Matt Gray is a well known Youtuber and content creator. He is also the founder of Herb - the largest and most engaged cannabis community in the world of over 14 million people.
Previously he founded Bitmaker, which trained full-stack software engineers and got them jobs at companies like Shopify, Facebook, and IBM. Bitmaker was acquired by General Assembly.
Guest Author: Matt Gray
I’m 34. When I was young, I wasted years and opportunities not knowing what great leadership looked like. Learn from my mistakes. 21 clear signals you have a great leader:
Do Not Fear Vulnerability
They open up about personal struggles and frailties. They have a deep understanding of the power of authenticity, and aren’t afraid to be judged. A great leader shares their battle scars with wisdom and humility.
Inspire Action Without Coercion
Great leaders rally people around a shared vision of a future that they can all build towards. They connect through narrative and imagination, not orders. They inspire, rather than dictate.
Lifelong Learning
They have an insatiable appetite for growing their knowledge. They turn every interaction into a learning experience to expand their mental models. This compounding knowledge fuels creativity and vision over decades.
Focus on Systems
They understand that scale and speed rely on repeatable systems. Ensuring that when others fail, your processes don’t. They eliminate the roadblocks and friction obstructing collective progress.
Take Complete Personal Accountability
They own their mistakes, learn from them, and ensure the team does too. This responsiveness cements respect, trust, and followership. No finger-pointing.
Are Talent Magnets
A-players want to work with them because they create environments for people to thrive in. They architect ecosystems and incentives that make heroes out of talented outliers. This unique ability to galvanize all-star teams is irresistible.
Give Credit Publicly, Often
They praise individual and team wins at every opportunity. They see recognition as the fuel that keeps others going. This momentum compels top players to keep reaching higher.
Criticize Privately & Thoughtfully
Feedback is thoughtful, kind, and helps the person grow. This preserves dignity while enabling vulnerable reflection and guidance without the social stigma. A leader who puts others in a negative spotlight is no leader.
Role Model Expected Behaviors
They embody ideal values and behaviors first before asking others to adopt them. This grounds the vision in reality rather than setting hypothetical expectations. They walk the talk.
Serve Others First
Serving others is their true north. They pursue missions greater than pure self-interest and lead by lifting up those around them. Alignment to something bigger than themselves is their greatest asset.
Have No Ego
They check their ego at the door and focus on how they can help their team win. They put the achievements of the collective ahead of individual praise. This is a magnet for collaboration and long-term partnerships.
See Strengths Clearly
They discern the unique genius of others even when they can’t see it for themselves. They know how to connect people’s talents to roles where they’ll contribute most. Always look beneath the surface to find hidden potential.
Coach Constantly
There’s a difference between lecturing and coaching. They take the time to understand what others truly need. They ask tailored questions that strengthen critical thinking and understanding without dependence.
Listen Intently Listening > Speaking
They make people feel heard, valued, and understood. They view listening as the highest leverage skill to develop alignment.
Welcome Challenge
They invite critical feedback and know that’s how they’ll grow. They challenge the status quo routinely and encourage contrarian viewpoints. This immunizes against echo chambers and stagnation.
Take Intelligent Risks
They understand that innovation requires calculated risks. They’re bold in seizing data-backed opportunities with asymmetric upside. Fortune favors the brave.
Build Trust Through Reliability
They do what they say they’ll do, every time. They cultivate a reputation for reliability by consistently delivering results. They let their outcomes speak for themselves.
Measure Output, Not Input
They care about outcomes achieved, not facetime. They know that results are the currency of business, not promises and hours spent. And they know that what gets measured, gets improved.
Develop Other Leaders
A leader’s greatest responsibility is to ensure that others rise as high as they possibly can. They prepare others to carry the torch and expand the circle of light. That’s the secret to self-managing teams.
Walk Away From The Crowd
They have un unbreakable conviction in their inner voice. They’re not blinded by external validation or swept away by herd mentality. An anchor in a sea of sameness is a powerful force.
Great leadership isn’t a title. It’s action and example. They stand for lifting others higher and have the courage to be vulnerably human. How will you step up?
Check out the original tweet here.
