Being a manager AND a leader, as we said many times, is based on finding the right recipe combining different ingredients
Being a leader is not simply being a manager, but acting as an example to follow and, why not?, also as a stimulus towards your team.
Precisely this last point is of particular importance because the “stimulus” is clearly visible from two directions: the one you handle towards your employees and, above all, the one towards themselves. The stimulus towards oneself is obtained by asking the correct questions in order to have the broadest and most complete information possible.
We therefore need to analyse the ingredients of this unique recipe which allow us to achieve this vision.
Define the space for action: define boundaries for you and your team
The first area of analysis is that of boundaries, be they the boundaries of your team’s activities or those of interpersonal relationships or the one of your action area. Continuously investigate what the area in which you work is and how it is changing, so as to have an updated frame of reference.
Like in military campaigns you need to know the terrain and you may want to frame it conveniently to maximise your effectivenes.
Be practical, arrive somewhere
Another important skill is knowing how to arrive to a conclusion and it is a skill that sometimes is missed while we, as managers, focus more on the analytical part. In today’s competitive environment, it’s critical to get to the heart of the story. This is also an iterative process to be practiced continuously to refine the way in which you “get to the point”, the well-known “bottom line”.
Which implies, first of all, to know where the bottom line is and how is defined. The more precisely you do it, the better you will visualise for yourself and for the others around you.
Is never enough
Stability is the death of development. Everything can be improved and this continuous review makes not only everything better but also gradually stretches the natural limits of your people.
As teams and organisations, we all hope over time to become better at what we do. If this attitude is not there, there’s something wrong either in people or in the way your team is setup.
In order to achieve this attitude, a continuous process of self-evaluation must take place in which to explore where you have room for improvement. Also looking at leadership examples, best practices and experience.
Define and foster a team culture
A specific attention should be paid to a topic that is fundamental in every group of people, either being working context or personal one: culture, or the forms that represent our values, our norms and the way we do things.
Culture can become more visible in times of change, when changing things can conflict with each other. The question to consider is first to identify the traits of our team culture and then work to reinforce it.
Deal openly with conflict, don’t let it go
The ability or inability of organisations to move positively through conflict is a key challenge for many and often means the difference between living and . Consider how you approach conflict as a team and individually. We often forget that conflict can also be an enabler and forms the roots of innovation.
If you let it there uncontrolled, you risk to be overwhelmed: try to ride it as it develops, keeping it in the boundaries of growth and avoiding it slips in a fight. Once solved, you will experience a higher performance in a group linked in a deeper way.
