Ten steps to being a better leader
We would all like to be better leaders, more effective in creating the followership we need to achieve our vision and outcomes.
Imagine if you had the secret to being a better leader, and it is something that you can try today, this minute, with your teams.
Applying our deep knowledge of behaviour, and the irrational, but predictable choices we make as humans, we have ten things that will make a difference for you.
Two Tactics
As a leader, change agent or change shaper, you have just two tactics to transform your team and your organisation.
Just two.
Two tactics that fall into two categories to solve two problems;
· ability is linked to skills, which are built by training,
· willingness (or attitude) is linked to motivation, which is driven by leadership.
In today’s technologically advanced world, where even your grandparents are fluent in using Facebook, WhatsApp and more, humans demonstrate that they can learn and adapt quickly on a daily basis.
In the last decade, since technology has really impacted our lives and created adaptability, training and ability have rarely been the barrier to leaders success.
It comes down to willingness. Do my team *want* to change. Which leads us to the other tactic; Leadership.
Leadership is a broad subject. To make it practical, let us look at leadership in its simplest form; Communication.
Ten ways to communicate more effectively as a leader
Make it personal. Change does not happen from a lectern, it is personal, it happens in 1:1 conversations.
Be authentic. Don’t cascade the corporate message, translate it. What does this mean to you, why do you believe in it?
Be consistent. Simple messages, applied consistently.
Amplify. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Louder and more frequently than you think you need to. Otherwise your message will get missed. A good trick it to repeat until your team repeat back to you, in their own language.
Be focused. Stick to one priority, if not, a maximum of three and explain why they are important. Your impact is as good as the last news cycle or communication you made.
Use empathy. Put yourself in the shoes of your team, use your emotional intelligence. It is not about you, what do your team need from you.
Measure. Find ways to measure that your message has been received. If you can’t measure it, don’t do it!
Do not delegate. You cannot delegate leadership, do not delegate one of your most important tasks in either the delivery or the writing. It needs your authentic voice, your passion.
Boss*Boss. You are only effective for two layers. Any more than that and your message becomes informational rather than actionable. Create advocacy in your middle managers to ensure the cascade flows.
Connect the dots. Why is this important to you. If you don’t know or don’t feel the importance, work on this *before* you communicate. If you are not 100% convinced, your team will know.
The single most important role of a leader is to lead your team, the single most effective tactic you have is communication. How you show up. This is the heart of leadership.
Learn your craft and be more inspiring.
If you are looking to improve your Leadership, and want to be a better leader, then consider our flagship Leading Change Masterclass