What Are The Qualities Of An Effective Leader – Episode 14: Playing the Long Game + The Myth of Overnight Success with Baked by Melissa with Melissa Ben-Ishay
Their research revealed 9 behaviors that make people want to be on your team. All you have to do is put it into practice.
What Are The Qualities Of An Effective Leader
Many people who hold leadership positions thrive in the role. The qualities that make you an excellent accountant, developer, marketer, or customer service representative may earn you the title of manager, but they are not the same skills you need to do the job well. And most likely that promotion will not come with extensive leadership training.
The Most Important Leadership Competencies, According To Leaders Around The World
It seems Google is determined to do better for its managers and the teams they lead. They’ve turned their research into high-performing teams into a feedback mechanism that helps leaders understand how they’re doing and what traits they need to develop. That’s how often employees answer a 13-point questionnaire about their manager’s performance. The content of the questionnaire shows what makes for effective leadership, according to Google’s research.
The best way to make feedback useful is to make it direct. Don’t wait until the annual review time. Don’t even wait for your next 1-on-1 meeting. If possible, provide feedback within a day of each event you respond to, so it’s fresh in everyone’s mind. And don’t worry about formalities.
A short word in the hallway or pinging via chat is fine. (Unless we’re talking about critical feedback on a fraught issue. Then grab a private room and sit together.) Kim Scott, author of
(and one former Google executive in particular) argues that you only need two elements to give effective feedback: show that you care personally and challenge the other person directly.
Top 6 Qualities Of Great Leaders Infographic
Don’t sugarcoat criticism, but bring it with compassion. Without the right fuel-air mix of empathy and directness, you’ll be clouding, manipulating, or (eep!) entering aggressive territory.
There are many ways to do this, so I’ll talk about my top three. Be a good listener first. Close your laptop as much as possible during meetings, don’t look at your phone when a team member is at your desk, summarize what they said to confirm you got it right… all that active listening.
Second, try to be open about flexible work arrangements. Have your people work from home if they have to take care of a sick child or let the plumber in. Or maybe they have a long commute and need to move hours earlier or later to avoid the worst rush hour. you are willing to accommodate reasonable requests, they will repay you in dedication and loyalty.
Finally, celebrate the small victories. A team lunch after achieving an important goal shows you care and helps team members form personal bonds. Even a quick public acknowledgment when someone does an excellent job goes a long way.
Leader Qualities Infographic
You have hired competent people. Now get out of the way so they can spread their wings. In his book Drive, Daniel Pink talks about autonomy as one of the three keys to motivation. (The other two are a path to mastery and a sense of purpose.)
In other words, few things so suck up people’s morale as being told exactly what to do and when to do it. Work with your organization to define high-level objectives and agree on how you will measure success. Both Google and Atlassian use the OKR framework, which stands for Objectives and Key Results – “results” is the operative word.
How to achieve these goals should be largely left to the team members. They are closest to work, and giving them some autonomy will help them grow more professionally.
Great minds don’t always think alike. In fact, divergent thinking is probably the most important ingredient for solving complex problems in new ways. There are simple things you can do as a leader to encourage this.
Qualities Stock Illustrations
First, actively invite your team to challenge your decisions when they disagree and to contribute new ideas. Explain that Creative Friction is a Good Thing™ – that you didn’t always hire them to always agree with you. (You didn’t, did you?)
Then if someone is brave enough to take your word for it, acknowledge that they have the courage to share their thoughts. These two behaviors help create an environment of psychological safety and a culture of respectful dissent.
It’s comforting to think in terms of tasks that need to be completed. Once the job is done, you get the (deep, deep) satisfaction of moving that item to the “done” column and moving on to the next one. But the company doesn’t care about your to-do list. It’s about what you could achieve. Count outcomes. Results of effort… not really.
In my experience, great leaders give people a measurable goal to achieve and give them room to run towards it. That means making sure their board doesn’t get overloaded so they can iterate until they get the result they want and check in regularly, which helps keep the momentum going. It also means giving them as much decision-making power as possible.
Principles Of Servant Leadership (with Examples)
Leaders who are transparent when it’s practical (and sometimes when it’s not) help build trust within their organization. Plus, your team will accomplish more—more of the right things—when they see how their work fits into the bigger picture.
In our own research, we found a strong positive correlation between performance and a shared sense of purpose: 66% of high-performing teams understand how their work benefits customers and the business, while only 25% of low-performing teams do. do.
Career guidance and mentorship is a cherished part of many leaders’ roles. The trick is to be willing to lead them away from your team (or company!) if it’s best for them. Have career-related conversations in your 1-on-1s twice a year and feed them with open-ended questions. Any ideas:
It’s not just about what you expect in terms of goals and results. Good leaders also work with their team to establish the rules of engagement for day-to-day collaboration. You naturally expect high-quality work that is delivered on time and within budget.
Understanding The Trait Theory Of Leadership
Something else? Do you have a zero interruption policy in meetings? Does “headphones on” mean “I’m in deep work mode, please do not disturb”? Do you need a minimum notice period before taking a vacation day? The most effective way to convey this flavor of expectation is to brainstorm and agree with your team. Then reflect on them 1-2 times a year and adjust if necessary.
Chances are you earned your leadership position by being an exemplary individual contributor. Now you need to keep your skills fresh enough to understand your team’s work and give them valuable feedback. But don’t go too deep. The quickest way to, uh, get fired from your leadership role is to do the same job you did before. (Trust me. I have personal experience here.)
Additional questions focus on whether the team member would recommend their leaders to others and overall satisfaction with the work they do. They are also asked what their manager should do and what he should change. Remarkably, only one of the 13 questions concerns technical management.
The rest is focused on communication and mentorship. Words like “innovate” and “visionary” are nowhere to be seen. That says a lot about what good leadership means.
Important Leadership Skills For Workplace Success
You don’t have to come up with the boldest ideas or be the best programmer. You have to stand up for your people. Build a sturdy platform for them to stand on, then get out of the way so they can do the best work of their lives.
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Writing a resignation letter is not as difficult as it sounds. Use our resignation letter template to resign professionally, without rocking the boat. Who knows? One day you may need a letter of recommendation!
Executive Skills & Competencies For Leaders In 2023
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Qualities For Community Leaders
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