You might be a successful leader. But are you memorable?

If you start reading this blog, I believe it is because you are an ambitious professional who cares about your leadership potential.

Great leaders are the most memorable. These people are known to be the agents who trigger a transformation in the company and strive to leave an everlasting legacy and not just a positive mark. They are successful in developing the business and the people.

According to the sought-after leadership expert, author, and marketing professor John Davis, five behaviours characterise a memorable leader:

1. The Brand Ambassador

A memorable leader is a good brand ambassador – meaning they are a good representative of the company. They are what the company wants to be reflected as.

2. The Imaginative Ambassador

A memorable leader can solve problems using innovative methods. They do not make judgments before understanding the problem. They are always curious and love finding new facts. At the same time, they are confident in making decisions.

3. The Knowledge Ambassador

A memorable leader understands the broader market. They are also known as ‘street smart’. Besides their great knowledge about the company and what it offers, they are also willing to listen to other people’s inputs and ideas.

4. The Relationship Ambassador

A memorable leader makes others feel important and relevant. They value their relationships with their staff and clients and treat them as people, not as transactions.

5. The Experience Ambassador

A memorable leader plans and creates an unforgettable experience for their stakeholders. Be it on a product the company is offering or a casual one-to-one conversation with their subordinates. They can easily create a conducive atmosphere that does not intimidate anyone.

Out of the 5 points I mentioned above, there is no one particular point that is more significant than the other. They are equally important. A combination of the five of them describes a perfect leader. Unsurprisingly, not a single person in the world possesses all five behaviours perfectly. However, there are a couple of people who demonstrate all of them very well.

The first person that comes to my mind is Chip Conley, the founder of the successful Joie de Vivre Hotels. Besides his innovative idea in transforming a ‘boring’ concept of hotels into ‘exciting’ boutique hotels, he is also very empathetic in his leadership. Chip Conley is a great example of a good imaginative, relationship and experience ambassador.

The second person is the current CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi. She was named by Forbes as one of the ten most powerful women in the world. As a leader, she has great knowledge of her business. She is exceptional in building relationships with her colleagues, subordinates, clients, and shareholders. Every quarter, she writes a handwritten letter to her executives’ family members expressing gratitude for their support despite the long hours of work and travel.

So, do you want to be a memorable leader for the right reasons? Training, practice, and also a good MBA program can help you to become one. But, in the end, it all depends on your willingness and dedication to apply these values in your life.

Here are some points for you to ponder:

• Are successful leaders equal to memorable leaders or vice versa?
• Is a company’s success measured only on financial terms?