Outlooks & Setbacks Saturdays

To become a leader, then, you must become yourself, become the maker of your own life.

Ensuring that your business has strong leaders with the correct leadership skills is crucial to being successful. Without a clear vision or a strong leadership to keep your business on track, you are unfortunately not likely to achieve your aspirations and the dreams you have set.

Your senior team may already possess many of the innate leadership qualities below. We have used behavioural and leadership profiling by Thomas International and Hogan Assessments to provide an accurate insight into how people behave at work, answering questions such as: what are their strengths and limitations? How do they communicate? Are they self-starters? Are they leaders? And what motivates them? How do they act under pressure? 

Below are the 10 key factors of being a good leader.

1.    Set the right example, being a leader

Setting the right example and role modelling how leaders want their teams to act and perform is crucial. All eyes are on you, watching your every move as you set the expectations of employees. If the leadership team is smartly dressed and punctual in the mornings, then this will encourage your staff to replicate this behavior. They will look at your willingness to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in  to achieve your team goals, they will look to see how you communicate at all hierarchical levels and they will analyse how accountable you are when things are going badly. Being a good role model for your business is vital if you want your staff members to be as professional as you are.

Lead by example in everything you do at work. It can be very difficult to reprimand a member of staff for something if you are a habitual offender.

2.    Continuous development of your leadership skills

In order to become a great leader, you have to understand your own attributes and limitations. Seeking continuous self-improvement means that you will be strengthening your own skill set and ensure that you have the right skills to be an effective leader. 

3.    Be technically proficient

Being an effective leader also means you need to stay one step ahead of your team when it comes to technology that may impact your industry. Subscribe to industry blogs and read whitepapers that will help you keep up to date with technological advancements in your sector. No one is saying that you need to be an expert in everything, but you should understand the threats and opportunities facing your business from technological innovations.

4.   Make sound and timely decisions

It is imperative that you are in a position to make informed decisions quickly. By ensuring you are up to speed with good problem solving, decision making and planning tools, you will be in a position of strength to lead your team.

5.    Seek and take responsibility for your actions

As a leader, your team will look to you for guidance and inspiration and ways to take the business to new heights. When things go wrong, they will turn to you to take corrective and decisive action. How you respond in times of adversity provides you with an opportunity to show an example of being a good leader.

6.    Positive Attitude

A positive environment is more likely to create a more engaged and productive workforce. By displaying enthusiasm and confidence, a good leader will understand the impact that they can have in this working environment.

Obviously, it isn't always possible to have a positive attitude towards every task that a leader is likely to tackle however, the more negativity you can keep from impacting your workforce, the more likely you are to see positive results. 

7.   Keep your team informed

Your team will look to you to keep informed at all times, so try to keep abreast with everything happening in your business and in your sector. 

You will then be in a position to cascade that information down to your team who will hopefully appreciate your efforts.

Strong communication is a critical part of being a great leader.

8.   Get to know your team

David Brent, the loveable boss from BBC's 'The Office', wanted to be everybody's chum. His management style was to be an entertainer, the office clown if you like. Unfortunately, this management tactic saw everybody quickly lose respect for him and he was unable to manage himself, let alone a team.

Management dictates that you have a degree of separation from your team. You should always bear in mind that your team will be made up of individuals who have different outlooks and abilities and will be at different stages of their careers. Therefore it is vital to understand what makes them tick and to remember that what motivates one, won't necessarily motivate another.

9.   Don't be afraid to delegate

One of the key skills a team manager has to quickly learn is the importance of delegation. Successful delegations begin by matching people with tasks. If there are gaps in team member's skill sets, a good leader will quickly be able to identify and manage these gaps.

10.  Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised and completed

Before you delegate a task to anyone in your team, it is vital that you understand what is involved in the task and what a satisfactory outcome will look like.

If your team is asking questions about the task, try to ensure you are armed with the answers. By not having the necessary information to hand, you could lose respect from certain team members in your team.

Determination & Achievement

What’s one thing you wish came naturally to you?