Top 10 tips on becoming a good leader

Leading
is influencing people to accomplish a purpose. Jeremy Webster at learning and
development consultancy MaST International outlines the 10 key activities below
that leaders should undertake.

Communicate
clearly

Effective
leaders need to communicate their vision and excite people by enabling them to
see the benefits to themselves and the organisation.  Leaders need to understand the different motivations people have
and tailor their communication appropriately.

Have
self-confidence and courage

Taking
the lead in any situation requires confidence and the courage of your
convictions.  People will only follow
someone who displays the right amount of confidence.  Too much can turn people away, too little and people doubt you can
succeed.  

Seek
out effectiveness

Take
time to assess progress and constantly review results.  Build relationships with colleagues who can
add value to your project.  Recognise
that you cannot do everything yourself.  

Inspire
others to follow

Using
your authority to complete a project will ensure the task is finished, but will
not create a high performing, motivated team. 
Tapping into people’s emotions is the key to inspiring them.  Take time to understand their thoughts,
feelings and needs.  This provides you
with the ammunition you need to inspire them.  

Develop
win-win relationships

Continually
developing win-win relationships with your team should be uppermost in your
mind.  If you are successful at their
expense, it will only be a matter of time before they sabotage your
efforts.  Ensure you give credit to your
team where it is due.

Learn
from situations

Encourage
your team to learn from successes and failures.  This will create a high performing team that will proactively
seek new and better ways of achieving results.

Be
persistent

Ensure
you are clear about what you want to achieve. 
Be persistent in finding a way to make it work – tenacity can overcome
many obstacles.  Persistence is the
quality that differentiates the leader from the others.  Without it you may give up too early and
miss out on the fruits of your labours.

Be
sensitive to the needs of those around you

It
is important to understand the needs of those around you; a key ability is to
know at any particular time what your team is feeling.  Nothing gets done without people’s
involvement, commitment and effort. 
Understanding how they are feeling will ensure you can bring the best
out in them.

Have
a positive attitude

Once
you have decided what your vision is, and have taken steps to make it a
reality, remaining positive is crucial. 
People follow a leader because they create opportunities that have not
been recognised before, and they believe the people around them can deliver.  A leader who displays passion and commitment
in a positive way will find this attitude mirrored in their team.

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Be
resistant to negative opposition

Ensure
you can identify negative opposition. 
Some opposition may simply be due to a different perspective on an issue
and harnessing this diversity can offer alternative solutions and ideas.  Where you are meeting opposition that is
purely unco-operative, aim to spend time with the employee to discover the root
of their concern.  Explain the impact
their lack of support is having on the team and how you would like to see them
offering constructive feedback.