Each of us has an inherent liking for leaders. People who exhibit authority and charisma and lead others often engage our attention.
If you too crave to be a leader at your office or develop better leadership skills, the following information can be really useful:
Communicate with Transparency
Communication is the biggest tool that you can use to turn into an effective leader. Being a leader doesn’t mean being born with extraordinary skills. A leader too needs to commit mistakes, pay his dues and learn along the way. If you are open to honest conversations, including giving & receiving feedback, you qualify as an upfront and capable individual—an impressive trait that would make people trust you with responsibility. Many employees complain about their team leaders or managers not being sensitive to their problems. Even worse are instances when managers seem aloof and unapproachable. These are all examples of leaders who have poor communication skills.
Be Proud Not Egoistic
Leaders need to have a commanding aura, clearly establishing that they are in control. Having self-confidence and some degree of pride are associated with most leaders. However, this blend of qualities shouldn’t include ego. When a person becomes egoistic, his leadership starts oscillating between arrogance and being smug with authority. None of these traits are liked by people. If you truly want to become a leader, you need to gain a bigger understanding on issues. This means looking at things from somebody else’s perspective too but an egoistic person is incapable of doing so. A proud leader can still maintain an open mind and gain advice from others. An egoistic leader is prone to distancing himself from his well-wishers as he cannot digest the smallest bit of ridicule. Once a person loses that vital vibe of understanding with his inner circle of confidantes, his leadership becomes short-lived.
Lead by Setting Examples
People often question how to establish authority and ensure that people look up to you. Perhaps, the easiest way of doing so is leading by example. This is the easiest form of leadership since an active and capable leader doesn’t need to explain much. His actions alone prove his credibility. Consider the example of a king leading his men in the battlefield, riding at the front. Tactically, hundreds of soldiers converge upon the enemy, in front of the king, when war is declared. However, the mere presence of the king riding with the pack and leading it, establishes his valor to his subjects. It instantly snubs any challenge to his influence.
Appreciate & Reward
People entrusted with leadership positions often forget to encourage their team members. The biggest way of boosting tempo of an employee/team member is to appreciate his or her efforts. Appreciation in person can work wonders to uplift an employee or the entire team. It is the biggest psychological stimulus a person needs to continue working hard. If along with appreciation, you can combine some sort of reward, no matter how small, the appreciation is further driven home. Management gurus often quote the examples of iron-fisted leaders who put forth incredibly-high incentives. This ensures that a team member has the biggest motivation to accept the hierarchy and work better, i.e. money.
Don’t Ridicule but Rectify
This might be slightly confusing but there is a huge difference between correcting somebody and ridiculing. Many times, we combine the two and believe that pointing out a mistake invariably includes some degree of ridicule. However, correcting someone without being animatedly angry, making defamatory remarks or hurting sentiments constitutes Rectification. This establishes you as a patient and effective leader ready to invest time and effort in your team.