Successful Leadership Is Aware and Ambidextrous

… (and likely will) fail at some point. When that happens, don’t punish them. Like the best athletes, our teams and individual performers can and must train to work on weaknesses to compete at a higher level now and in the future.

As the definition of “ambidextrous” suggests, you can do better by “using both of your hands” and exploring the new possibilities and ways of thinking that can set your company up for growth. Successful leaders are present, aware and compassionate. They focus on their employees and listen, without getting bogged down in extraneous detail, and they manage through diversity by bringing humanistic values to the forefront.

The twin practices of being aware and ambidextrous have paid off handsomely for our company, helping us adjust our trajectory, drive innovation and transform from a firm with flat revenues into a dynamic industry leader. We’ve become a high-growth organization by focusing on optimism and preparation, emotion and pragmatism. By being aware and ambidextrous, your organization can excel, too.

To sum up, the top 4 “dos” for successful leaders are to:

1. Be present.
2. Be aware.
3. Be compassionate.
4. Be confident.

And what are the top 4 “don’ts”?

1. Don’t put your head in the sand, becoming so self-focused that you are not watching trends and changes in your environment.
2. Don’t be arrogant and talk more than you listen.
3. Don’t be fearful and avoid taking chances.
4. Don’t punish risk-takers; if you do, you will in effect be supporting the status quo.

Atul Bhatnagar has been president and CEO of Cambium Networks since early 2013. In that time the company has increased its global business footprint, focus on customer support and retention, and worldwide market share through disruptive, innovative broadband wireless solutions. Previously, Bhatnagar served as the president and CEO of Ixia, where he enabled strong revenue growth by pursuing high-growth adjacent segments such as LTE and Wi-Fi testing and simulation.