What differentiates between one setting the pace and one following it?
It may seem obvious but “leader” and “follower” are clearly expression of a same concept and in a way share a connection because they do not exist without each other.
Why is this concept fundamental for a leader? Because if you are not able to tell apart the two stages, you don’t know where to focus your energies at the risk of not achieving the next stage, which is a common situation in working context.
Becoming an effective leader requires, among the others, understanding how to build a team that follows you and motivates them to produce for the company.
To do this, it is first necessary to understand what identifies a true leader: what are the characteristics that identify an effective and recognised manager?
Effective leadership is not the same as good management alone. In order to effectively run an organisation, management must be able to plan a strategy, communicate a vision, inspire others to action, and solve problems. If you want to be effective you have to “own and foster” behaviours that lead to empowerment and change in your team.
What do you need to master to be a leader?
Learn to listen not only to ear
Make sure that you understand that, like everybody, your people want to be heard. They need feedback and support to be successful in their roles but, most of all they want you to listen to them. Carefully. This means paying attention to many factors demonstrating empathy towards them and asking for contributions, valuing the pieces they bring to you.
Win hearts and minds
Persuasion, tricky it can be, is a tool you need to manage. Mastering the ability to “bring onboard” people helps you to convey your ideas and solutions in a way that best transfers them to your colleagues. And this passes not only through empathy but through building your own credibility.
You fight as a team not alone
Foster and offer collaboration: your people are there to help you not to oppose you! Rely and value their work, allow them to take calculated risks. Most of all be sure to allow them to make mistakes. There’s no growth without errors.
Communication is your best ally
Do not underestimate the power of communicating well: if you want to be a good leader, you cannot be a bad communicator.
As we discussed other times, you as a manager need to to be one step ahead of your team in everything, so don’t be hesitating to encourage dialogue even in complex situations: there’s only to gain not to loose.
Creating trust in your team
You want your team to look at you as an example and this goes through being prepared, authentic and transparent. You are not superman by you are yourself and you should value this.
Learn from others
Be curious, look around seeing what others do well and learn from them. All great leaders have been influenced by others at some point in their careers and you are no exception: be open to learning and receiving suggestions.
And this is valid even more if you still are not a manager, because great leaders can also be in non managerial positions waiting to develop to higher roles. If you are not anymore in this situation, look inside your memory to understand recognise the needs you had when you were not leading because will allow you to anticipate and respond to the needs of your people.
Put everything towards a context and a purpose
Always clarify what you are aiming to and what is the final or intermediate objective. Your people want to feel important and their contribution is important to make happen the vision set by their leader. At same time they want to be sure that you are not moving “randomly” but through a path perceived as the right one. All in all your challenging task is to persuade them, fostering change while make them confident that they are in a “changing but all in all stable” situation bringing them to satisfying new levels both personally and professionally.
