If you want to be a better leader, read this.
Look, any competent manager can come in review some processes, shift a few things around and make a short-term impact.
If you want to make a lasting impact and be a great long-term leader, you have to do these 5 things 👇🏻
1. Care
You cannot fake real leadership. You have to care at every level.
>Care enough about the company to strive for constant improvement
>Care enough about your employees to continually train and coach them
>Care enough to continually improve yourself
People who are following someone because they want to will always do more than people who are following someone because they have to. You do not have to be a robot. It is okay to care about the people you are leading.
2. Stop solving all the problems
If you are the person constantly solving all the problems, then you are the problem.
If you are doing your job well by having
>Good hiring
>Good training
>Constant coaching
Your people are already an extension of you. They know exactly what to do. You just aren’t empowering them to do it.
When they come to you asking how to solve a problem ask them how they would solve it. Take this opportunity to give them the green light on their decision or show them why you would come to a different decision don't just give them the answer to get them to go away.
3. Set the example daily
I mean daily. You can’t be the leader that shows up early one day and is the hardest worker in the room and the next day you walk in 5 minutes late and need 3 cups of coffee to get going.
You are responsible for driving the results. Your team should know that they can consistently count on you to give them what they need to be successful.
On days that you are "off," your bad days will turn into bad days for the entire team. On your good days, everyone is going to be focused and productive because you are the one driving the results, and trust me, your people are watching you.
4. Focus on what you can control
I have seen so many leaders make excuse after excuse for why they can’t get something done
> I don’t have X software
> I don’t have enough staff
> I don’t have to insert any excuse here.
These are all EXCUSES that will get you nowhere.
Focus on what you can control and drive the result through that. You already know that you have no choice but to get it done. If you are the boss that complains the whole time well guess what your employees are going to do...complain the whole time. Nobody wants to work in a culture like that.
5. Be approachable
There is nothing more valuable for a leader than honest employee feedback. If you are the type of boss, your team is scared to come to talk to think about the ideas and innovation you are losing because you are putting on a façade of toughness. This was a huge area of weakness for me. I was too focused on the results instead of being focused on the people who could get the results.
Drop your guard a bit and give people a platform to share ideas and feedback.
👉Drop the tips I missed in the comments
-Justin
