Striving to Break Things: The Key to Disruptive Leadership

A disruptive leader can come in many forms, but in general it is someone who’s always looking for better solutions and ways to create new processes. It’s someone who changes the way people think and is able to keep an organization on track while making changes with delicate balance. Disruptive leaders are always looking for ways to improve products, systems and businesses and are not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom.

What does it take to become a disruptive leader?

As Steve Jobs said, we’re all here, “to put a dent in the universe”. The key is knowing how to do that and how to do it effectively. Impactful disruptive leaders have many traits including being fearless in pursing the truth & adaptable.

Key traits that all successful disruptive leaders Possess:

#1: Brainiacs: As mentioned above, they are life-long learners. While many successful disruptors have PhDs, some didn’t finish college. What they all do however, is continue learning. Be it through workshops, courses, reading or however else you learn, it’s important to keep fresh and keep challenging yourself.

#2: They’re Empathetic: Disruptive leaders understand that their choices might cause uncertainty for those around them and they try to calm colleagues’ fears and reassure people who might take more time getting on board.

#3: They are comfortable with uncertainty: The hardest thing is to sit with is the unknown, but disruptive leaders are able to do that. They are comfortable with uncertainty and times of change and are able to keep people focused even amid chaos.

#4: Generate great wealth for Stakeholders: Disruptive leaders are able to earn big bucks for their shareholders, board members and employees.

#5: Push accepted boundaries to the limit: This can come in the form of behavioural, cultural, legal and ethical boundaries and can reap big rewards. However, it can also cause problems if not reined in from to time.

#6: They are rule breakers: Disruptive leaders question the way things have been done and look at ways to improve things. This sometimes means breaking the rules and being unapologetic about it.

#7: Seek inspiration everywhere: Disruptive leaders look for insights everywhere, often in unexpected places. They ask excellent questions and listen even better to the answers.