How to Become a Good Leader
Taking that first step into a leadership role requires a lot of hard work, determination and perseverance. The best route you can take is to apply for a managerial role within the company you are working. This means that you don’t have to learn any new systems or processes and you can focus purely on managing your team. If you are good at your current job, it is a natural transition to train others up to be good at theirs. It is worth mentioning that your technical knowledge alone won’t make you an outstanding leader. There are lots of new skills that you will need to learn too!
Here are a few tips on how to become a good leader:
Know yourself
Self-awareness is a really important skill when it comes to being a leader. As well as knowing your own boundaries, you need to be aware of how you react under pressure. This will enable you to make a conscious effort in changing your reaction whilst in the presence of others who will be looking up to you. Take the time to write down your strengths and weaknesses, so you can build a team who can help support you with those.
Honesty & communication are important
Being open and honest with your team sets the foundations from the beginning. No one likes to feel that they have been lied to. Whilst there are some things you may have to keep confidential, explain what you can within reason. Take the time to get to know your team too, as this will help you to have an open dialogue with them.
Practice what you preach
If you rock up to team meetings late, how can you expect your staff to practice good time management skills? As a leader, you are a reflection of your teams performance. When you aren’t getting the results you expect from them, it may be time to look a little closer to home at yourself.
Treat your team fairly & equally
Just like with children, you shouldn’t have any favourites within your team. Everyone should be treated equally and given the same opportunities as each other to develop and grow within their individual roles. Be sure to spend the same amount of time with each of your team too, ensuring they feel valued.
Invest in a mentor
Even the best leaders have their own mentors or coaches to help guide them through. By learning from someone else’s experiences, it will reduce the number of mistakes you make in your leadership journey. Sometimes even just having someone on hand who can give you an outside perspective can help too.
Have fun & be present
Although leadership is a serious role, you need to strike that balance and have some fun at the same time. Otherwise, your team may find you incredibly boring! With so much to learn along the way, make sure you enjoy the process and involve your team in the fun too.
Develop yourself
Being a leader is all about learning and improving yourself. There are so many things you will pick up along the way, so embrace the journey and keep your goals high. After all, taking the first step into leadership is the most challenging one – use that motivation and drive to keep pushing forward.
If you have any more tips on becoming a leader we would love to hear from you – email training@brooksandkirk.co.uk.
Steve is a Chartered Manager and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.
He provides Educational Consultancy to the 19+ sector as well as being an Assessor, IQA, EPA and Digital Marketing Professional. When not doing any of these he finds time, every now and then, to write blogs and articles.