Being in a role where you are responsible for others can be daunting, particularly without any training or guidance. But let’s be honest here. You can study leadership theory and leadership role models until the end of time – and there’s no guarantee that they will work for you.
Personally, I believe that many of the key traits you need to be an effective leader are down to pure common sense and how you behave.
There. I’ve said it!
So, now the cat’s out of the proverbial bag, grab a cuppa, mute your phone, and digest my three key leadership habits.
Align Passion with Purpose
What do you want to achieve and why? This is a fundamental of business planning and is often referred to as your mission and values. I always want to work with honest people that align to the same dream – why would you want to force a square peg into a round hole? That’s no good for ANYONE, we all need to find our own clan. The best way to do this is by also being honest and letting everyone know what’s happening regularly. Good, bad, or ugly – you’re all in it together, communication is key.
Also, what I’ve found is that when the whole clan know how we are looking to expand and believe in the team’s mission, they actively take ‘work’ in their social life without even knowing, as it doesn’t feel like work.
One of our best clients came from part of our clan having a chat at the pub on their holiday. Team work truly does make the dream work!
Work for the Collective Good
Think back to when you first started out in the world of work. Picture having a boss that didn’t speak to you as you were too far down the food chain, rarely came into the offices and never for more than a few rushed hours and would often be seen spending vast amounts of money on bucket list holidays and sporty cars. Would this leadership inspire you to push yourself to achieve?
I see good leadership as supporting all members of your clan to grow, succeed and achieve not just their work goals, but personal dreams too. Be the change you want to see. Offer companywide incentives for achievements, be there at the same time (if not earlier than your clan) and book in regular time throughout the year to work within each department of your organisation.
Just like the care delivery adage, is this what I would want for my mom … review if your leadership style is what you would want for a younger you, your children, or your family. If not, it might be worth checking yourself and giving your head a wobble!
Show Gratitude and Celebrate Success
Never underestimate the importance of the magic words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. Why do we impress this learning on children … because it’s a big deal!
Being polite and using this language demonstrates a level of respect that people desire and appreciate, which helps build trust. Never use it flippantly though, as that just portrays you as disingenuous and insincere.
Taking gratitude one step further is then celebrating success. If you are genuinely thankful to the clan for their input and results do something to celebrate – but in a person or team centred way. So if someone has achieved a goal and they love watching films why not get them an annual cinema pass? If the company has achieved something worth celebrating instead of your standard ‘office party’ gathering why not ask the clan what they would prefer and have a company-wide poll to chose between the top three suggestions?
In my experience, for people to truly flourish they need to go where they are safe, appreciated and understood.
I’m 100% certain that at some point whilst reading this blog, something has resonated with you, whether it’s a bad boss from your past, or something you’re guilt of as the head of clan. Everyone can change for the better, so no more excuses. Man (or woman!) up and be the change you want to see, starting now!
If you’d like to invest in an external monthly accountability and sanity check, just get in touch. Every business deserves a sprinkling of Golddust magic!