Is it true that leaders are born, not created? Be careful not to misinterpret the vociferous amongst us as being good leaders. Natural personality often means these people end up at the front, leadership is actually a set of techniques and skills anyone can learn to adopt.
A good leader will require excellent management skills, whereas a good manager, may not actually require leadership skills!
Having looked across many different areas from the legal fraternity, general offices, retail to call centres, I am amazed at how many are feeling downtrodden and lacking enthusiasm to do better, why is this? The reality is often a need in improvement of leadership skills!
Leadership is about the people, management the process. Another observation I’ve seen is management need to do things right whereas leadership requires you to do the right things.
So to help, here’s a list of 15 leaders’ typical behaviour pattern. Give
yourself a mark, or assess someone who is in your organisation that is classed as a leader, out of ten and scribble it against each.
- Patience to allow time for individuals to change
- Attitude to earn rather than demand respect
- Confident
- Mistakes are dealt with justly allowing lessons to be learned
- Exceptional role models
- Deal with causes of issues rather than firefighting symptoms
- Willing to upset the equilibrium for positive change
- They say what they mean, and mean what they say
- Decisive
- Seek and endorse ‘new ideas’ culture
- Do not create ‘favourites’ or ‘cliques’
- Refuse to blindly follow the norm
- Understand importance of adequate rest and relaxation
- Focused on positive outcomes rather than negative personality traits
- Face reality and if it’s not great, they don’t pretend that it is.
The maximum possible score is 150. Any areas below a score of 7, questions should be asked pertaining to what’s needed to do to raise the level. Below 5 and urgent attention is required!
Great leadership isn’t something learnt over night. It is a malleable form, growing and developing. More natural rather than simply logical. It’s a change of belief and a re-adjustment of values. Although I consider myself to be an exceptional leader, hmm! I still refer back to the basics to see where I can improve!
Talking of which, here are 5 areas I use towards becoming that better leader. Even the most successful leaders among us can use this as a reminder.
- Focus on the team members regarding the framework of the organisation’s mission, developing a clear vision.
- Be realistic with goals and tasks as well as expectations
- Set an excellent personal example for others to follow
- Authorise staff to make the vision a reality and support them
- Focus on team behaviour with positive expectations
These are but a few small areas to build upon. There are other tools and exercises Coaching to Success can help you or members of your team to develop with the end goal of being so much more productive resulting not only in more profitability but a happier workplace where growth simply escalates.
Contact Neil to arrange your free consultation either by email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or calling 07761 187238 and let’s work together to create the ideology of excellence in leadership and the rewards that this will bring.
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Very good article Neil.
Appreciated Colin … thank you