It is true that some people are naturally predisposed to leadership, but even the most gifted can always learn new leadership skills.
Open channels of communication
To better understand how our leadership is perceived it is good to acquire different perspectives, for example simply asking with an email, a meeting or a questionnaire the point of view of our collaborators. It is important to understand what they really think of us. Obviously, it is necessary to be cautious because often not all employees feel comfortable in sharing their point of view, mistakenly believing that some information may be used improperly against them, and thus become defensive.
It is therefore vital to set up an open and honest relationship in a context where people have no difficulty in confronting each other. It is important to be approachable, available for comparison to ensure that the team can really know your person. So it’s up to you!
If you can not hesitate to offer support to your employees
Leaders often isolate themselves in their offices to develop new ideas, tactics and strategies. This can mean being busy most of the time. Understandably, being a leader requires investment of precious time. One way to improve your leadership, in addition to opening such important communication channels, is to support a young professional with something particularly complicated for him and in front of which he is “stuck” or for example supporting the first lines when you see them in difficulty. These little things have an important impact. People will remember that you offered your help despite your many commitments. You will be seen as part of the team, someone who works to achieve a common goal
Listen to yourself
Being someone “able to listen” is a fundamental way to improve your leadership skills. People want to be heard. Some apparently minor problems or concerns, for others may present seemingly insurmountable problems. By listening to your employees and listening to yourself (very important!) You will be able to be more empathetic and interested. All leaders can “feel”, but only great leaders can hear.
Let your team learn alone
People constantly watch the leaders. And for a good reason. Take Howard Schultz, the man behind Starbucks. Schultz has very modest origins and has obtained a scholarship thanks to which he then started the most successful coffee company in the business. People are inspired by Schultz and many other leaders for their perseverance and inexorable tenacity. This means that people often expect leaders to be solutions to problems. It is not a bad thing, it is good to ask questions and look for answers. But there comes a point where a leader has to let his team act autonomously to find out what he is capable of doing on his own. If you always provide the solution to your team, your employees will no longer be able to think independently and this could lead to big problems.
Learn from others
Being a leader is exciting. These tips are also useful for knowing where and how to improve leadership skills. Sometimes, however, you just have to listen to those who are projecting us towards the future. And how do you do it without e-mail, phone calls or without meeting other leaders? Easy! You Tube and TED have a series of interesting discussions on topics such as team management, challenges, obstacles and much more. If you lack a little inspiration or have a few minutes before a meeting, try also to approach these brilliant discussions on leadership.
