11 May How To Be A Good Leader
Transitioning to a leadership position can be an exciting yet anxiety provoking opportunity. Whether you are haunted by the tirades of your first boss or inspired by the guidance from your most recent supervisor, you may be experiencing pressure to be great. Before spiraling, its best to ask yourself what qualities make an effective leader. Harvard Business School offers the following six characteristics:
Ability to Influence Others
Influencing others requires building trust with your colleagues. Focus on understanding their motivations and encourage them to share their opinions. You can then use that knowledge to make change and show that their voice matters.
Transparency—to an Extent
Part of building trust is being transparent. The more open you are about the organization’s goals and challenges, the easier it is for employees to understand their role and how they can individually contribute to the company’s overall success.
Encourage Risk-Taking and Innovation
By creating a culture that embraces failure, employees are more emboldened to test theories or propose new ideas, because they see that creativity is valued.
Value Ethics and Integrity
Employees want to feel safe in their environment and know that their manager will advocate for them, treat them fairly, and, ultimately, do what’s right for the business. As a leader, it’s important to act with integrity, both to build trust within your team and to create model behavior for others in the organization.
Act Decisively
Once you decide, stick with it, unless there’s a compelling reason to shift focus.
Balance Hard Truths with Optimism
Effective leaders don’t avoid the hard truths. Instead, they take responsibility for their decisions, maintain optimism, and focus on charting a new course of action.
Conclusion
Chief amongst these traits is your own belief that you can lead effectively. Your team will recognize your self-doubt, so present confidence, poise, knowledge, and most importantly enthusiasm when assuming any leadership position. If you would like to start therapy to manage anxiety and stress surrounding a new leadership opportunity or position, I would be happy to support you on your journey. You got this!
Cite: https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/characteristics-of-an-effective-leader