Here’s a quote to consider…
‘Different times need different types of leadership’ – Park Geun-hye
If 2020 has been anything, it has certainly been different… So, what type of Leadership have you adopted to get you through?
The thing is, there is no one ‘right’ type of Leadership. There are many contributing factors to how you lead, and how you interact with others, let alone how this year and the challenges it has brought along with it, have affected you.
Now is as good a time as any to take a moment to self-reflect on your own Leadership style – what am I doing well? What could I improve?
What we know is this: Effective Leaders strive to model constructive behaviours that enable and empower the people around them to make a difference. We also know that not all leaders will lead in the same manner. So how do we go about improving our own style? Read on for a few hints and tips on effective leadership, and also a couple of other more defensive behaviours we all might try to avoid…
Communication:
Effective Leaders communicate clearly and often.
Take opportunities when they present themselves (and even when they don’t!) to involve your team in discussions, in order to build trusting and respectful relationships. We understand that communication takes time and effort; it pays off in the long run with an aligned and engaged team by your side.
Try not to overlook the importance of communication, even though it can be tempting when we’re all working from different locations! There’s no need to communicate every detail of your thinking but keep others in the loop where it’s relevant, to ensure commitment and cooperation, rather than competition and guessing, within your team.
Decision Making:
Making decisions can be tricky – will everyone agree with me?
What impact will this decision have down the line? What if I get it wrong?
Effective leaders gather relevant information and involve people in decisions that will impact them – they share both responsibility and achievements with their teams.
If you notice yourself making ALL the decisions and taking a ‘telling’ stance more than a ‘discussing’ stance, it might be time for a shift in gear.
Being the decision maker is not a chance to ‘wield power’ over others, nor is it about keeping everyone happy – try to find the happy medium by working alongside others to find the best possible option.
Change Management
Ugh – change. There is so much of it!
What to do with it? How do we keep the energy up?
It’s so very tempting to oppose change, particularly in the current environment – surely there’s enough going on without finding more new ideas to implement??
Whilst this seems reasonable in this chaos that is 2020, opposing change can be very demotivating for a team. Try to keep an open mind, support your team to continue to strive for change, doing things differently, and keep the unconstructive criticism to a minimum.
If you need a sounding board to whom you can vent (we’re all human!), find a confidant who will listen to you. This might be a mentor, coach, peer, or your own leader.
Conflict Resolution
Most leaders will be called into some sort of battleground at one point or another – whether that’s between two team members, or between your team and another group, department etc.
Managing conflict constructively is key – effective leaders will take that challenge head on, help the parties to find common ground, provide a psychologically safe environment for healthy debate and follow through to ensure positive change.
Avoidance is your enemy in this case. Don’t shy away – set a healthy expectation regarding conflict resolution – nothing is unsolvable, as long as you work through any discussions fairly and avoid a defensive stance in the discussion.
So, what are your thoughts? Could there be some things you might like to improve? Or have you been able to consolidate your Leadership strengths during 2020?
If you feel some aspects of your Leadership behaviours are not in your best interest it is always possible to change them! Challenge yourself to become a more effective leader by picking a topic and working to become more effective in your approach.
What have you got to lose?
We’d love to hear from you! Leave us a comment or reach out via yourteam@seedpeopleconsulting.com.au to have a Chat!
