There is a lot of curiosity in knowing how leaders work or what makes them great leaders. There are different school of thoughts. In this article, we have combined a few of the best pointers as to what a one needs to inculcate in their life to become a great leader.
Read today’s Transformation Tuesday to incorporate some of the best leadership practices for becoming the best leader.
1. Close your open-door policy.
Open door policies are inert ways to simplify communication and do more harm than good. This makes deep work and strategic thinking without imagining about virtual implication which is impossible for the managers. And the worst part about it is, research shows that half of all employees won’t go through the open door with problems or ideas because they fear the results.
Hence, now it’s time to close your door and open your calendar. Recurring, weekly one-on-one meetings are a far better way to proactively facilitate communication, and pre-scheduled “office hours”—perhaps an hour each day—is the best way to facilitate time-sensitive communication.
2. Not bringing phones in the meeting.
It is seen that when someone uses their phone in between the meetings, it looks rude and unprofessional to the others. No matter how important your work on the phone is and even if you had no intention of hurting others feelings but these actions, actually do that. Even if it is for writing down the important notes.
A research discovered that when it comes to comprehension and memory, writing down the notes in the book is far superior to typing notes in a phone. To avoid distraction, to remain mindful and present, and to maximize recall, a leader should leave their smartphones on their desk and use good old-fashioned pen and notepads in meetings.
3. Don’t have any rules.
Every time a leader sets rules, it takes away a chance from the employees to make a choice or a decision. And it becomes “leaders” company, not the employees. Rules crowd out conversation. Managers become rule enforcers instead of leaders. In place of rules, incorporate standards or guidelines that are rooted in company values.
Use these standards as topics of discussion starting with recruiting and onboarding and continuing throughout the employee life cycle. And when someone deviates from the values–the standards–well that’s a time for some feedback, that’s a coachable moment.
4. Don’t look out for being liked.
It’s normal to want to be liked, but it’s a problem if you have a need to be liked. A need to be liked require managers to withhold direct, constructive feedback. It can lead to delayed decision making in the hopeless quest to get universal agreement. You don’t need to act strictly at work but realize that your teammates need a leader who will coach them and who will make a few tough decisions to protect them or advance the company.
5. Lead with Love.
Leaders should love their team members. It’s the warmth, connection and caring we feel for our work, and the teammates who work just as hard as us. It is said that those leaders who care about their teammates and express the same are the ones that achieve high employee engagement and business outcomes.
Hence, these are some of the best and important key pointers one should inculcate in his/her life in order to become a best and successful leader.
