Five Techniques to Thrive as a Leader

Residing in the comfort zone for too long can be destructive. We may end up overlooking growth opportunities or prevent ourselves from flourishing. It is common to witness leaders who choose stagnancy and avoid topics that point towards development. Some of the main reasons include lack of ideas, arrogance, absence of knowledge and deficiency of team spirit.

On the other hand, however, there are leaders who desire progression, but are unaware of steps that can be taken. Growth associated with leadership is not limited to self-development, it includes progression of the entire team. Implementation of the following ideas can assist leaders make necessary changes to ensure advancement:

Encourage equality: Generic rules need to apply to all team members, including the leader. When required, the leader must not hesitate to jump in and help a junior team member to get the most minor work done. The most successful leaders are those who have gained experience by working at every stage in the hierarchy, including the apprentice level.

Be open to feedback: As leaders, we often believe feedback is not applicable to us. Wrong! It is extremely important to measure progress by collecting feedback from the manager we report to and our own team. This can be done as a recurring process or through regular surveys.

Don’t hold back knowledge: Every leader’s most common fear is of being dethroned and succeeded by a junior. This leads to many other concerns, including withholding vital information. Not only does limited knowledge prevent the entire team from progressing, it also leads to lack of self-confidence and dormancy. To expect progression by withholding knowledge is senselessness. Sharing is the key!

Keep emotions at bay: As difficult as it may seem, it is mandatory to separate personal and professional emotions. Try by limiting personal phone calls and visits to social media sites during work hours. As a leader, limit the amount of involvement in the team members' personal lives. This will prevent them from bringing home to the office.

Make a difference: One of the important responsibilities of a leader is to make positive changes to the team’s functioning. This could include replacing unproductive team members, introducing policies or realigning the entire structure. As a leader, always work on introducing impacting amendments.

Leadership brings a tremendous amount of responsibility. The easiest way to prove your worth is to let your work and ethics speak!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Alba Singh, Founder - UpRoute Training & Quality Development, has over 13 years of training, quality, operations and management experience on a global platform across industries, including aviation, BPOs, retail travel and hospitality. For a complete list of programs offered by the team at UpRoute, please visit www.uproute.net.