Being a leader has nothing to do with your years of experience or position. It is a mode of thought. It also has to do with your career and personal behavior. A leader is both a coach, a visionary, and a decision-maker.
Leaders’ behaviors and attitudes toward their team members have a direct influence on company culture, employee engagement, and an organization’s ability to attract and retain talent.
Not everyone is born with leadership; it is a skill that can be learned and developed, just like any other. It is crucial to realize that a leader’s effectiveness is also impacted by the level of influence and support they receive from their team members.
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Never assume that just because you are in a leadership role, your coworkers will follow your example and value your opinions. Your immediate supervisor already has your back since they hired you. You need the help of your peers, teams, and direct reports.
Anyone looking to progress in their career or move up from an individual contributor job into a leadership position can embrace these 11 leadership abilities, traits, and qualities.
1. Show appreciation, recognize, and give credit
Prominent leaders publicly express gratitude and appreciation for the achievements of their team members. The establishment of a pleasant work atmosphere is supported by kind remarks and showing appreciation for team members’ efforts.
To inspire employees to provide their best work, they need to feel that they are on the right track and that their efforts will be appreciated. Seek ways to acknowledge and celebrate your team’s successes, even if it’s only with a “well done.”
Continue consistently and purposefully. Continuous praise and appreciation for insignificant things may come off as phony and even demotivate individuals.
2. Paying close attention
After leaving Apple in 1985, the late Steve Jobs claimed to have returned as a more capable and modest leader; former Apple CEO John Scully mostly credited Jobs’ enhanced listening abilities.
Setting ground rules and implementing new procedures for managing various work processes are crucial, but it’s also critical to take a step back and listen to your team. A effective leader has to know what is going on with their team and the company in order to make informed decisions.
Being a great leader is a prerequisite for being an excellent communicator, and effective communicators pay attention. Effective leaders are proactive and astute listeners. Being an active listener requires maintaining eye contact, never interrupting, and utilizing nonverbal cues like nodding to show that you are paying attention. Employees want to be heard, not ignored or, worse, patronized.
3. Make use of clear communication
Having the capacity to communicate clearly, concisely, and tactfully is essential for effective leadership. Communication is more than just paying close attention to what other people are saying and responding appropriately.
It also means sharing enlightening information, asking intelligent questions, soliciting input and creative ideas, dispelling myths, and being transparent about your objectives. Additionally, the most successful leaders utilize communication to inspire, motivate, and give their team members confidence.
4. Show commitment
No one likes to work under a noncommittal boss or for a noncommittal team. You have the ability to foster the type of team spirit that distinguishes a great team from a poor one as a leader. A committed leader is more likely to gain the trust of their team. Importantly, showing commitment maintains a strong sense of teamwork.
5. Acknowledge failure
Successful leaders welcome failure as an opportunity for personal growth since it is an essential part of success. Recognizing your failures, whether they be individual or group obstacles, is helpful since it motivates your team to improve.
You may encourage your team to embrace failure by publicly acknowledging your mistakes and sharing how you have grown from each event.
6. Make an investment in your group’s future.
Workers require a well-defined plan for career progression. A capable leader provides opportunities for their direct subordinates to assume leadership roles and organizes their growth paths within the company. Leaders should invest in their team by giving them respect, growth opportunities, and rewards for exceptional work.
Team members are empowered and given a stress-free atmosphere in which to practice leadership when they are given opportunities for low-risk, entry-level leadership. Demand innovation from them, hold them to high standards, and encourage their inventiveness. Along with clear objectives and due dates, provide your team the freedom and authority to decide how the work is finished.
These options might be as simple as leading a meeting or planning team-building activities, which can greatly increase the confidence of your group. Through these exercises, you may also remark on their leadership abilities.
7. Adopt a sympathetic attitude
Empathy is a hard quality to quantify. Being empathetic entails being able to see and understand events from the viewpoints of workers with different degrees of seniority within the company, as well as how their actions impact other members of the organization. It also suggests that the leader has the ability to see beyond in order to inspire, encourage, and uplift employees at all levels.
The necessity of empathy in an organizational context was highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlighted the importance of compassionate leadership and showed how encouraging managers and their staff to communicate honestly and openly has a direct impact on workplace culture. A compassionate leader creates a psychologically safe environment where employees feel free to bring up delicate topics.
8. Be truthful and upright
A leader that grounds their decisions, actions, and relationships with others on their values is exhibiting integrity in leadership. They are known for their morality, constancy, honesty, and steadfast beliefs in good and evil. They are reliable, keep their word, and communicate with others in an open, direct, and honest way.
9. Maintain objectivity
An objective team leader is one who can understand opposing viewpoints during a debate or discussion while still coming up with solutions that are targeted at reaching certain objectives. Objective leaders may also consider external factors to make fair decisions that are acceptable to the team as a whole. Team members will also comprehend that justice and fairness, not individual preferences or other factors, are the basis for decision-making.
10. Lead by example
The greatest way for a leader to gain the respect and trust of others is to lead by example. Set an example for the conduct you want other people to follow. If you have high expectations for your employees, you should be ready to hold yourself to a high standard. Your team will be more inclined to follow your example and have greater faith in you if you behave and talk in agreement.
11. Describe their perspective
Having a compelling corporate vision and effectively communicating it may help maintain a high level of employee engagement and advance the firm. A visionary leader has a clear idea of what they want to achieve, how to get there, and what success looks like.
Give your staff a clear and enthusiastic explanation of your vision so they understand how their job fits into the overall scheme of things. Pursuing your concept with zeal, persistence, and tenacity will inspire others to do the same.
Set clear goals for the team that will encourage early and regular vision sharing. When team members ask for your opinion, share it, and don’t be afraid to make tough decisions. The more resolute and transparent you are, the easier it will be for employees to support your goal.