When you’re in a position of leadership, the quantity and quality of your work output depend on your team and your leadership skills. The good news is that you can develop those skills through learning and practicing the keys to effective leadership.
Effective Leadership is not something you can develop overnight. But if you consistently practice these essential skills, you will be well on your way. A good starting point is taking these four steps towards becoming an effective leader. Once you’ve mastered this approach, you can confidently pursue the leadership roles you desire.
The Four-Step Approach to Effective Leadership
1. Get clear in the vision and believe in it.
Knowing the vision of the team and actually believing in it is perhaps the most significant step towards becoming an effective leader. At the end of the day, leading a team means inspiring the trust of your team members. And the best way to do that is to prove to them that you believe in the vision. But before you can believe in the vision, you must know the vision.
Develop a good understanding of what the vision is and determine whether or not it’s something you can live up to. Then use every chance you get to share that vision with the team. Show them that you live and breathe it, and they will follow your lead and grab hold.
2. Be a good team-builder.
As the leader, you will need the support of your team. When selecting your team, seek out people who can understand the vision and support it. Then, identify those who fit the roles they’re required to fill. Be careful to select the team based on merit and not on how you feel.
You want people on your team who understand that you’re giving them the opportunity because they’ve earned it, not because you’re doing them a favor. This will also prevent those who try to exploit situations by trying to play on your emotions for favors.
In doing so, you’ll be respected as a fair leader, and your team will appreciate the acknowledgement that you recognize their hard work and can trust you to lead fairly.
3. Be a good negotiator.
Once you’ve been able to gain the trust of your team members, your next step is to master your negotiation skills.
As a leader, that not only means negotiating with the team so the best results are achieved but also succeeding at external negotiations in the best interest of your team. This is an area to demonstrate fairness so others will continue to trust you. And you want to negotiate smartly for your team by creating win-win situations for all involved.
4. Be a good delegator.
Identifying an ideal team is a success because you know the people you’ve selected are capable of excelling in the tasks assigned. Now, it’s up to you to effectively match tasks to talent.
Becoming a good delegator involves: 1.) Studying the strengths of each team player so you can assign the best person for the task at hand; and 2.) analyzing the potential success capabilities of your team so you can make a wise choice when assigning responsibilities.
There you have it. A simple yet effective approach to becoming an effective leader. You have what it takes to earn the title of exceptional leader. Armed with this strategy, you’ll be able to sharpen your leadership skills and prove why you’re the best person for any leadership position.
Here’s your cheat sheet for your personal use only.
