There are certain things managers should have in order to be considered leaders. Because being a manager doesn’t automatically make you a leader. It simply means that you have the opportunity to be one. Even though not everyone is born a natural leader, it doesn’t mean you can’t learn. Being a leader is more about taking the step towards new challenges, and responsibilities. In general, there are 5 things all leaders should do.
It’s all about the mindset you decide to bring to work, really. Do you want to be a manager that is only there to manage? Or do you want to be a leader, which leads their team to success? I’m guessing the latter. Which is why I listed down 5 things all leaders should do. These things will help you to avoid common mistakes, and to instantly improve your leadership skills!
1. Understand & communicate the vision
Leaders and managers don’t always understand the vision of where the company is going. But if you as a leader don’t understand it, how will your team? Which is why it is so crucial. And in addition to understanding it, you need to be able to communicate this vision to your teams. Because without communicating it properly, the team will not fully understand it. Not understanding the company vision will result in the team not knowing what their role plays into the vision. In order to do their job the best, they need to understand how it supports the vision and the future of the organisations.
As a manager, you need to fully understand the vision of the company and where it’s going. Then, you need to have conversations with the teams about how the work that they’re doing supports what the company wants to do in the next 12 months, 24 months, or 36 months. This gives your team a more rounded approach of what they are doing and why it’s important to the company.
2. Set clear expectations
It’s more common than you think that leaders don’t set expectations for their teams on a daily basis. People don’t know exactly what is expected from them, so try and set 3-5 things that each team member needs to do, that they need to own, that they need to be the best in the organisation at. By doing so, you give the opportunity to people to master those things, and to be more autonomous in the way that they do their job, which will make them happier.
The same goes for their job description. By having a job description which sets clear expectations on the employee, they have the best chance of achieving their tasks. The job description should therefore always be updated. This will also help you as a leader to give feedback, as you can see easier what was achieved or not.
3. Solve your own problems
Managers always want to solve problems, even problems that are not our own. Even though it feels good to always solve everything for everyone, you create a dependency on yourself. You’re not helping your team to become better by solving it for them. Instead, you make it easier for them to load their problems on you rather than solving them on their own. Because what good can come from you always having the answers to everything? Not much if I’m going to be honest with you.
When you always provide the answer to every challenge you and your team is facing, you are making them dependent on you. Your team will always look for you in times of crisis, instead of learning how to face the issue at hand. Therefore, you need to work with your team to solve it themselves. Provide them with the right tools and guide them towards the answer, but before you get in and solve it for them.
4. Enable by delegating
We live in a world where a lot of people say “I can do it faster, and I can do it better”. Which means that we don’t delegate tasks to our team. But why have a team if you’re not planning on using it? This results in them not getting the chance of learning to do it as well as you, or becoming better or faster at doing it. Because you are creating a space where no one is ever going to be good enough.
You see, employees have their job for a reason. They were hired for that very specific reason, and a leader is not expected to be able to do everything their team does. It’s simple, you need to set clear expectations, and you need to delegate to your team, and then help them work through it. Trust me, they will become as good and faster at doing their tasks this way.
5. Consider all angles
When we make decisions in the heat of the moment, we don’t think about the second and third order affects those decisions are going to have. Yes, sometimes there are decisions that need to be made fast. But as a leader, it’s important to take the time to have that brief pause, that inhale and exhale, in order to clearly think about what impact this decision is going to have on me, my team, and the organisation as a whole. It’s about thinking forward, and seeing the whole picture that makes a good leader.
I hope this blog was helpful in your mission to becoming a better leader! Moyyn is an AI based recruiting platform that will match your company to highly skilled professionals across the globe. Access our talent pool of more than 30000 candidates or let us and our AI do the matchmaking for you! Companies pay only after a successful hire or in subscription basis. Moyyn also has flexible pricing models for young startups struggling to get the right talent for their growth. Know more about how you can get candidates easily for the most in-demand positions here.