Leadership is not just a role that you play in the organization, it is an art of living that needs to be imbibed. There are a lot of theories around what kind of a leadership one should incorporate, to become a great leader, what all things a leader should avoid and so on.
Today, in this Transformation Tuesday we are going to talk about basic things a leader must incorporate to build a strong foundation for leadership and to give assurance to the team.
1. Transparency
When a leader adapts transparency, there are lesser chances for them to be challenged by those that oversee them. Another reason why a leader uses transparency is to help those around them embrace change, which can be achieved through a combination of communication, informed debate, shared decision-making, reaching a consensus and using social media. People and followers should be aware as to why and how a leader has come to a decision and in what all ways it will affect them. Those leaders that adapt transparency are not micromanagers; they believe in giving due credits to their followers when success occurs and take the blame for failures.
2. Learn from failures
Failure is a negative word and has a negative impact, but the studies show that experiencing failure is necessary for any leader as it has the power to shape them. It is a powerful way of learning survival, renewal and innovation. Accepting and learning from failure enables us to change and inspire others. Leaders must be ready to take risks and fail otherwise great rewards can never be achieved. In the process, leaders achieve great perspective about people and who it is they can trust.
3. Trust
Trust is one of the core principles of leadership. In the past, leadership was limited, special and a skill set of powerful people. But today, that vertical model of leadership is less effective. Today, success is achieved by collaborating with someone a leader has no power over in pursuit of common goals. In other words, a good leader no longer trusts only in power but places their faith in the power of trust. And, in any relationship, a leader is the trustee and in order to be effective, must be trustworthy as well as willing to take the risk of placing trust in the people around them.
4. Confidence
A good leader symbolizes confidence. No one would like to follow a leader who isn’t self-assured, and people can see through a mask of confidence. Those leaders who can convey their goals and stand by their decisions are far more effective than those who are trying to hide their insecurities behind a mask of arrogance. Even after facing failure, good leaders can trust their gut and take any decision. Those leaders who are confident are generally happier, create better bonding, remain open to take risks, accept feedback, think for themselves, recognize success and are more motivated.
5. Decisiveness
A leader makes any decision carefully, but once they have made their mind, they cannot easily go off track. This shows commitment, which creates consistency, both of which are traits that work well in leadership.
6. Humility
Humility is an important trait to keep leaders grounded and connected with their followers and the people around them. To be honest, having truthfulness and listening to employees will only help gain their respect, which will pay off when it comes time to exercise decisiveness. The best leaders always have an open and broad mind and they are very flexible. They are also able to adjust to the new ways of thinking or alternative methods when necessary. These leaders take criticism in pace and view it more as an opportunity for growth than an assault on their character. Whereas it is true that everyone loves confidence, humility creates a likable persona, making others more comfortable with their position.
7. Creativity
A lot of decisions a leader will encounter will be unique to the business and which will require more thought process rather than simply throwing a canned solution at it. In such a situation, teams will often look up to their leader for innovative thinking, so being able to tap into previous experiences and a treasure chest of new ideas will pay off for any leader.
8. Build a strong Exit plan
As a leader after you transform the organization and leave with your head held high you should also leave an equally strong leadership behind. Many leaders don’t do this. They want people to talk about how great leaders they were because the current one is not up to the mark. So, it should be prime responsibility of the leader to build other strong leaders who are as good as them.
Leadership styles should be molded as per specific situations and businesses, these 8 pointers can provide the tools necessary to guide an organization on the path of growth and success. Some people are inborn leaders, but the above-mentioned qualities anyone can display with the right amount of determination and practice.
