Name: Sandy Colombo

Title: Leadership & Communication Coach

Organisation: Colombo Consulting

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

We’ve gone through the interviews and asked the best of the best to come back and answer 7 MORE Questions on Leadership.

I hope Sandy's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. As a leader, how do you build trust with employees, customers and other stakeholders?

As a leader, show your human side as no one is perfect - be honest, open, and curious. It is important to want to build a relationship with these people as this is a big part of building trust

2. What do 'VISION' and 'MISSION' mean to you? And what does it actually look like to use them in real-world business?

There are lots of "corporate" words that do the rounds, and certain concepts become popular within leadership. Having a vision is about your goal setting, and having a mission is about the milestones or actions you put in place.

3. How can a leader empower the people they're leading?

Empowering others is about understanding them, being curious about them, and motivating them. As a leader, you may have a vision, but can you bring your people along to buy into your vision?

4. Who are some of the coaches or mentors in your life who have had a positive influence on your leadership? Can you please tell a meaningful story about one of them?

I had a Manager back in my 20s who really wanted to see me succeed. Not only in my career but in life and his name was David. David influenced not only me but also my partner with his interest and engagement. He supported us with knowledge and by understanding our strong points, pointed us in the right direction in both our careers. With positive reinforcement and wanting what was best for me, he knew I needed to move on to succeed, and he empowered me to do that - I am still very thankful to him for his help. Reminds me of a book called Tuesdays with Morrie - a great read !

5. Leadership is often more about what you DON'T do. How do you maintain focus in your role?

Goal setting and breaking it down into milestones. Sometimes, if something is too big, breaking it down into smaller steps helps -the best way to focus for me is writing it down, getting it out of my head

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Everyone plans differently. How do you plan for the week, month and years ahead in your role?

Again, goal setting and time blocking - setting up your plan for the week ahead, and ensuring you hit your milestones so that the goals are easier to achieve

7. What advice would you give to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively?

Stop getting in your own way, as that is ego - effective delegation is a big part of Management and leadership. Learning that not everyone thinks like you do and learning to give clear instructions to others is as important as knowing your job. I would suggest practicing by playing a team sport or doing a social team activity - we can learn a lot from teams and from others, so be open to learning. We never stop learning