Siddhraj Thaker
When you talk about leaders, it is natural to feel that people inherently have the ability to inspire people and make decisions. And research proves that to a certain extent, it is indeed true. Yet, research also reinforces the notion that leaders are created, not born.
If you envision yourself in a leadership role, this is wonderful news for you because it allows you to acquire and hone your practical leadership abilities.
7 Tips to Develop Yourself as an Effective Leader
Here is a list of 7 must-know tips that we have seen every successful leader either possess or practice.
Identify your strengths and weaknesses
Identifying which aspects of leadership are your strong points and which need improvement is an important step in your leadership journey. You can take the help of your peers and friends to highlight which areas need improvement and which areas you excel in. Some universities and organizations offer different paid and free courses and inventories that can help you figure out your strengths, weaknesses, and leadership styles.
Understand leadership styles
Finding out your strengths and shortcomings may be aided by understanding your leadership style, which is a useful place to start. For instance, if you have an authoritarian leadership style, you might find it simple to make judgments, but you might need to work on honing your listening techniques. If you’re more of a delegation leader, you may enjoy granting your team a lot of autonomy and might want to review your interpersonal or decision-making techniques.
Target specific skills
Following the process of determining your strengths and weaknesses, you can decide which particular leadership abilities to focus on.
If you have a specific skill in mind, you can make a strategy to achieve it, set a target, and track your progress.
Communication, conflict management, decision thinking, and critical thinking are some of such skills that you can focus on.
Expand your network
Experiencing something personally and seeing things in action on a personal basis, is hands-down one of the simplest yet most effective ways of learning things, especially something as nuanced as leadership.
One of the best methods for fostering leadership qualities is observation. By growing your network you may witness outstanding leaders in action and learn how they approach obstacles, make choices, work through issues, and devise plans to support their teams’ success. Begin by establishing connections with executives who are currently employed by your company. You may then grow your network by going to industry events and engaging with executives on social media.
Read and research
Leaders and learners are synonymous. A great leader is always a great learner.
Successful leaders are lifelong learners who actively pursue new experiences and stay abreast of developments in their field.
Go through books. Enroll in seminars. Attend lessons online. As a beginner, you can look for general leadership subjects like conflict resolution or communication.
Take on leadership roles in your current position
Leadership doesn’t come to those who wait. You should look for opportunities around you, be it for an assignment or a project or working for new departments/committees. Seek any opportunity that pushes you out of your comfort zone and presents an opportunity to practice the strategies that you have been learning. Begin slow, learn from your past experiences, and determine which methods are effective and which require improvement.
Practice
Whether it’s a major project or a little conversation with a coworker, every time you try a new method or approach, see how it goes and how other people react. You’ll learn more about what suits you best over time, allowing you to incorporate those strategies into your toolkit as a leader.
