Building A Better Leader – Leadership Traits to Foster
Here on the MoneySoft blog we are always looking to give you the tools and information to shore up, expand, and improve your business. Whether that’s making fixed assets and business valuations go smooth as butter or building up your human side of the team, we want to help. This time around we are going to look at some of the leadership traits that you can foster in your business, in yourself and across your management team.
At its most basic, leadership is the ability to guide a group or an organization towards a goal. It is the power or authority to make decisions and the presence to get others on board. It is being a beacon to others, giving them the direction they seek. Leadership is a lot of things, and it isn’t just for the top guys.
Leadership Traits to Build a Better Leader
Leaders aren’t just the managers or the C level executives. Leaders can exist in any role, raising everyone to the challenges ahead of them and keeping people working toward solutions and results. To hone your own abilities, or to encourage them in your team look at building these leadership traits.
Manage Yourself
We can’t expect anyone to follow our lead or accept our management if we’re not managing ourselves. Learn to self-manage yourself. Not just time, not just projects and priorities but your emotions, your temperament. Being someone who remains focused, solution oriented and calm means you are the keystone the team can come to when things go sideways. They know their leader has their backs, and will help find solutions – not just give an earful.
Be Flexible
The true strength of a leader (and of a group, company, or business) is their ability to adapt and change. The world is in constant flux, those who can’t evolve are destined to be left behind. In business it is no different. Having high learning agility makes for a flexible leader. That constant curiosity means you are continuously looking at things that are coming down the pipe, seeing what’s ahead that the business. If you are regularly out there reading blogs like this one then guess what: you are naturally curious and looking ahead! Halfway there!
Another big way for a leader to be flexible is to know their own strengths and weaknesses. Be truly, and totally honest with yourself and make an inventory of these. A great leader can see where they excel, but even more so when they are out of their element and need a hand from someone who knows better.
If you try to meet a challenge that is a weakness of yours, the challenge may break you and your team. If instead you all get behind the ideas and strengths of another you’ll push through it and reach new heights. Not only will this see you succeeding at the task at hand, it shows to others that you are a person they can work with, they can come to and that respects and values their abilities.
Build the Team
Remember, a leader doesn’t exist in a vacuum. They only exist and thrive with the people around them. If you want to be the best leader, start by building the best team you can, playing to everyone’s strengths, covering each others’ weaknesses. Reinforce that everyone is on a team. That means they are able to communicate effectively, they can reach out for help or to offer a hand to their fellows, and that they all trust each other to work towards the common goal.
The chain is only as strong as its weakest link, but it doesn’t have to be that way with a team. In a chain that one link is static, it can’t reach out for a help. Luckily for us humans don’t have that disadvantage. We can help reinforce and overcome those weaknesses together – so long as we are working as team and know where to reinforce.
If you want to be a better leader or foster them amongst your company, you’ll need to build a team that’s worth leading.
Look Ahead
Truly exceptional leaders have an ability most everyone else lacks: vision. They can look to the future, see what is coming, what problems may arise, where things may go sideways, and what changes are on the horizon.
Having vision means you can manage the necessary changes, balancing what is needed now and what will be needed then. It keeps the company stable, but allows for real growth.
As you can see, each of these facets of leadership feed into one another. A leader with vision has the ability to be more flexible, a flexible leader can manage himself better and create the best team possible. There is no one key to leadership, it is a collection of linked ideals and behaviors that build upon each other.
MoneySoft is all about giving our customers and clients the tools to build up their businesses. We’ve discussed what makes for the best negotiations, and now we hope you’re able to take these leadership traits to heart, leading your team to loftier goals and succeeding! To see what else MoneySoft can do for for your business, check out our products or get in touch.