“Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others”, Jim Maxwell.
A great quote to start with. You may be a leader already or might become one in the future or you just want to be a leader in every situation of your life. This article will help you understand how easy it is to become a leader and how difficult it is to manage a team. What makes you a leader? Well pretty simple, a good opportunity by your management can make you a leader of a team. But wait, it is just a name for your position or job because to become a leader is much more than that.
A leader is the one who is-
- proactive
- positive
- passionate
- productive
The 4 P’s describe the requirements you need to have, let us examine them closely:
You must be proactive, as a leader you need to expect the unexpected, make necessary arrangements and prepare your team. For example, you are a leader for a building construction project, you get a weather report that there is a possibility for a severe storm in the coming week, what will be your action plan? You have material to be protected from getting wet, you have to arrange for protective plastic sheets and coverings for sensitive areas of the newly constructed building, maybe there is a possibility of damage due to the storm. Brainstorm all the possibilities, alert your team of what could happen. discuss collectively and be ready to face the storm!
Positivity is the ability to stay calm during a moment of crisis and being hopeful for the best under high pressure. Not everything goes according to plan, sometimes when the unexpected happens you must not panic and terrify your team. A leader must lead his/her pack like a lion. Show no signs of weakness, fear or disappointment. What makes you different from others is the ability to motivate your group in a crisis situation. You must encourage your team, guide them and continuously inspire them. Be confident even under unfavourable circumstances and behave gracefully, your teammates will always observe how you would react in such situations.
Passion will make you plan wisely and well. When you playing the role of a leader, remember that you will be held responsible for your team’s success and failure. Your motive is to gain success, be passionate and mad about it, and make it possible no matter what difficulties you face. Be passionate about every detail of your project, at every step. This will give you those little achievements which will finally land you success.
As a leader, you must be productive. you have to take decisions but make sure those decisions are meaningful and ensure your team’s success. If your plans fail or do not produce better results, it will make your team lose confidence in you as a leader. You will be discouraged and that can make your team ineffective. Any decision or planning you do, consult your team and take their opinion on it first. If they come up with any doubts about its effectiveness, then analyse them and let your team members know whether they are right/wrong about it.
How to manage your team effectively?
Well, we got to know the qualities of a leader, now let’s skip to the other requirement- how you must manage your team:
Communication is the key to success: any plan, update, news, rules etc. must be communicated well to the team. You must deploy effective communication channels to communicate with your teammates. That could be through emails, phone, one on one, notice board etc. but make sure everyone has a chance to know what you want them to know. Every teammate must be able to communicate with each other as this will increase cooperation among them.
Know your team: You should know your team well; where are they from, what are their abilities, personality type, capabilities, working style, nature, remarks, etc. Talk to them on an individual basis. This will give you a better chance to assess them. Before you take any further step it is very important to have a relationship on a personal level with every team member.
Be empathetic towards your teammates. Come on, we are not dictators! Be considerate and try to understand their difficulties and limitations. This will make your teammates comfortable and more willing to work hard on the project. Above all humble yourself. Be the first to initiate a work responsibility, set yourself as an example to others. Be ethical, if you are unethical as a leader you cannot expect your team to be honest. Understand every scenario and situation, observe a given problem deeply. A leader who lacks understanding is nothing but a loss and damage to his/her team.
“Start humble and finish the project with roaring success…”