Since the team understands that the leader is de facto in charge, in that respect, a leader has nothing to prove. But in another respect, a leader has everything to prove: Every member of the team must develop the trust and confidence that their leader will exercise good judgment, remain calm, and make the right decisions when it matters most.
- Jocko Willink -
Leadership is hard to do right, brutally hard, and it's not for everyone. I don't believe that people are "born leaders" at all despite that phrase being popular, they're made, created, and if the skills and techniques are learned well and utilised, anyone can be a decent leader.
I've done it for a long time across various professions and have done it badly (yep, definitely), and have done it really well which is not due to me being really fucken amazing or born to it; it's simply because I cared enough to learn the appropriate skills and techniques and got really good at them; being a hard worker who values ownership and discipline helps too and for sure those things can also be learned if one doesn't have them. Anyway, I thought I'd share a few little things I've picked up here and there along the way.
A few of many leadership skills and techniques
Find time - Leadership can be incredibly complex and time consuming but saying "I do not have time: to a team member is really saying, "you're not a priority right now," and that's not acceptable. I've always striven to find the time but knowing it is not always available means I've worked to empower my teams to give them the skills to find their own solutions, back themselves and to bring me solutions and not problems to discuss; it saves my time and leaves them more engaged with their roles.
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The 80-20 rule - Listen 80% of the time and talk 20% of the time. This ties in with the above point and ethos of empowering the team. Listening to them and providing support without removing their responsibility promotes their ownership of their roles and outcomes. Failing to listen and hear what the team has to say means a leader loses valuable information and opportunity.
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Respect - This is earned and not an entitlement. A leader isn't there to be liked, they're there to lead and it's not always possible for leaders to be liked - it can be a lonely job at time. Sometimes tough decisions need to be made that the team won't understand or like but have to follow; being a popular leader feels nice from a personal perspective but being a respected leader delivers results. This doesn't mean a leader needs to be disliked though. A leader who makes the right decisions, trusts their teams, empowers them, gives them a voice and rewards their efforts and results is a leader the team will respect and want to perform for.
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Energy and attitude - Bad days happen professionally and personally but managing how a leader allows that to (outwardly and inwardly) effect their energy and attitude can destroy the mood, motivation and output of the team or keep it at an optimal level. A good leader will never take it out on their team and great leaders will never allow their team to see their energy and attitude drop. The three C's apply here...never criticise, condemn or complain.
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Maintain trust - One of the best ways to fracture a team and diminish effort and output is to lie to them. Being a leader is tough but lying to one's team to make things feel personally easier, or easier to deal with professionally, is a fast-track to that leader losing trust; it can take months and years to build it and only minutes to lose it. A respected leader will be able to deliver bad or unwelcome news honestly and a team built well and cohesively will accept it, maybe not like it, but accept it and move on whilst feeling they can trust their leader.
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Take notes - In my leadership roles I've often had so many things to remember it's impossible to do so without assistance which is why I take notes, email myself and use other methods of documenting everything. In the heat of the moment it's not always possible to refer to notes so certain things are memory-items but notes help a leader look organised, in control, capable and efficient...and that rubs off on the team. Have schedules, a diary and task lists, it might sound gay as fuck, but it's legit!
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Culture isn't just a word - Everything the leader does and does not do will affect culture and with culture being such an integral part of team-building and maintenance care must be taken to create the right tone and mood and involve everyone in that process in meaningful ways they relate to. This is a very difficult thing as everyone is so different but a good leader will find those differences, celebrate them, promote them and build a culture around them for the team as a whole.
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Transparency - I've not always been able to be transparent with my teams, sometimes they simply cannot know things above their rank or paygrade but in the main I've shared objectives with my teams and why those objectives are so important; it's meant I can better involve them in the process of setting goals and plans to reach those objectives and outcomes. People respond to inclusion of this nature, it makes them feel important, integral and empowered bringing better results, and it helps build trust and respect as mentioned above.
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Consistency - I'm sure all my teams would say they know what to expect from me in any given situation and I feel that's a good thing. It provides comfort, understanding and trust in the leader and allows each team member to focus on their role knowing the team/unit is running effectively - operating on quicksand is sub-obtimal. It's ok to pivot, be flexible or adaptable when required, but the moves, actions, decisions a leader makes should be consistent leaving the feeling the team are on solid ground with rock-solid leadership in support.
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Love the tough times - In my personal and professional lives I've learned the most when things went wrong, were tough, I failed and made mistakes. When things are going well flaws and fallibilities are difficult to see but when adversity strikes issues can be exposed and the leader and team need to dig deeper, try harder, make better plans and actions and it's in those times the leader needs to stand tall. Much is learned through failure.
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Give, don't take, credit - A leader should never, fucken never, take credit for what their team achieves; instead, he/she should give all credit to the team, celebrate and reward them. This can be by way of remuneration and material things but I've found the most powerful reward is verbal, a thank you, well done champs, comment for instance. When reporting to superiors a good leader will talk up the team and team members rather than himself/herself...those superiors (if they're good leaders) will respond and *know that the success was due as much to the guidance the team's leader as to the team itself. Give credit where it's due, to the team; the leader is a part of it, not above it.
I could write a hundred more leadership truths and thousands of words about this topic but I figured you might want to have a go and share something you might have learned as a leader or team member in the comments below. If you have something to say please say it and if you don't have something to say...don't say it.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
