I have been asked this question a lot lately…how do you know if you are a Unicorn leader? It’s kind of the in thing right now.
Let me share this email I recently received. See if you can relate.
Dear Sylvia,
I am in a position where a fabulous job just opened at my company and I WANT IT!!
Can you give me some talking points so when I apply for the job, I will stand head and shoulders above the rest?
It’s head of sales for a global company. I know my stuff, so the skills are there. It’s a matter of ‘selling myself’ to the right people.
Any extra help would be greatly appreciated.
Signed,
In a Hurry to Succeed
My response to “In a Hurry to Succeed”
It sounds like you have found your ‘unicorn job,’ the one that has it all. Now you need to take your excellent sales background to sell yourself.
Time to show everyone at work that you are a unicorn leader.
Here are the questions to ask yourself to make sure you qualify for that prestigious label.
- Are you intellectually curious?
- Are you flexible?
- Are you excited about the change process?
- Are you comfortable shaking things up for long term good?
- Can you see the big picture and still pay attention to the details?
- Can you stay centered during turbulent times?
- Are you able to work well with others?
You need to be able to answer ‘yes’ to the above questions.
You see, being great at sales and leading a sales, (or any other type of team) depends upon how aware you are of your skills and talents and even beyond that, how you handle relationships.
The key to ‘selling yourself’ is in how well you can convey your ability to produce results without creating dissension and chaos with your team. Remember that leadership is a team effort – you cannot achieve greatness alone. You do best when you model respect.
That means being able to listen and respond without blame, judgment, or attacking others.
Hold your team accountable and yet, find a way to make the workday fun as well as challenging. That’s the magic of being a unicorn leader.
Unicorn leaders are extremely rare. They shatter expectations, take businesses to the next level, and people love being in their presence.
That means you really take the time to break through any outdated behavior patterns that would get in the way of you being spectacular at strategy, execution, and listening to as well as encouraging others.
Okay, Hurry to Succeed, do your homework on both your internal and relationship areas and the big job will be yours. If not sure, contact me for a complimentary strategy session. You’re almost there.
