Despite the general myth that some people are born natural leaders, leadership skills can and are taught around the globe every single day.
From those that are just starting out with a new business venture with zero leadership experience to individuals that have been working at management level for decades and want to up their leadership game to transform their teams to a productivity powerhouse, knowing what makes an effective leader is the first step to becoming one yourself.
In this article, we’ll be examining some of the skills and traits that successful leaders have in the modern workplace and provide a few pointers on how you can up your leadership game today.
Show & Tell
If you’re failing to lead by example, you’re doing yourself and your team a huge disservice. Expecting those that look to you for direction and motivation to do something that you are unable to or unwilling to do yourself shows that leadership might not be for you. Now is the time to start showing as well as telling others what to do if you want to stay in your current position.
Practise the basics such as good timekeeping, respect for others and professional dress codes. Remember that your attitude and behaviours create the baseline for your staff; show them what you expect by holding yourself to the same standards.
Boss Vs Leader
What’s the difference I hear you ask? A boss barks orders and expects staff to do as they say, whereas an effective leader inspires and motivates their team to meet a series of goals and objectives.
To show that you’re a true leader, you need to become comfortable in crediting others on a job well done instead of basking in the glory yourself. Step away from the dying boss mentality culture that still remains in the dark and dingy corners of some businesses and instead praise and reward staff when necessary. Recognition is a powerful tool.
Work on your emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence has become increasingly important in the workplace in recent years, with those who are able to manage their own emotions and identify them in others highly prized in most organisations.
Being able to detect the emotions of team members and knowing how to effectively deal with a range of situations can help resolve conflict and bring about change where you might encounter resistance. Be sure to check out my recent post on emotional intelligence for more tips and advice[RA1] .
Set limits – and stick to them!
Effective leadership is so much more than simply doling out work and expecting others to get on with it. Many managers and CEOs are now finding that they need to be on hand to offer emotional support to members of their teams and find ways of making life a little easier for their workforce.
Although a considerate and caring leader is well-liked by their team, you might find that some employees try to take advantage of this kindness. To avoid this, it is essential that you set limits while still being available to your staff during times of crisis or increased pressure both in and out of the workplace.
This can be a real challenge for even the most effective of leaders, but knowing where to draw the line is a sign that you’re on your way to striking the right balance.
Learn from the past
There’s a reason you’re reading this post, right? You might have had a not so positive experience when trying to manage your team or have seen poor leadership from others in the past as you’ve made your way up the corporate ladder. Whatever the reason, these experiences all have something to teach you – so listen up!
Using these lessons from past experiences can help you bring your leadership skills up a notch, so whether they are good or bad, make sure you take something away from them and use them to power your own progress in the future.
Never stop striving for improvement
All the best people understand that they are still very much a work in progress, so why should being a leader be any different?
Understanding that self-improvement never stops is key to being the best leader that you possibly can be. This is also the way to inspire your staff to get started on their very own road to self-development. Take the helm and show staff that you are willing and ready to keep on learning to benefit the business, the team and (most importantly) yourself.
Stand up for your staff
We all have our own responsibilities to take care of at work, but when things don’t exactly go to plan, the worst leaders throw their team under the bus and refuse to see their failings as a reason why key objectives haven’t been met.
Good leaders stand up for their teams and this, in turn, nurtures trust, loyalty and motivates staff to work harder to support their leaders. Don’t be a jerk if things go wrong as you’ll lose the trust of your workforce forever.
Instead, take a long hard look at the reasons why targets have been missed and look at ways that you can make improvements in your leadership to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself. Sure, you might find yourself in for a grilling from the people at the top or your most demanding of clients who was depending on you to get the job done, but it’s a small price to pay if you can keep the support and loyalty of your staff.
Get your hands dirty
When the going gets tough, don’t head off for a business lunch! Show your staff that you are ready and willing to jump in to get the job done when circumstances dictate instead of asking others to work overtime. Showing that you can muck in proves that you aren’t asking them to do anything you would be unwilling to do yourself and helps to reinforce the bond that any good leader should have with their team instead of creating a ‘them and us’ mentality that can create a rift.
