11 Sep How to guide others in a leadership role
It can be demonstrated that leadership is something practiced by every professional from the start of a career. Guiding others involves being guided yourself.
You start your career as a professional. You have leaders and they lead you. You learn the important skill of being able to be led and coached.
Leadership Skill to Obtain:
The ability to be led by others. You are teachable. You are coachable.
Pitfalls and things to AVOID:
You cannot effectively lead others if you “already know it all” or “don’t need help.” Many leaders leave their role as a professional and instantly forget that you are only able to lead if you are able to be led by others.
You become an experienced professional and you want to lead. What do you need to master in order to be ready?
Leadership Skill to Obtain:
The ability to lead yourself. You have to have self-discipline. You have to PLAN. ORGANIZE. You cannot direct others if you, yourself are not organized and well planned. Daily plans written out. Did you think of all the things that need to get done? Did you do them? Did you get help?
Pitfalls and things to AVOID:
You have to be consistent. Inconsistent planning and attention to detail is what makes people poor leaders.
You are an organized professional and you want to lead. What do else do you need to be an effective leader?
Leadership Skill to Obtain:
Generosity. You have to be generous with your time. Effective leaders serve others – you have to practice making other people and what they need more important than what you need.
Pitfalls and things to AVOID:
Impatience. Frustration over having to repeat yourself or take extra time with others. That others tie up your time and now you have more to do. Yep, that is part of being a leader – you have to make peace with it to be effective.
You are Generous and you want to lead. What else do you need to be an effective leader?
Leadership Skill to Obtain:
Appreciate and Admire others. Be thankful. Appreciate those around you. They come to work every day. They have so many things to admire. Make sure you tell them what they are doing right. Focus on the right and coach on the development areas. Look for the best in those around you and you will draw it out of them.
Pitfalls and things to AVOID:
Forgetting how important it is to say thank you. Forgetting to find something amazing about the person you are working with no matter how difficult or challenging it may be to lead them.
Once you have the above mastered, then continue to:
Be someone who can be led by others (no matter your title).
Be someone who is always planned and organized and knows all the next steps and has made the time to study them.
Be someone who is generous towards others.
Be someone who appreciates, admires, and is thankful for others.
When you have these down — you are ready to lead, if you should choose to do so.
One last thing. You also need to be willing to learn from your staff, peers, and other leaders, make mistakes, apologize when you make mistakes, fix the issues that led to problems, and do it all over again. Forever. It does not stop. So, whether we want to lead or not, our entire career aligns with learning how to lead.