Leadership
Leadership Can Be Taught, but everyone does not have the
same grasping power. For some it is tough to learn because they worry how to
become a Great Leader directly without learning about Leadership.
If you do not have a mentor to learn Leadership it is going to be a pain in the
neck. Leadership is about how much you can cause an effect in people which
means Influence. If you do not have the Influence on people you can develop
yourself to influence others. But everything will boil down to how much you can
affect people you are leading.
Leadership journey is not going to be easy for everyone. If
you do not learn it right, then you can be a little lost, but the right way is
to learn it from a mentor. Yes, it can be learned, and it is not going to be an
easy ride, it will be tough and for some frustrating. If you understand
leadership first before accepting the position, then you will be in a better
situation to lead.
How to
affect people you are Leading-
Firstly, Become a Friendly Person for your team members.
Secondly, Be Genuinely Interested in others.
Thirdly, Be a Caring Person.
Fourthly, Do as Many Good Things as Possible to be a Great
Leader.
Then finally be open to relations, be truthful, be a
conversationalist by listening to people, and you could add more things that
are required to be a good influencer.
Once you
are an Influencer-
Be Available to your members whenever required. Do not
criticize or complain in any manner. Always keep the Goal in front of the team.
It is the People that are going to achieve the Goal and not the other way
around. Mission must be made clear to the teammates always and must be reminded
whenever team faces obstacles. Vision must be present so that the team can
visualize what they must achieve. Vision can be drawn or stated to the team at
appropriate times.
Once You
have the Vision in the people’s mind-
Sooner or later, you need to create a plan for the work the
team needs to do. Create a plan which can be achievable and realistic with the
team. If you do not have a plan at hand you will not see the members moving in
a direction towards the goal. Plans can be changed with a proper procedure and
can be adjusted based on the time available. But the plan is what gets the team
in motion. If you are not able to plan for the team then give the team to make
the plan that can be realistic. You will need to monitor the team with the
milestones achieved every week. If you must measure the team’s work, then
rightfully do so. In the end, it is the performance of the team that will be
judged. Goals are temporary but people are permanent, and goals can be set
again with a new rhythm. If you are sure about the members, then always keep
people that are important for the business.
Once you
have Plans-
Start with the plan that you have set for the current week
and at the end of the week, take Feedback, adjust the plan, and reiterate. It
is the feedback you receive about your work from others that will help you
adjust the plans and get in motion again. Keep moving in iterations and proceed
towards your goals you have created.
During
each iteration of the week-
Constantly make it a struggle to meet the goals. Never lose
momentum with obstacles, keep moving fast and share the problems with your
teammates whenever possible so that others do not repeat the same mistakes.
Never lose hope and continuously make the team better by nurturing them for the
possible obstacles they could face. Everywhere you see, you should see a member
on a mission. When you must point a mistake do it with care and frankness but do
not aggravate the problem and make it a steppingstone to success. Create a Work
Ethic that is respected by everyone.
Once you
have a Work Ethic-
If you have the results, then keep making your team better
by helping them. If you are struggling to achieve the results, then you need to
understand where your team is lacking whether its technical problems or
conflict between members or because of weak people. Improve the weak players
immediately and show them the vision of the goals. Technical issues can be
fixed by training. Conflicts between people are considered natural outcome of
teams and should be handled with care. Do not make the situation bigger than
the people. If you have some members who are sensible and perform well then
sideline them with the ones that are struggling to show results. This is the
most important distinction you need to make by dividing them in champions and
weak links. But everyone must be given a chance to move further with the team
at least once or more than that. But always remember it is the people that are
important who can achieve the goal and not the other way around.
Leadership
will be challenging-
There will be times when you will not have all the answers,
keep champions in the team that could help you find answers or hire others who
have the answers. There will be times when people lose the sight of goal and
lose passion, motivate them whenever they feel low and show them the vision that
could brighten them up. It is never the case that you do not have the resources
to show results, it is that you need to get yourself in a Resourceful State to
show success.
Leadership
does not have to be about Rules or Laws-
If you have been taught about Leadership as Rules or Laws
that you need to follow, then it is an added benefit. However, you do not need
any huge list of Laws that can become a lot to follow and you can keep what
laws are important for your team and discard other laws. You can focus on the
essential things for your team and move further ahead.
Leadership
work lies in Your Priorities, 3 R’s and Most appreciable Asset-
Leader needs to focus on the top tasks that only the Leader
can do, and they need to be prioritized based on the urgency of them. Focus on
the 3 R’s- Requirements, Returns and Rewards. And finally, People are the most
appreciable asset in the company and not the machines or rules.
Plans do
not have to be a step by step following of tasks and procedures, it can be
adjusted based on the current industry-
Every industry is unique, and one industry has different
essentials than another industry. If you do not need plans and procedures, then
by all means avoid them, because there will be times when plans keep on
changing and cannot be predicted before in hand. If plans cannot be made, then
make precise plans over accurate plans. However, there are industries where
plans are a requirement and cannot be avoided. Make them as well. It is on the
industry and requirements in hand.
Leadership
can be about essential things required to make the business a success-
Keep doing the good things that you require to be a Great
Leader, Disciplined, Problem-Solver, Enlarger, etc. If you need a certain
quality for the business you are in, then make them an essential part of your
leadership.
