How to Become a Better Leader?

A leader is an individual who is always there to influence and guide a group of individuals for a common purpose or goal. Leadership is a significant concept for managing, motivating, and influencing others by utilising their skills, behaviours and qualities. For an individual to be an effective leader, several qualities must be possessed in their character. These include –

• Visionary – A leader must have a clear vision regarding what they want to attain and can communicate and interact with their vision and perception to the team members.
• Inspirational – Leaders must motivate and inspire their team members with their positive attitude, words and actions. They become and give examples to their team members and motivate them to give better outcomes to the organisation.
• Excellent communication skills- Leaders must be able to interact and communicate effectively with their team members so that they can convey their ideas and thoughts properly and also can listen to others actively by creating open lines for others to communicate without hesitation.
• Empathy – Leaders have to be connected and understand the members of their team emotionally. They have to understand their worries and concerns, support them emotionally, and consider the feelings and needs of the team members.
• Decisiveness – For leaders to be effective, they must possess the ability to make sound and timely decisions. They have to collect data and information, evaluate and measure options and then make better decisions which are helpful for the organisation and the team members.
• Integrity – They must work with integrity, fairness and honesty. They must lead their team members with trust, inspiration and ethical behaviour.
• Adaptability – A leader is considered a good leader when he can be flexible and adaptable. They should adapt to the organisation’s environment by navigating its difficulties and adjusting the strategies or plans to resolve the issues or problems.
• Ability to delegate – Good leaders identify the weaknesses and strengths of the team members and accordingly assign tasks to the members. They help the team members by motivating them, encouraging a sense of ownership, and providing them autonomy.
• Accountability – Effective and good leaders have to take ownership of their decisions and actions. They consider themselves and their team members accountable, encouraging and establishing an environment of continual improvement and responsibility.
• Resilience – Leaders show flexibility when facing any trouble, difficulty or setbacks. They have to stay positive and determined to pursue and attain their motives and objectives and encourage their team members to do the same.

Importance of Effective Leaders

Effective leaders play a crucial role in companies and organisations. Leaders provide guidance and support, and inspiration to the team members. They aid in developing a vision and reassembling individuals to attain a common goal. This aids the team members in developing a sense of direction and purpose among themselves to put in the effort and hard work needed to attain the desired goal. The productivity of the organisation enhances when the leader is effective. In other words, The employees of the organisation become more productive when they feel valued, engaged and motivated, while a team working with a poor leader needs to be more interested and engaged in their work. An effectively-led team becomes more efficient, productive and successful as well. Effective leaders also possess the qualities and abilities of problem-solving. They mainly concentrate on determining solutions instead of being stuck with the problem. They continue to focus on solving the problem while keeping the objectives and goals in mind to create larger benefits. Leaders also help make the team members understand their work and their contribution to the organisation’s profit. This will encourage the team members to work in alignment and collaboration with the company. They also aid by motivating and encouraging others with their best efforts. They give accreditation to the authority, ask them for their input and motivate employees to make decisions independently. This will help the organisation have an active workforce where each member is participating actively to drive the company’s success. Good leaders also aid in stimulating creativity and innovation in a business. When the company employees feel more trusted and motivated, they work by sharing their thoughts and ideas, taking risks and contributing to the development and growth of the organisation. And lastly, good leaders help improve and enhance the performance, innovation and productivity of their team members and the organisation. Leaders acquiring the necessary skills like collaboration, motivation and strong communication skills help transform the team members towards greater achievement and excellence.

Being a Better Leader

A lot of practice, commitment and self-reflection is required for an individual to be a better leader. It involves understanding one`s strengths, weaknesses and motivations and getting connected with the team members by encouraging the employees to communicate openly, which will eventually help in the development and growth of the employee, giving and receiving feedback and establishing emotional intelligence exceptionally. Some of the tips for a leader to become a better leader in the future are discussed below –

• Defining expectations and clear goals – To become a better leader, an individual must communicate his mission, vision and purpose to the other team members. Creating realistic objectives and goals and providing clarity is one of the important things to do.
• Leading by example – Determine the values and behaviour expected from the team members and explain the integrity, professionalism and work ethics to motivate and encourage the team’s employees.
• Effective communication – Developing excellent written and verbal communication skills is essential to become a better leader. Leaders have to be transparent, accessible and open to their team members and listen to them carefully, give and receive feedback from them and motivate them to open communication.
• Empower and delegate – Leaders have to trust the members of their teams and assign them tasks. They have to motivate autonomy, allow them to make decisions independently and offer support whenever required. This will help in building confidence and driving engagement among the team members.
• Promoting positive work culture – Better leaders need to create an environment which is inclusive as well as supportive in nature where the team members feel appreciated, respected as well as valued. They also motivate collaborations, provide timely feedback and celebrate the employees’ achievements.
• Developing emotional intelligence- is essential for an individual to be a better leader. Understanding and managing the emotion of oneself as well as others is important for an effective leader. Along with this, they are also required to build strong relations with their team members or the other employees, foster empathy and adopt a leadership style depending on the needs of the individuals.
• Continuous learning and improvement – Embracing a growing mindset and continuing with personal development and learning is also a significant characteristic to be developed to be a better leader. Reading books, attending seminars, engaging in professional development programs, and seeking feedback will help enhance leadership skills.
• Encouraging creativity and innovation – Promoting an innovative culture within the organisation and motivating the team members to think innovatively and creatively. To aid the team members to be productive and succeed, leaders must support and encourage their novel ideas and notions, motivate them to acquire problem-solving abilities and provide resources.
• Handling challenges and conflicts actively – Promptly addressing and tackling challenges and conflicts is also important for an effective leader. They must motivate the team members and other employees to interact and communicate openly, arbitrates disputes and seek equitable and fair solutions to resolve the problem.
• Motivation and inspiration – To be a better leader, an individual needs to inspire others and motivate their employees and team members to be productive, achieve their best and thus attain success. Motivating personal development and growth, identifying achievements and inspiring the team members to surpass the company`s expectations will also help them.

Conclusion

For an individual to become, a better and more efficient leader is a continuous process which requires a lot of practice, learning and self-reflection. Concentrating on the main areas and working on several strategies helps the leader attain better outcomes and leadership skills. Developing strong skills in communication and active listening can help leaders. They must articulate their goals and vision clearly, which will help foster collaboration and trust. Nurturing relationships and investing time for team members, stakeholders, and colleagues is also important as this shows supportive behaviour, empathy and identifying the contributions of everyone. Continuous learning and improvement in oneself can also help in becoming a better leader by focusing on the areas of growth, strengths and weaknesses. Taking decisions effectively and acquiring the skills of problem-solving ability are also important. They must be adaptable to the changing conditions. Lastly, they lead by instance by setting higher ethical standards. Honesty, integrity, and accountability are the basics for an individual to be a better leader. Efficient leaders motivate and encourage employees to develop professionally and attain success. Overall, they have a positive effect on the team members.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can the communication skills of a leader be improved?

Ans. Listening carefully and actively to others, speaking concisely and clearly, and providing effective feedback can help improve communication skills.

How to establish an inclusive and positive work environment?

Ans. Good leaders can lead by instance, foster communication openly, collaborate and provide opportunities to employees for personal and professional development. Taking feedback and addressing concerns can also help.

What steps will be taken by a leader to develop professional as well as personal growth?

Ans. Continuous learning by joining conferences, seminars and workshops, reading relevant articles or books, taking help from mentors and getting in touch with other leaders will help develop the growth of an individual professionally as well as personally.

Is it important for a leader to receive feedback from the team members?

Ans. Yes, it is significant to seek feedback from the team members. This is so because it helps in gaining insights into the leader’s leadership style while building a stronger relationship and determining the main areas where improvement is necessary. Honest, open feedback and constructive responses are important to improve the leader’s effectiveness.

As a leader, how can an individual inspire and motivate the employees of his organisation?

Ans. Identifying the achievements, giving them chances for their development and growth and involving the employees in the process of decision making and leading by instance will aid in motivating and inspiring the team members of an organisation.

Author Bio: Mark Edmonds has been writing about leadership and management topics for over a decade. With an MBA and extensive experience coaching executives, he is passionate about helping others realize their leadership potential. As a regular contributor to Academic Assignments, an assignment writing services provider, Mark offers practical and insightful tips to guide readers on their journey to becoming better leaders. His popular leadership assignments help students grasp concepts like emotional intelligence, motivation, and strategic thinking. When he’s not writing, Mark enjoys mentoring youth in leadership development programs and capturing stunning nature photographs.