My name is Barry Banther, and I want to welcome you to the Leader’s Gift blog.
In our first entry here at Leader's Gift Blog , I want to introduce myself to you, give you a brief overview of the leadership qualities explained in my book, A Leader’s Gift, and tell you what kind of content you can expect to see here.
I have decades’ worth of experience as a business leader, corporate executive, and public servant. I consult and train with the leadership teams of Fortune 100 companies, including Pfizer and Rockwell International. I’ve been the lead consultant on over 400 leadership development engagements and have written over 50 leadership-training programs that companies use worldwide. In my experience as a leader, I learned the hard way that when leaders put others first, they themselves become more valuable to their team and their company than any authority or job title could ever mandate. I’ve identified five qualities that aren’t things leaders have, but rather things they give away—freely and frequently—to everyone they lead in the workplace.
The gift of being open to others: Being open to the real people you lead in such a way that they will place higher value on the relationship they have with you and be more prone to preserve it through improved performance.
The gift of investing time in others: Choosing to invest time in your employees as a priority in your workday so that your employees know that they are important to you.
The gift of listening to others: Being the kind of boss who solicits the opinions of those who work for you, suspends judgment, and conveys your genuine interest in each of your employee’s thoughts.
The gift of offering encouragement to others: Encouragement allows our employees to break through barriers, gives them confidence to complete the job at hand, and helps them remove unforeseen obstacles.
The gift of expressing appreciation in others: Being the kind of leader who is constantly trying to catch his or her associates doing something right.
This blog will be a place to find information on these leadership qualities and how to use them to become a lasting leader; discussions about various challenges faced by leaders; ideas for self-improvement that will carry over into your professional life; as well as ideas for incorporating these gifts into your personal life. In presenting the information found in A Leader’s Gift and at this blog, I have aimed to show you how to become not only a better leader but also a better partner, better parent, and better friend. I warmly welcome you to this journey and am confident that I can help you discover your gifts as a leader who earns the right to be followed.
