Stepping into a leadership role is daunting. Coupled with the intention to be the best leader, there can be some trepidation that you’ve taken on an enormous responsibility. Continually growing your competence in guiding others is imperative. Here are seven more ways to keep developing your leadership competencies.
1. Learn to Listen
One of the most important communication skills you’ll ever foster is that of listening. Understanding this art is even more crucial when you’re in a leadership position. When you’re in a position of authority, others may feel intimidated and reluctant to speak up. As a leader, it’s your job to demonstrate active listening by giving your staff your undivided attention, maintaining an open posture and good eye contact, allowing them time to speak and reframing what you hear to confirm that you understand.
2. Build Self-Discipline
Successful leaders nurture their self-discipline. Meeting deadlines and delivering on commitments is key. This involves delegating tasks appropriately and keeping scheduled appointments. Having separation between your personal life and your professional life and ensuring that you give yourself enough time and space to recharge will help you meet your obligations. Keeping a metaphorical eye on your emotional state is also important: recognize when you are upset so that you don’t project’s negative emotions onto other people, especially your team members.
3. Clarify Expectations and Goals
Your team will look to you for guidance. People want to know what goals the firm is working toward, and they need to believe the work they do will help the business to reach these goals. Clarify how your employees’ career objectives are supported by the overall business plan. This will provide team members with direction and help them feel connected to the company’s vision. Expectations for employees performance and treatment of others should also be clearly articulated. Give regular updates on the enterprise’s progress, listen to feedback from your team members, and schedule individual performance reviews.
4. Improve Your Situational Awareness
Working to develop your sense of situational awareness is an important facet of leadership. Anticipating potential problems and learning how to mitigate their impact or address an issue ahead of time is essential in leadership. Being able to predict the long-term impact of decisions and the various ways in which scenarios may play out is a valuable ability. Corporate resources can provide employees with opportunities for growth and progress. Improving one’s awareness also includes keeping abreast of industry trends and positioning the company to be at the forefront.
5. Be a Good Role Model
Even if it’s not always evident, employees pay attention to what their leaders say and how they behave. Not only should you say the right thing, but you need to be seen to be acting responsibly. This can be a lot of pressure. However, making sure that your actions are ethical will pay big dividends in terms of your relationships with employees. By the same token, try to demonstrate integrity in all your interactions with others and when speaking about someone else. Finally, follow through on your commitments. When you make a mistake, own up to it briefly, sincerely, and publicly and then move on.
6. Encourage Your Team
Motivating others is one of a leader’s main responsibilities. Let’s face it, you rely on your team to boost the company’s productivity. By recognizing the efforts of team members and empowering them to excel in their roles, leaders can expect excellence in any given circumstance. Experiment with various employee engagement tactics and ask them for ideas to increase their workplace satisfaction. Supporting staff who make hard decisions within the scope of their positions is one way to indicate that you have faith in their abilities and will encourage them to contribute further.
7. Get Comfortable with Making Decisions
Outstanding leaders are decisive, or at least they are when they need to be. Ideally, you want to gather facts, assess your options, and listen to the counsel of others before determining your course of action. The value of teamwork cannot be overstated in helping brainstorm, determine the next step, and implement your decision. However, there will be times when you’ll be called upon to act quickly. You’ll need to feel confident in your capacity to lead in these circumstances.
In Closing
Listening well, clarifying expectations, modeling self-discipline and integrity, focusing on the big picture, encouraging others and being decisive are skills that, if practiced diligently, will make you a much better leader.