Many leaders are not natural-born leaders. Many leaders end up in the role of being a leader because they have been good at their job and with promotions comes more money and more responsibility and quite often the management of a team. Being a great salesman doesn’t mean that you are necessarily a good leader, being great at your job doesn’t necessarily mean that how have the skills to show someone else how to be great at theirs and being great at your job doesn’t automatically mean that you have the skills to encourage, empower, lead and to manage other people, it doesn’t mean you know how to deal with their problems or their struggles. Being a good leader can be a difficult job, it is a balance, and there is an art to it. If you are in the position where leadership has been sprung upon you, and you need to master the art of leadership, then look no further and follow these top tips.
Shutterstock Licensed Photo – By Matej Kastelic
Put Yourself In Others’ Shoes
The one thing you definitely do have is that you have been in your team’s position before, so you should be able to understand them, and this is the first step to being able to influence or persuade anyone. You need to learn what it is that drives other people, what it is that they are afraid of, what they need, what they want and why they react the way they do in certain situations. It’s important to see a situation from perspectives other than your own. Jozef Opdeweegh, CEO level leader and consultant, says: “During your entire leadership tenure, it’s important to be relatable and approachable. Work to be humble, kind and authentic. You are human, and there is something very endearing about sharing stories about how you have faced challenges in the past and how you have successfully dealt with them. They need to see somebody who is fair, inclusive and open to new ideas. You are nothing more than a member of the team who is there to support his co-workers.”
Learn How To Motivate Your Team
If you want someone to do something, then the key is to get them to want to do it too. The easiest way to motivate people is to speak in terms of their needs and wants. Communicate how this task will benefit them; for example, talk about “what’s in it for them” and make them see the value of the task. Also, never order someone to do anything. Coercion is not leadership.
Empower Others
Some people will follow some leaders to the ends of the earth, and that is because in doing so, they feel empowered. It’s important to encourage your followers to reach for their highest potential and to believe in themselves. You can do this by believing in them first. If you could be the one to show somebody the person who they were born to become and help them get there, they will look up to you, they will feel empowered by you, and they will respect what you have to say,
Dedicate Time to Learning
Anyone who is in a great leadership position has got there because they are highly competent. They are highly competent because they have dedicated their time to a higher level of learning, growth, and improvement. If you want to excel in your leadership position, then you should dedicate 15-30 minutes each day to learning something new. This could be reading a book, listening to a podcast or audiobook while on your commute or watching a TED Talk. Don’t just settle for knowing “how” to do something. Go further and ask questions, ask “why?”
Master the Art of Communication
As a leader, it is essential that your communication is simple, clean, and clear. Examine both what you write and how you speak to people and make sure that simplicity and clarity are top of the list. Don’t overcomplicate things by using too many words, don’t use jargon and words that people don’t understand – it doesn’t impress anyone, make sure you are relatable and that the person you are talking to understands. One of the other most important things about being a good communicator is being able to listen. Not just hear what someone says to you, but actually, listen and take on board what one of your team members has said.
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Surround Yourself with Great People
Great people don’t always mean like-minded people; it’s important to have a good mix and a strong inner circle. Make sure that you spend time with people who have a variety of different positive attributes and people that challenge and inspire and encourage you too
Be Committed and Responsibility.
Leaders who are not committed and responsible will end up leading no one, as no one will follow them. Great leaders are people who recognize that part of their job is being ultimately responsible for all successes and failures.
Develop A Positive Attitude
It’s important to have a positive attitude and to immerse yourself daily with motivational literature, positive people, and inspiring music or art. If you can condition your mind to be more positive on a daily basis, you will find that winning will be a daily reward of your life.
Play To Your Strengths
While it’s important to play to your strengths, don’t ignore your weaknesses, improve them too. A huge part of leading people is knowing what it takes to bring about the result you desire most, and then finding ways to reinforce that behavior positively and productively. Quite often, it’s best to start by researching and to see what works well for other people. Look for what makes you tick and what works for you, but then don’t be afraid to try different things with your team members and employees. If one method isn’t working, then try something else until you find the way each person responds and works best to.
Use Different Leadership Styles With Different People
Following on from that, we know that managing people can be a difficult task, so knowing how and when to change your leadership style to fit the current challenges of your business can also be difficult, but necessary. Some employees will respond well to milestones and targets, while others will require different motivators.
What Would Another Great Leader Do?
Do you have favorite leaders that you look up to or even someone who has led or influenced you to become who you are today? Sometimes knowing your leadership type isn’t enough. One of the best things you can do as a leader-in-training is to make a list of your favorite leaders. They don’t even have to be great business leaders–maybe they led a cultural revolution or excelled in the military. Then, look at the list and see what traits they all have in common. How do those traits tie into their goals and passions? What kind of techniques did they use to grow with their crew or staff? Now, find ways to apply successful tactics from your favorite leaders to your own company.
See what works, what doesn’t, and adjust accordingly.
Make Self-discipline A Part Of Your Lifestyle
What is it that you want to be better at? What do you need to improve? What is going to benefit you overall? Maybe a better diet or exercise routine? Getting up one hour earlier? Being smarter with your spending? Learning something new every day? Whatever it is, stop making excuses and start developing habits that will mean that self-discipline will become an integral part of your life.
