“Embrace what you don’t know, especially at first, because what you don’t know can become your greatest asset.” This guarantees that you will absolutely do different things from everyone else . »
I like to start my articles with an inspiring quote that allows me to reflect and progress. The one in this article comes from Sara Blakely, a businesswoman I didn’t know before.
If you’re in the same situation, take a few minutes to discover who she is, because she’s the kind of person who inspires and opens new paths. Having become a billionaire, she uses her success to support women, offering them the same opportunities as men and helping them to become independent.
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In previous articles , we have explored fifteen (15) essential qualities to be a good leader. We have ten (10) left to discover together.
The purpose of this article is to discuss five (5) other qualities to develop to become an effective leader:
- Passion
- Resilience
- Responsibility
- Support
- Rational and positive attitude towards any problem
Passion
Passion is a strong, lasting emotion that creates deep motivation to invest in an activity or pursue a specific interest. A passionate person feels immense pleasure and a sense of accomplishment when they pursue their passions.
- And you, what are your passions?
- What makes you tick?
- What is the element in your life that gives you great moments of joy?
- What is the ideal job that would make you smile every day and not see the time go by?
- How do you feel when you listen to someone who tells you about one of their passions?
When we think about our passions, we always have a smile on our face and it gives us a feeling of happiness. Although a less intense feeling, passionate people transmit to us, even for a short moment, an interest and curiosity in what they are passionate about.
In my previous article (part 3) , I mentioned that motivation is an important quality for a leader. I asked who, a monotonous manager showing disinterest or a manager full of energy would be better as a leader.
It’s a bit the same situation for passion: a leader who is passionate about the team’s mission, the development of his employees or simply who likes to be surrounded and be part of a team will be able to transmit this passion to his team. and create a healthy work atmosphere.
For my part, my current passion is to promote caring leadership and help managers in the development of high-performance, caring and committed teams. When I talk about it with those around me, I don’t convey the need for others to follow in my footsteps, but I get the feedback that I have twinkle in my eyes and I get their attention during the discussion.
Resilience
Resilience is the ability to cope with challenges, adversity, trauma or sources of stress and to bounce back from events. As a leader or manager, your primary responsibility is to guide a group towards a common goal. People will turn to you when things aren’t going well and tough decisions need to be made. It comes with the job and even if you look back, no one will do it for you. Remember that status quo is not a viable long-term option.
You will make mistakes a few times and the whole thing may give you very unpleasant sensations. You will have to persevere and learn from the situation so that you can make a better decision next time. You must hold your head high and show your confidence in your means to maintain your influence and cohesion in the team.
Also, servant or benevolent leadership is often recognized as positive and necessary when you talk about it to those around you. However, implementing it in certain companies and for certain teams will be a significant challenge. It is very likely that your approach will be judged by your co-workers and that the change you are trying to implement will be met with hesitation and fear.
This will test your resilience. If I can comfort you, the method works, but you have to stay the course through thick and thin.
Responsibility
Essential quality for a leader is to be a responsible person, because your actions will influence all the people who will follow you.
I like to mention that the reason why I got into management is the multiplier effect coming from a combined effort on the part of an entire team towards the achievement of a common goal.
In mathematics, 1+1 = 2
For effective teamwork, 1+1 > 2
In effective teams, sharing best practices, mentoring or training new employees, sharing tasks based on each person’s strengths and weaknesses are all elements that enable a result greater than the sum of the parts.
And you as a leader?
It will be what you put in place that will determine the result that will be achieved. You shouldn’t monitor everything that happens in your team (you can try, but it’s not effective). It is clear that you cannot accomplish all the tasks inherent to your team. However, you are responsible for ensuring that all requested tasks are accomplished and objectives are achieved.
As with resilience, don’t look back, because that’s your responsibility.
Support
The leader or manager wears all the hats when he is at the helm of his team: captain of the ship, compass for lost people, fortune teller to see the future and the course to maintain, confidant for people who are depressed or who need to express themselves, policeman when the rules are not respected and executioner when individuals have to leave the crew.
All these responsibilities are different kind of support
- Organizational support
- Support for individuals
- Supporting vision and strategy
- Support for structure and rules
- Supporting cohesion and empowering individuals to respect group values and commitments to team members
The results of the team and the people who follow you depend on you and your ability to optimize the human and material resources at your disposal.
Employees who are supported are much more efficient, less stressed, happy, creative and highly motivated. The impact is incredible
Rational and positive attitude towards any problem
A rational attitude involves thinking logically, based on facts and evidence, and evaluating situations objectively.
A positive attitude involves maintaining an optimistic outlook, seeing the bright side of things, and believing in the possibility of favorable outcomes.
By combining the two, the leader must be able to use his head and his heart in his decision-making and in dealing with the challenges and problems that the group will encounter. As mentioned in the previous article, he must have good emotional intelligence when problems affect humans, but maintain a firm posture and decide based on the analysis of the situation and the best solution for the team.
A positive attitude projects future success and a state of mind that reassures others. There is no point in defending yourself and blaming the people responsible for the problem. We must find solutions and progress.
Understanding the problem and the elements that will need to be put in place for the future are important to avoid for the events to reoccur, but does not help when you are in the middle of it.
An emotional and negative manager brings dark times for a work team, but his rational and positive counterpart will be the light that guides others to the promised land.
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The next article on the theme of the essential qualities to be a good leader will deal with these five (5) other qualities which are:
- Self-discipline
- Knowledge of technologies
- Empathy
- Learn agility
- Curiosity
Need help improving your leadership skills or building a culture of caring leadership? Do not hesitate to contact me. I will be happy to listen to you and provide you with the tools you need for the future.
Always remember: how does your mood impact your performance and overall attitude? Imagine if all your employees or collaborators were happy…
Carl-Michael Tessier
Coach in high-performance team development and tailor-made support
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