There has been a lot written about leadership
I mean LOADS!
At its core, leadership is “the act of getting individuals aligned and moving in the same direction toward a desired outcome.”
As the website Effective Leadership: How to Be a Better Leader | Gallup notes -there may not be an “I” in team, but there is an “I” in disengaged.
What does this have to do with leadership? Well, regardless of what, why and where you lead, you – as the leader -are directly responsible for the engagement of those who follow you.
Whether you’re leading a family, a class or a corporation, leadership means inspiring others to achieve certain outcomes. And it’s up to you to decide whether you are leading positively or negatively — and whether you choose to focus on engagement or merely output.
“Improving your leadership begins with a focus on improving what you’re already good at.”
What is Leadership?
Leadership can often be equal parts high confidence and self-esteem and worrying if you’re doing it right while continually searching for answers. Whether you’re a leader in an organizational setting or have high influence in some other capacity, improving your leadership begins with a focus on improving what you’re already good at.
Yes, that goes against a lot of the perceived wisdom i.e. spend most of your time improving your weaknesses to become a stronger leader — when really, you could acknowledge those weaknesses but USE your strengths to make up for them.
The best leaders don’t follow. They are willing to stray from the way things have always been done and be open to better ways to succeed.
How can each of us use our strengths to be the leaders that we want to be, at home and at work? What sort of leader do you want to be?
What are the traits of a good leader anyway?
The Four Most Important Traits of a good Leader
TRUST
Building trust is the foundation for leading. Honesty, clarity and behavioural predictability all make up trust. Leaders must adopt the trait of trustworthiness and prioritize it as one of their most important skills — because without it, people won’t feel as confident to follow.
Example: Share your concerns or struggles as a leader. By modelling this, your followers will be more likely to trust you with theirs.
COMPASSION
Bring positive energy and a willingness to listen. Being compassionate means caring about your followers holistically while seeing them as more than just their ability to perform. Compassionate leaders should be willing to share their own struggles and accept the same honesty from others.
Example: React calmly and empathetically when followers are dealing with difficult situations in work or life. From family burdens to workplace burnout, modelling compassion can help them succeed.
STABILITY
Ensure people can count on you. Providing stability looks like creating space where people feel psychologically safe, like they can depend on you to answer their questions, hear their ideas and address their concerns. Communication is key for this trait. Stability puts emphasis on the current moment, keeping people grounded in the here and now — knowing they can count on you.
Example: Try to be as consistent as you can when responding to those who follow you. Seek to answer the questions your followers have. This will help provide the stability they crave.
HOPE
Encourage people to believe in a better future. While stability focuses on today, hopefulness deals with the future. People need to see that their leaders have a clear direction in mind. They want to have faith that their leaders are guiding them in the right direction. When leaders communicate hope, they can help followers feel more enthusiastic about the future.
Example: Talk about the future as if it’s bright. Even when things are hard, you can acknowledge difficulties while still communicating the best possible outcome to your followers. Find the “gift” even in setbacks.
To practically apply these traits, make them a part of your everyday communication. Every email, conversation, instruction, etc., should be building hope, trust, stability and compassion.
Do you have the Four most important Traits of a good leader?
Have you identified your strengths and can you use them to improve your weaknesses?
Are you unsure where to start?
Come and book a conversation with me as unsurprisingly coaching can help here! Contact me at The Professionals Coach and lets find out what kind of leader you are and how you can be the leader you have always dreamt of.