The Best Tips On How To Become a Good and Respected Leader For Your Team
Martin Luther King, Jr., the legendary and visionary leader of the American civil rights movement said: “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” showing us the power we have as leaders to create our own destiny, guide others, unify and bring people together for a greater good.
Various challenges are often encountered in the path of human development, especially in the environment of the digital age and the fast pace of everyday life, as the demands and structure of society are constantly increasing. In this article, we have prepared recommendations on how to develop effective leadership skills in yourself to achieve success at work and in life.
Leadership Theories - What Creates a Leader?
What do you think – are leaders born or made? Leadership is a topic that has been debated for centuries. Some people believe that leaders are born, while others believe that leadership traits can be learned. That is why we have dedicated this blog post to discover what it takes to become a good leader including tips on how to be(come) a motivational power-source for yourself and others in life and at work.
The heredity theory states that leadership is an innate quality that resides in a person’s genes. Proponents of this theory believe that leaders have certain character traits that make them suitable leaders, such as confidence, courage, the ability to make decisions and influence others. But environmental or behavioral theory states that leadership is a learnable skill acquired throughout life. Supporters of this theory believe that leadership skills can be developed through appropriate education and experience.
Most research on leadership suggest that both heredity and environment play a role in leadership development. Certain character traits associated with leadership are innate, while others can be developed. For example, many leaders have an innate tendency to be friendly, trustworthy, and capable of high emotional intelligence. However, the ability to make decisions, solve problems and motivate others can be developed with appropriate experience and training. So is a leader born or made? The answer is both. There are certain character traits that can predispose people to leadership, but leadership skills can be developed through proper education and experience.
What Qualities Do You Need To Become a Good Leader?
If you want to become a well-liked, respected and successful leader, it is important to develop the following skills:
Character traits: confidence, courage, ability to make decisions, influence others, friendliness, trust, emotional intelligence.
Management skills: setting goals, planning, motivating, teamwork, problem solving.
Education: leadership training, business education, leader must always strive for excellence and growth.
Experience: ability to manage people and projects, deal with crisis situations, learn from mistakes, your experience truly matters as a leader, learn form it, share it.
Decision making it is a practice driven by data, experience, expertise, intuition, emotion as well as courage. There is no universal rule that works for everyone, because we can have different intuitions and perspectives regarding same situation.
There are various resources available that can help you develop at least some of these inspiring leadership qualities, such as leadership training courses, business schools, and self-study materials, but nothing can beat an actual experience by overcoming your doubts, fears and proving to yourself and others that you can lead.
Tips To Become a Better Leader
Leadership is more than just a title or overseeing a team or organization. Although a leader has the necessary authority to be able to tell people what should be done and when, if you are not a good leader, then you and your team will not be able to achieve the set goals. Here are 6 great tips to become a successful leader:
Meet and communicate. Being the leader of a group of people means that mutual trust and understanding between you and your team is important. Try to get to know and connect with everyone in your group, this will help you learn what each member’s interests, talents, and weaknesses are. Organize activities that would also allow group members to get to know each other – this will help create a better atmosphere in the team, as well as motivate each of the members.
Time management is the key.
Encourage creativity. If you want your team to do a great job, then give them freedom for mind-blowing, crazy ideas, research and experiments. A good leader’s mind is always open, and he is always ready to listen to ideas and suggestions. A motivational leader also provides various challenges, interesting tasks so that the team does not get bored and shows faith in employees.
Focus on the positive. It is best to judge a leader in crisis situations – how he acts, who he blames, how he treats the team. A good leader focuses on the positive – try to find 3 good things in each situation. The more understanding and positive you will be in crisis situations, the more positive and open your team will be towards you and your teammates.
Be an example. Don`t tell, show – an effective and respected leader knows how to show what is needed. Most valuable and inspirational leaders will lead by example, motivating others to do the same. Imagine a school where the teacher tells the students the right answers all the time. This is not good for the students or the teacher, because neither the teacher nor the students learn anything, they do not develop. Therefore, it is necessary to find the right approach so others can learn and follow.
Be honest. If you are not direct and honest, then your team will not know what your true thoughts or values are. One of the most important qualities of a leader is honesty and reliability – the leader’s team must be sure that this is a person they can rely on without a doubt. Only an open, honest leader, who does not own all the successes and is also proud of what others have achieved, will be able to lead and inspire his team.
Encourage feedback. Not only can the team gain a lot from feedback, but so can you. This can help you become a better leader, perhaps not even realizing that you are doing something that others find unacceptable. We all learn from our mistakes all the time and are constantly evolving. Your positive and negative feedback is equally important – balance is important as it motivates and inspires the team.
Get your Leader`s Checklist PDF now!
Conclusion
Do you know, what is your motivation to become a leader? You must want to be a leader yourself – and approach this title as an honor. You are the one who can inspire, teach something new, lead your team to success, and you can also learn a lot from your team! Leadership is a combination of different skills and most of them can be acquired through learning. Anyone can become a leader by cultivating leadership skills, but you must be aware that if you want to become a leader, you must invest time in developing your knowledge and skills. It is the same in workplace – the better you have learned certain skills and prepared, the more knowledgeable and confident you will be to show others the way forward.
Today it is important to adapt to changing demands and the ability to be disciplined is more important than ever, because you need to be able to learn independently and manage many people and processes. Lead by example and maintain good relationships. Don’t look for culprits, but focus on solutions. Help others if you see that your knowledge can be useful. By moving towards the goal together, it is possible to achieve the result faster and more efficiently.
Be an example, dare to take risks – in seemingly difficult situations, be brave and don’t be afraid to take risks. Being creative is one of the qualities of a leader, it shows the ability to calculate different possible situations and move only upwards. Our habits are also important. Good habits can make life better, so it is important to be aware of how your habits affect the results and whether they are in line with what you want. Have a positive outlook on life – focus on gains, not losses! Events in the world are changing and the ability to see opportunities in any challenges will ensure further development of the situation. Be decisive, but avoid hasty and thoughtless decisions.
As businessman and world-renowned leadership coach Brian Tracy has said: “Leaders are made, not born. You learn to become a leader by doing what other excellent leaders have done before you. You become proficient in your job or skill, and then you become proficient at understanding the motivations and behaviors of other people.” This means that you’re not born a leader, you become one – being a leader is a choice!
Luxafor Pomodoro Timer
LUXAFOR HELPS PEOPLE TO ACHIEVE THEIR GREATEST PRODUCTIVITY LEVELS WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF OFFICE PRODUCTS. LET’S BE PRODUCTIVE TOGETHER!
