Being a leader in your organisation is a position of great responsibility. However, we’re constantly bombarded with imagery and literature that demands we ‘be the best leader we can be’, but with every leadership style under the sun promoted as THE leadership style to improve organisational cohesiveness, efficiency and effectiveness. It’s difficult to know where to start…
One of the most important things to remember about being a leader is that you need to lead and manage at the same time.
Being a manager is the process of getting work done through other people, but being a leader is about inspiring and influencing others and leading by example. Here are some of my top tips for helping to effectively and successfully inspire and engage with your team:
One. Acknowledge your Strengths
You are in a position of leadership for a reason, and though it’s easy to feel imposter syndrome every now and then (when you second guess your ability to perform your role), it’s important to remember that you have been chosen to be a leader as a result of your unique skills and experiences. Harness these and use them to help inspire and motivate and help your team so that they can also benefit from your knowledge.
Two. Understand your Weaknesses
We can’t be good at everything, so seek advice and/or support if and when you need it. This could be from a fellow member of the leadership team, or a member of your team who excels in a certain area. Research suggests that leadership styles that allow for successful delegation of authority achieve higher growth in sales and operationalise in a more professional way (2), so sharing tasks based on personal strengths and experience can prove beneficial to the whole team.
Three. Work on your Interpersonal Skills
Communication is central to an effective team. Learn how to listen to your team’s feedback and concerns and be aware of the way that you interact with your team. Professionalism, positivity and constructive advice can help to ensure that your team feel supported and respected in the workplace.
Four. Get to Know your Team
As I mentioned earlier, your team all have unique strengths and different experiences that give them a range of professional and personal skills. By learning about your team, engaging with them positively and celebrating their achievements, they will feel both visible and valuable.
Five. Be Authentic
We often see gurus telling us to be; authentic, however, authentic doesn’t always mean that we must share our feelings and emotions all of the time – it means that our actions need to align with our words and values and that we demonstrate trustworthiness, competence, commitment and inspiration for those around us. When we aren’t authentic, colleagues and customers alike can identify ‘fake’ characteristics, and these can contribute to mistrust.
Six. Be Proactive
A good leader isn’t just reactive when issues and problems occur, by being aware of what’s happening in the business or department they can often see the potential of these issues arising, and therefore can be proactive in tackling them.
Seven. Listen
Listen to your team’s ideas and recommendations – and concerns – and take steps to address them, if appropriate.
Eight. Keep Learning and Developing
Being a good leader is a process of continuous development – not just something that can be implemented after reading a couple of articles about effective leadership styles! For me, the key to good leadership is being an effective communicator and ensuring that your team feel both trusted and respected, but the other recommendations above can also prove highly beneficial as you work towards enhancing your own leadership skills.
2 Wang, Y. and Poutziouris, P., 2010. Leadership styles, management systems and growth: Empirical evidence from UK owner-managed SMEs. Journal of enterprising culture, 18(03), pp.331-354.
Steve Radcliffe has written a great book, Leadership Plain and Simple
If you’re looking for support, click here to peruse our development programme for leaders.
