Leaders are a diverse group of people, coming all shapes and sizes. Take Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Richard Branson, Greg Dyke - all of them have different personalities and their approach to leadership is individual, but they all get the best from people - why? Because they all exhibit the same traits.
You too can be a great leader, just follow my Top 10 Tips:
| 1 | Set clear goals that will challenge your team and clarify these with them. It is important that they have a voice in the process so that you gain their buy in at an early stage. |
| 2 | Engage in genuine two-way communication - asking what and why is more effective than how and when. Listening to your team and incorporating their ideas will help you to build trust - a key element in leading; encourage innovation. |
| 3 | Trust your team - delegate wisely and allow them to show you what they can do. Stephen Covey in the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People refers to 'gofer' delegation, whereby you maintain absolute control, and 'stewardship' delegation, where you clarify the goals, allocate the resources and set a date for completion - and then allow them the autonomy to do the task; this latter method is so much more empowering for the individual. |
| 4 | Be prepared to learn with your team; admit when you are wrong. If you want your team to learn from their mistakes, and own up to them rather than cover them up, you must be prepared to so as well. |
| 5 | Keep your promises; you must come through with the goods to keep the trust of your team. Give careful consideration to what you can commit to - it is better to under promise and over provide than the other way round. |
| 6 | Develop your team; get to know them as individuals, understand what motivates them, focus on their strengths and help them achieve their full potential. |
| 7 | Challenge the status quo; if you are prepared to accept the same old same old, that is exactly what you will get. |
| 8 | Keep your eye on the horizon, not the bottom line; be aware of the opportunities coming up for your team, take note of the threats to your activities. Make sure that the team has the resources it needs to be effective. |
| 9 | Take charge in a crisis; your team will look to you to lead them, so don't disappear until it has all blown over. |
| 10 | Be an amazing role model because where you lead they will follow. |
Give kFA a call today - 05600 729908 - to run a leadership course for your people.