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At Cydcor, we know that becoming an effective leader does not happen overnight. It takes effort to learn and practice crucial leadership skills in order to be efficient. Still, people can point out effective leadership when they see it. There are great leaders who naturally become successful, but there are also certain traits that they share. These are a few characteristics of what it takes to be an effective leader.

Optimism

It’s difficult to lead without believing that one day, you will succeed the way you want to. Leaders must have some sort of optimism to keep their hunger for success alive. People will always follow a person who dreams big and knows that everything they want can one day be achieved. Optimism is a trait of leadership that is constantly overlooked but can be effective when trying to gain the trust of team members. Leaders should always be preparing for the future, while still focusing on the present.

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Look Out for the Team

Leaders must move and think quickly, but they must also take time to pause and pay close attention to how their employees are doing. As a leader, you can’t prepare yourself to lead more effectively if you don’t know what is really happening with your team members. Always be on the lookout for evidence of their state of mind and what support they need to reach success and fulfillment in their work.

Constant Preparation

If a leader fails, it’s usually due to their lack of preparation. When an opportunity is missed, it’s often because a leader did not plan for themselves or their employees to see and seize it. Preparation requires accountability and is a responsibility with multiple factors. Every leader sees through a different lens – therefore, they should know what the short and long term preparation demands are for their employees and the business to be successful

Self-Assessment

An effective leader should always be giving employees a critique to see if they can find improvements in any areas. By looking at what the team is doing correct and what they need to work on, leaders can better identify with a team. Checking in with ourselves is never a bad idea.

Make Tough Decisions

Without fail, leaders are called on to make choices that impact both their organization and the people they lead. People want to follow a person who weighs all the options. In other words, good leaders make important decisions based on what’s best for the organization -- and they make them confidently. You will have to make a tough call from time-to-time, but with the right amount of sureness and groundwork, anything is possible.

Description of this book: In Over Our Heads by Robert Kegan is an exploration of the mental demands in modern society.  The book discusses how we are overwhelmed with expectations about our roles from work, family and media experts.  It then goes on to discuss how we might navigate all that stimuli into a productive, happy life.  The book showcases how we often feel overwhelmed and what happens to our brains in those situations, then how to cope.  Kegan, a professor of psychology and education at Harvard, approaches the topics of the book with empathy and strong teaching skills.  He believes that emphasizing adult development is as important as childhood development.

Cydcor recommends this book to career professionals because: This book discusses communication and techniques for processing information.  Specifically, there are sections that cover work and interpersonal relationships, but also cover parenting, childhood, and learning.  The book will show what to look for when seeking and hiring for jobs, how to communicate your ideas and receive communication, and how our brains learn new things and cope with stress.  It is important in the workplace to master conflict resolution, learning all aspects of the job, and getting along with your team.  Kegan writes about how to navigate those relationships and scenarios.

Our favorite part: The book is written at a high level and full of good research and communication studies.  The chapter called Dealing With Difference breaks down management styles and shows examples of communication for each style.

Cydcor is a leading sales company that specializes in face-to-face relationships and professional development.  Would you like to see more tips and advice on becoming a strong leader and building a successful Career? Find all of our inspiration on the Cydcor Pinterest Page.

Professionalism is a way of behaving in a business or work setting that shows others you are reliable, knowledgeable and authoritative.  At Cydcor, we pride ourselves in instilling top standards of professionalism for our team members, especially when they are in the field representing clients.  Cydcor team members love to have fun at work but also know that basic professional behavior is a key to success.

Many employers refer to professionalism as “employability skills” or simply technical and verbal skills.  According to a survey by York College of Pennsylvania last year, many human resource managers reported that professionalism has decreased significantly in recent years.  Researchers cited that casual attitudes and a culture of entitlement are the main reasons why young people are coming off as less professional.

Generational gaps in the workplace may be to blame for the sentiment as well.  In the age of the start up, many young people are finding jobs where they can act as though they are spending time with friends instead of entering a professional setting, but that style does not work for every work environment.  Regardless of what is considered acceptable, being more polished and professional is always impressive, and it is advantageous to have a professional persona for business situations.

Being consistently on time and delivering expected results is the most important part of being professional.  Instilling confidence in employers and clients that you can be relied upon will improve your work performance and increase your good reputation. Being on time and delivering results are values that Cydcor champions for our workplace.

Wardrobe can be a touchy subject, but how you present yourself will say a lot about you to a client or employer.  Basic grooming and hygiene is important to appearance, but wearing quality clothes that fit well, are pressed and clean will also show that you take pride in your work.

Improving you vocabulary and grammar is also an excellent way to communicate that you are a skilled professional.  You can improve your speech by joining a local Toastmasters group and improve your writing skills with a class or by reading books such as E.B. White’s The Elements of Style.

Would you like to join the Cydcor fleet of sales professionals? Find us at the Cydcor Careerbuilder page for open positions.

 Everyone has friends that say, “Oh I just watch the Super Bowl for the commercials.”  Indeed, big game advertising is easily the largest ad-spending day of the year, up 70% in the last ten years.  Between production cost and airtime, one ad can cost a company $10 million to air.  As a sales company, the team at Cydcor is fascinated by the tactics companies take to build their brands, and the commercials are informative as they are fun. Here are our takeaways from Cydcor:  

Social Media is huge.  Brands and Twitter users live-tweeted the game, commenting immediately on the commercials, sending companies real-time feedback. Many were hoping to strike lightening and garner new followers and make headlines the way Oreo did last year.

‍Generation Y loves nostalgia and sarcasm.  From the hilarious “commercial that never was” online campaign from Newcastle to seeing the men of Full House on a Chobani ad, the marketing this year was clearly targeted to children of the 90’s.  

People will engage with your brand for a chance to win.  Esurance led the biggest post-game trend by announcing it was giving away $1.5 million to a tweeter using the hashtag #EsuranceSave30.

‍Puppies are still a viable tactic.  Even one of the most masculine brands could not resist using puppies as a ploy.  The adorable story of a puppy that is best “buds” with the iconic Clydesdale horse was enough to make anyone swoon.  Sometimes just being cute pays off.

‍The bigger the purchase, the bigger the ad.  Car commercials were the biggest production, featuring Jaguar comparing their product to the cunning and precision of British villains and James Franco being dramatically awesome for Ford.  It makes sense that companies asking consumers to make such a large purchase would have the most memorable ads.  It’s a good reminder that larger sales prospects require more effort.

What did you learn about sales and advertising this weekend? Did you have a favorite commercial? Let Cydcor know on Twitter!

Back to Basics was Cydcor's theme for the 2014 Keys to Success conference in San Antonio, Texas last weekend. Cydcor holds the Keys to Success event every year as an annual kick off. The meeting announced awards and promotions for Cydcor team members, and recognized achievers in our network of independently owned sales companies. Cydcor team members and other sales professionals got the opportunity to network and see the sights in San Antonio.
The Back to Basics Conference for Cydcor reviewed what it takes to be successful in the sales and marketing business. Inspirational stories on staying persistent and effective at work was shared across tables and on stage.  Guest speakers encouraged sales teams to stick with it, take care of your people and never give up.

Cydcor had a great time in Texas and the team is looking forward to a great year!