To motivate and retain employees, especially in a challenging market, leaders must shift their perspective from 'they work for me' to 'I work for them.' This servant-leadership approach involves genuinely caring about your team's well-being and success, which fosters loyalty and improves performance.

A one-size-fits-all management style is ineffective. Leaders must practice 'situational leadership' by tailoring their approach to each team member's specific experience level and career goals. This means treating a senior employee differently from a junior one and focusing on the unique support each individual needs to grow and succeed.

Effective leadership prioritizes people development ('who you impact') over task completion ('what you do'). This philosophy frames a leader's primary role as a mentor and coach who empowers their team to grow. This focus on human impact is more fulfilling and ultimately drives superior business outcomes through a confident, motivated team.

Effective leadership isn't about one fixed style. It’s about accurately reading a situation and adapting your approach—whether to be directive, empathetic, or demanding. Great leaders know that leading senior executives requires a different approach than managing new graduates.

When a big-picture leader communicates with a detail-oriented team, friction is inevitable. Recognizing this as a clash of communication styles—not a personal failing or lack of competence—is the first step. Adaptation, rather than frustration, becomes the solution.

Many leaders mistakenly manage their team as a single entity, delivering one-size-fits-all messages in team meetings. This fails because each person is unique. True connection and performance improvement begin by understanding and connecting with each salesperson on a one-on-one basis first.

A coaching-based leadership style is valuable for engagement but can fail in ambiguity. When a team struggles to find a "red thread" connecting their work, the leader must switch from asking questions to providing a clear, assertive frame and setting direction.

Many leaders focus on having the correct analysis. However, true leadership requires understanding that being right is useless if you can't persuade and influence others. The most successful leaders shift their focus from proving their correctness to finding the most effective way to communicate and achieve their goals.

There are no universal leadership traits; successful leaders can be introverts, extroverts, planners, or chaotic. What they share is the ability to make others feel that following them will lead to a better tomorrow. This emotional response is what creates followers, not a specific checklist of skills.