In case of a war, handing over the command of a squadron of a thousand sheep to a lion will make all 1001 of them fight like lions. However, if you have a lineup of a thousand lions but hand their command over to a sole sheep, they will all behave like sheep in the battlefield.
This is not something that I am proclaiming but is a loose translation of Alexander the Great’s famous saying. Such is the importance of good leadership and proper delegation.
A group of people is only as capable as their leader. In the words of the American politician Bill Bradley,“leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.”A poorly led group of people can never achieve the greatness that it has the potential to reach – at least not until there is a change in the management. As many as 83% of the organizations today agree that it is crucial to develop leaders at all levels of a program.
The difference between a boss and a leader
Many might think that delegation is an easy job. After all, you get to skip all the grunt work and tell a bunch of people what to do. How hard could that be, right?
Wrong. Proper leadership is more than bossing a group of people around. More often than not, it is the most challenging job on the spectrum.
Coming to dictator vs. leader, though being an authoritative dictator might be comparatively more straightforward, being a leader in the real sense of the word is quite a challenge – no matter if you are someone leading a team of office workers, or only an enthusiastic family member managing the details of a family vacation around Europe.
You will often hear that leadership is to do more with influencing others than establishing your authority. This detail is what makes all the difference between a mere boss figure and a true leader who inspires his underlies to give the best performance of their lifetime.
Leadership is an art that you learn with time. You learn it in your institute and practice it in the real life. For instance: you have achieved the degree of professional MBA from Florida, it doesn’t mean that your work ends there. What you have learned from your institute, you have to put it to practice in the real world.
If you have done all the ground work and still got no success, we will help you. In this blog we will discuss some practices that, when observed, can help you become a leader that others will want to follow. Let’s start!
1. Know your team
Knowing your team, perhaps the most important tip for anyone who wants to be a good leader. You cannot command a ship properly unless you know each nook and cranny personally. Similarly, guiding a group of people to complete a task requires you to understand your team better than the back of your hand.
A capable leader knows all the strengths and weaknesses of each individual in his team. He knows how to manipulate a situation to get the best out of those that have been entrusted to his authority, and how he can make use of all the abilities of the group. Knowing his team allows the leader to work each man to his maximum potential without being unfair or asking too much of them.
But knowing who can perform a specific task better than all the rest is not the only thing knowing your team will achieve. This will also help you build a personal relationship with them. As we have discussed later in the blog, relating to your subordinates and recognizing the problems they face is something that every great leader must be capable of.
2. Be clear in your communication
The second quality every good leader must possess is the ability to convey themselves in the most direct, clear, and specific manner possible. A leader knows that when he needs to get some work done, he cannot afford to beat around the bush. He is not afraid to say what needs to be told and is always extraordinarily blunt and precise cut in his communication.
Not being painstakingly precise and lucid in your instructions do not only waste time – both yours and your employees – but it also squanders away your financial and other resources over nothing. Over explaining yourself is always much better than risking a complication because you were not straightforward enough when imparting instructions.
3. Always be ready to help
As we have already discussed, while a boss will convey what he wants, a leader will work with the team to achieve a common goal. As a leader, you must always be open to any questions and welcome every call for help with open arms. You must make it known to your teammates that you are available if there is ever a problem. Instead of sitting on your high seat and commanding people around, offer a helping hand when you find a teammate struggling to keep up.
A leader is a team player and is always ready to take one for the team. He is your go-to person when you believe that you will not be able to complete the work that was assigned to you. From the lowest step of the ladder to the very top, the leader fills in for any gaps and setbacks in the group. As a leader, you should always keep the following in mind: teamwork is dream work.
4. Lead by example
Leaders are the ones that are always expected to get the ball rolling, and rightly so. They should be the ones to initiate the process of getting the assigned tasks done promptly. Furthermore, they must remember always to practice what they preach if they hope the others in the group to follow their instructions.
5. Listen carefully to your team’s concerns
A leader must not only know his team better than anyone else, but he must also be able to relate to their concerns. He must show empathy and have a thorough understanding of the difficulties that are faced by each individual of his team. Once he knows about these problems, he must also take the necessary action that is required to fix them.
An authoritative figure who pays no regard to the troubles of his subordinates is no leader at all — learning more about how your ability to empathize with your teammates can make you a better leader.
6. Show due respect to everyone
This should go without saying, but sadly, this is often not the case. However, many superiors get overwhelmed by the dominance they have been granted to their team and get carried away by their feelings of supremacy.
In a recently conducted survey, an alarming 79% of employees that quit their jobs said they did it out of “lack of appreciation.” So, if you want to hold on to your valuable staff members and keep your operations going, you better get to commend them on their excellent performances.
What a good leader needs to realize is that while you need to establish yourself as the chief, at the same time, you also need to recognize the efforts of each individual. For a good work relationship, you need to give everyone their due respect and highlight their contributions towards your common objective.
7. Work on task management and assignment
An imperial quality of a leader is to know how to manage different tasks and assignments. As someone hoping to enlist a smooth sailing ship, you need to recognize which tasks need to be delegated up or down, which ones need professionals outsourced to accomplish, and which can be managed by your team. It is only when you have a complete command on task manager that you can hope to be a leader that not only commands a smooth sailing ship but is also adored by his members of staff.
8. Communicate your authority
While you are being respectful to every member’s working capacity and listening to their issues, do not forget to communicate your power when necessary. Besides letting your teammates know that you are a part of the team and they can always come to you for guidance no matter what, you also need to make them realize that you are not fooling around when it comes to the task at hand.
This can be done with not only your words but also your body language. Be very aware of the vibe you are putting out. If you develop a lax attitude towards work, so will your secondary, and that never leads to a good result. Make your teammates recognize and understand the consequences of an unfinished project and do not put away the president’s badge altogether.
9. Do not micromanage
Although good leaders provide a thorough guideline for their subordinates to follow, they make a point out of never micromanaging the team. Instead of trying to control every little detail, they believe in giving their underlings a well-defined creative freedom to work in.
However, this does not mean that you become negligent towards your duties as an administrator – let go of the things enough to keep the team comfortable and relaxed, but check in frequently to make sure all the work is being done in accordance with the schedule.
The final word
Bringing together several different people together to work for a common cause is no easy feat. For your task to go through without a hitch, a leader has to ensure flawless communication on both ends, put to rest any worries that any person in the group might have, guarantee that all the people involved are on the same page, and more. By following these 9 steps religiously, you, too, can master the art of leadership!
Author Bio:
About Michelle Joe: Michelle Joe is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences, and express herself through her blogs. You can find her on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook
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