Top 10 Tips for Effective Leadership

Leaders are people who shape not just businesses, but societies, science, the arts, politics and the world at large. The need for leaders in different spheres of human life is consistent. However, while leaders continuously keep emerging, there are many who turn out to be lacking. Their rise to leadership positions may have a wide variety of reasons, but once they reach that position, they are unable to perform their roles effectively.

So, what makes a good leader and manager? If you aspire to be a leader someday, here are the top 10 tips that you need to keep in your mind not just as you rise through the ranks, but also when you achieve your dream of leading.

#1: Show and Tell

Good leaders need to be great motivators, but what are the qualities of a great motivator? The popularity of motivational speakers, who tend to talk a lot, has led to skewed thinking regarding the secret to motivation; most people think it’s only about talking.

While motivators have to undoubtedly communicate regularly and transparently with those they lead, they also have to lead by example. Imagine this, if you own a company manufacturing stainless steel products and you have your own ideas of how to design the products, then the ones actually crafting them won’t be truly compelled to agree with your ideas. If they don’t have the vision, they need proof that your suggestions can actually lead to success.

In such a circumstance, you need to roll up the sleeves and get to work yourself and show them that your vision is realistic. If you aren’t proactive about what you want to achieve, you will earn the reputation of a lazy leader who only talks and does not act.

#2: Empathize, but Maintain a Level of Strictness

Empathy is one of the essential qualities of a successful leader. Putting yourself in the shoes of your followers is something that you must do to maintain a cohesive team that understands that the occasional mistakes and lapses will be forgiven.

However, too much empathy, and you will likely be seen as weak by your subordinates. This can lead to frequent instances of them undermining your authority and behaving as they please, to the detriment of both your reputation and your organization’s productivity. So, a little strictness is also

#3: Reward Your Followers for their Hard Work

Many leaders tend to make the mistake of not acknowledging, appreciating, and rewarding their followers when they deserve to be lauded for their efforts. Such leaders breed disgruntled subordinates and no disgruntled person has ever served any organization well. So, whenever your followers meet their targets and put in extra shifts to get their jobs done, raise their spirits by rewarding them.

Taking your team out for lunch or simply pinpointing the achievements of individuals in front of others in gatherings can work miracles that may significantly increase your organization’s productivity in the long run.

#4: Stand Up for Your Followers When You Need To

If you are leading a particular department within a company that manufactures stainless steel products, then you are simply a cog in the machine and there are people who you have to report to. In such a situation, even if one of your subordinates makes a mistake that can be forgiven but is not being forgiven by your bosses, you need to stand up for your junior.

Once your followers see that you are willing to put your own position on the line for them, they will run through a brick wall for you.

#5: Add a Humorous Touch to Your Personality

Yes, leaders need to be strict and exert their authority from time to time. However, a glum-faced leader who is always demanding excellence from subordinates is a leader that will not be too liked. If you already have a good sense of humour, great! But if humour doesn’t come to you naturally, consciously integrate it into your personality. Humour leads to happiness and happiness leads to increased productivity.

#6: Don’t Let the Position Get to Your Head

Those in powerful leadership positions often become megalomaniacs. With leadership comes immense power, and with power comes the greed for more power. Many leaders also often develop severe superiority complexes and may openly taunt subordinates, who in most organizations, are afraid of speaking out in fear of losing their jobs. This is the kind of leader that you absolutely don’t want to be.

#7: Observe and Anticipate

There may often be underlying problems amongst subordinates that a leader may not spot if the leader is not observant. Observing your subordinates to see whether any troublesome situation is brewing can help you nip it in the bud.

Through consistent observation, you will develop anticipatory powers as well, which will help you identify signs of discord before the discord transforms into a much serious issue.

#8: Encourage Creativity within the Ranks

Rigidity is often the bane that causes the downfall of many leaders. If you are a leader who wants his/her subordinates to stick to your plans rigidly, expect creative differences to become an issue. So, never get in the way of your subordinates’ creativity. Give them ample room to experiment and only reprimand them when their experiments aren’t showing good results.

#9: Be Passionate

A passionate leader gives out a positive vibe that is simply unparalleled. Showing how much you care for your organization and also for your subordinates will gain you the faith and trust of everyone associated with your organization. Passion inspires devotion; you should memorize this mantra and put it to practice.

#10: Make Solid Decisions

A leader who second-guesses himself is one who will be seen as an indecisive kind of person by his/her subordinates. If you are to grow into great leaders you have to be firm and solid with your decision making. However, you should also toe the line when it comes to making rash decisions. Firm and solid don’t make rash, they mean informed and well thought-through decisions.

If you wanted to know how to be an effective leader and manager, we hope this blog helped you.

Maven Stainless is a company that has produced excellent leaders over the years. It is a company that is not only a leader in the manufacture of stainless steel products but also one that makes leaders out of its employees. If you want to know what makes leadership effective, take a cue from the leaders at Maven Stainless.