Tips from the top on how to become a good leader

Feb 3 2009 by Karen Dent, The Journal

LEARNING to lead from the front and inspire your staff are skills it is worth cultivating. We asked some of the North East’s top entrepreneurs for their tips on how to become a successful leader.

Michael Bates from consultancy Walton Bates Associates, based in Durham:

“Being true to yourself. Allowing brilliance to flourish without being threatened. And always trying to hire people who are better than yourself.”

Sir Peter Vardy of Sunderland’s the Vardy Group of companies:

“A great leader is someone who has a vision of where they want the business to go and is able to develop a strategy of how to achieve it. Great leaders have the responsibility to look after their employees and that includes their families and the greater community. I developed a role to train teams and created an environment where people feel proud and looked after. Heads of organisations must remember that good people will not follow poor leaders. It is incumbent on any leader to constantly develop their leadership skills by reading good books and attending seminars.”

Simon Pearson of the Pearsons Group recruitment and marketing company in Middlesbrough:

“I found communication to be everything. You’ve got to be a people person and you’ve got to set standards that you can lead people by. Intuition and resilience is very important and you have to inspire others. Also at the end of the day, when times are tough you’ve got to have a sense of humour.”

David Gillam of Spinnaka Ltd, a group co-ordinating a UK network surveyors from its base in Newcastle:

“You need to be decisive; people do not generally like people dithering. I think whether you are right or wrong, sometimes you have to make a decision and get on with it. People want to see that you are committed and have direction. I think what helped me to become a good leader was not panicking, because in financial services industry there is a lot of panic and staff look up to people with cool heads.”

For more How I ... tips go to www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk , which is inspired by the Entrepreneurs’ Forum