times of high stakes emotion, crisis, conflict, and when backs are to the wall. Great leaders know their impact on others matters regardless of intent. It all begins with the amount of emotional self-awareness you demonstrate, which others around you use as a cue. By developing an accurate view of, and aptly managing, your own emotional responses to situations—and the ways in which you impact others’—the rest of your skills and talents will be duly magnified and leveraged.


2) Know one's strengths and limits

Great leaders surround themselves with people who are smarter and more experienced in areas of their own personal gaps.  The best leaders understand they can never know and do everything. . . and don't pretend that they do. Instead, they recognize what they are really good at and leverage those skills, spending time doing what they do best and continuing to learn in areas where they are not as accomplished.  When you understand what you know, don’t know, and how you tick, you can more readily understand how to lead others to their highest potential, honoring their unique needs, motivations, strengths, and challenges.


3) Know and have a good sense of one's self-worth and capability

There is a big divide between confidence and arrogance. Confidence comes from a strong sense of self-worth and self-awareness. Arrogance comes from fear in many cases and a sense of entitlement in others. The best leaders are very confident in what they know and can do from an objective view, rather than an assumed view. A sure sign of this quality is when others say, "I always know and respect where (s)he stands, even if I disagree."


4) Think and act with optimism - seeing the "upside"

There are two kinds of attitudes in the world—those who think and act through the lens of abundance, and those who think and act through a lens of scarcity. Great leaders go for solutions, new ideas, and silver linings, even in the worst of times. They thoughtfully navigate their staffers to a better place—often to places their subordinates didn’t even know or believe possible. The best leaders will tell the truth even if the "sky is falling" and then shine a light on the path to get everyone to a better place.


5) See and seize opportunities for contributing to the greater good

Great leaders have an achievement orientation that is laser focused on the greater good. The highest caliber set will say, “Win/Win or no deal.” And, “How can we use our resources to achieve the greatest good?” They proactively look for ways to get the best for the most, even sacrificing their personal agenda to achieve a greater overall solution or result. Great leaders believe in a shared vision and continuously drive to the best outcome for the most people involved.

Hewertson concludes, “Most leaders and others can learn, develop, and increase their own emotional intelligence. It takes assessment, self-motivation, learning, awareness, practice and feedback. Improving one’s emotional intelligence is a life-long journey—one that great leaders relish!”

Leadership authority Roxana (Roxi) Bahar Hewertson, CEO of Highland Consulting Group, Inc., has spent her entire career revealing myths and honing truths as to what makes a leader successful in their role…or not. Revered for her no nonsense, nuts-and-bolts, tell-it-like-it-is approach, Hewertson helps both emerging and expert leaders boost quantifiable job performance in various mission critical facets of business, including service, sales, education/training, productivity, and profits, to achieve or exceed organizational and career goals. She may be reached at www.highlandconsultinggroupinc.com.

See her article on five failing behaviors that show up consistently in leaders who fail.