Written by Antony Cousins, Chief Executive Officer at Factmata

I just turned 41 and somebody who shall remain anonymous got me this mug as a gift. I don't know if I'm a good boss or not but I do know that if I don't totally suck at it, it's because I've had the privilege of working with some amazing leaders throughout my career.
So I thought I'd take some time to reflect on what they taught me, or rather what I took from them! Here's seven things I try to remember about being a good leader:

1. Don't let the buggers get you down
Whenever you do something new, there's always going to be people who will tell you it can't be done. This is how they make themselves feel better for not having done it themselves. In fact, if you're not being told it can't be done, what you're trying to do probably isn't hard enough! But when they criticise and attack you, don't sweat it. Don't take it personally. It's their issue, not yours. Keep your chin up, keep smiling, and don't panic. Who taught me this? @Pam Healy OBE

2. If you need to shout, you're doing it wrong
This is a lesson I've learned from multiple leaders. If you have to shout, you're obviously trying to make up for that fact your words alone are not powerful enough and you're trying to avoid someone challenging your point. Actually, the quieter you talk, the quieter other people have to be to hear what you say. They have to really pay attention. Who taught me this? @Sir Simon Mayall KBE CB, @Ollie Robbins, Catherine Byrne.

3. Look after your people, and they'll look after your business
There's often a tendency for leaders to expect their employees to care as much about their business as they do, forgetting that the potential rewards for the leader of a successful business usually far exceed the rewards for the employees. Either give your employees a real stake in the success, or don't expect them to be burning the midnight oil for you. I actually learned this lesson in government. I realised back then it doesn't just apply to running a commercial business, it's any endeavour. Care about your people, and they'll care about the mission. Who taught me this? @Jim Macleod CB.



 

4. Keep it simple, stupid."You can enforce security, but you can't enforce stability"

With those nine words I learned a lot. I learned that when you're trying to communicate to whole populations and you're talking about extremely complex issues like the Arab Spring, involving religious, cultural and societal divides super-charged through social media and a broadcast media ravenous for revolutions… sometimes you have to simplify, simplify, simplify if your message is going to get through. Who taught me this? @Dr Liam Fox.

5. Inception is the best kind of feedback

"The problem some young women have in the office is they care far too much what others think of their appearance. The problem some young men have is they don't care enough." This was feedback I got when I was working in the MOD Press Office and taking the 'dress down Friday' rule a little bit far. I looked like an 18th century street urchin (thank you All Saints) but instead of calling me out on it, this feedback gave me just enough to think about to realise the error myself and to correct it. Enabling people to realise a better way themselves is a far more powerful way of correcting behaviour than ordering someone to change. #Inception. Who taught me this? @Sam Keayes.

6. You're never too senior, rich or powerful... to be kind

When you first start your career you need help, support and guidance. You're super appreciative for that help and you really need to be kind to others. As you become more senior you don't need to be kind so much, because there's less obvious consequence for you if you're not. It's a trap I've seen many leaders fall into caused by nothing other than laziness and a lack of self-awareness to the true consequences of not being kind: reduced engagement and productivity from your staff. No matter how senior you are, stay kind. Who taught me this? @Roger Gorman.

7. You get more with a smile than you do with a frown

One of the most valuable things you can do as a leader is create an environment where your staff are comfortable enough to share everything with you including their concerns, their doubts and even their mistakes. One of the simplest and easiest ways to do this is to smile. Literally, just smile when your staff talk to you and watch the impact it has. I also have to say I've learned this lesson too from seeing the opposite approach. Not naming names here! So smile, tell jokes, put your colleagues at ease, it's not a weakness, it's a strength. Who taught me this? Someone I can't find on LinkedIn and given where we worked I'm not sure would want me mentioning her on here!
I also want to give a shout out to a few people that I might not have taken a specific lesson from, but that helped me be better than I was before I worked for them: @Caroline Boughton (for project management... and helping me with the bumptiousness) and @Nick Roberts (for strategy).