With time and some dedication we can become a good leader, but what are those behaviours that tell you apart from the others making an extraordinary leader?
Listening is not hearing. try to learn to listen, taking into consideration the ideas of our collaborators. Even if you ultimately choose not to follow up, just taking the suggestion seriously is beneficial to the relationship and your credibility.
Take your stake of accountability: decide to leave your mark. As a manager you are paid to make decisions (whether small or big) that come to you. Always be informed about the decision you will have to make and do not be reluctant to ask advice even from the person who asked you the question. You listen to all but it’s your call. When things go wrong, unloading the blame on others will do nothing but weaken you. As a manager, you take responsibility for the result and then understand separately how it was determined
Trust creates trust. Feeling that you can trust each other is important in all relationships, including business relationships. Always make the people who work with you feel supported and that you both know, mutually, to be able to rely on each other.
Don’t forget about good behaviours. Be polite: It is one of the fundamental points of being a good manager. It doesn’t mean being polite in language or not joking or not getting nervous. It means addressing the people who work with you politely and treating them accordingly
Inspire: and lead by example. Always strive for excellence and inspire your employees to do the same. Always set an example and set high but achievable operational and behavioural standards.
Share your imagination: create a “vision” and a journey to it. Create (or help) your own vision of the work you do and share it with your teammates. It will be a way of being a part of something and knowing why you work towards it
Don’t compromise on integrity and transparency. Be honest with them: offer constructive criticism and be open to receiving it. Discuss directly with the person concerned, not with their colleagues. Be sure not to leave any stone unturned. Being morally upright to gain respect of those who work with us. Always do the best thing even if it’s not the easiest
Fight to be a knowledge expert: it does not mean segregating information but knowing the job better than others. You need to be the lighthouse for your collaborators. Always improve yourself: being a manager is a starting point, not an arrival point. Learn, study, read, attend courses, you will always benefit from it.
Know where to place your bet. It’s not about being sure to win but of taking calculated risks. And if you need help to reduce the risk, ask for help.
Make them part of a group. Create a relationship with your collaborators: remember the names of family members, birthdays and personal moments helps to make the team cohesive and provides you with greater proximity
Delegate, control and motivate: You can’t do everything, so delegate. Delegating does not mean abandoning but leaving to others and checking the results. Morale is fundamental in everything, even in work. Don’t confuse flattery with support and recognition, give encouragement and visibility to those who prove they deserve it.
Communicate, communicate, communicate. It is the most important weapon you have at your disposal. Clearly and precisely. Maybe just the things you need. But communicate.
You are a leader, not a god. Being one step above the others is the point of arrival not of hierarchical positioning but of recognition. Always be authoritative, never authoritarian
Ask for help. Is not a sign of weakness but of consciousness. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help if you risk making a mistake
Don’t gossip or badmouth. You are the manager and whatever you say and do will have a different weight.
Be equidistant. in the workplace there are people who are closer to us. Give these people what they deserve but don’t make them different from the others.
