Are you a leader? Of course you are, whether you have a leadership title or not. Can you be a better leader? Yes! If you’re a rising leader, learning these 5 habits will help you become an effective leader sooner. If you’re an established leader, these 5 habits will help you become an even better leader. Never stop learning and improving!
- Be visible. Embody the behavior and values that you want your team to emulate.
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? - Be positive. Maintain an overall positive outlook about your organization, your team and the work you do. Compliment your team often, collectively and individually. Show your appreciation. Provide constructive feedback when appropriate and necessary, but make the vast majority of your feedback positive.
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? - Be specific. “Great job!” is good, but “You did an excellent job preparing for yesterday’s hearing,” or “Your report was well-reasoned,” is better and more effective. People will understand what you appreciate about their work and will use those skills more frequently. Remind people how their work contributes to the purpose of the team and organization.
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? - Be available. A client once complained to me, shortly after he was promoted to a management role, “I can’t get my job done because people keep interrupting me.” He didn’t yet understand that when he became a manager, those people became his job. Leaders must be available for questions, problems, suggestions, support, ideas, encouragement and more.
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? - Communicate. Provide regular information about your organization, team, perhaps industry and community, both formally and informally. You might think you’re overcommunicating, but people want and appreciate information, especially if it helps them understand how their work fits into the bigger picture. Be sure your team knows your expectations, but don’t give excessive directions. Ask questions and listen!
These 5 simple, yet important, behaviors will make you a better and more effective leader.