Are You a ‘Different’ Leader?

Written by: Liliana Chitnis

There are no qualms that leaders shape nations, communities, and businesses.

You cannot be a great leader merely with theory and tactics. Great leaders believe in leadership development and find the balance between business foresight and performance.

They have vision, courage and integrity, which enable them to plan strategically and catalyze teamwork. The main intent of leadership development is to upgrade the capacity for individuals to be effective in leadership roles and processes.

Leadership descends from social influence and not from rigid hierarchy or seniority. Anyone with the right skills, regardless of their position in a company or organization, can be a leader.

Identifying yourself as a different leader merely is understanding common leadership styles and aligning them to your strengths and weaknesses.

Here are a few of the qualities that set you apart and make you a great leader…

Understand your leadership style — Understanding your leadership style is crucial in manifesting your path as a leader. Identifying leadership style helps supplement overall effectiveness and satisfaction. It reflects on how a leader can achieve full potential through calculated intention.

Never wander from the vision — Great leaders always have a vision. They have a unique, exciting idea of where they are going and what they are trying to accomplish and are sublime at strategic planning (https://www.bedifferentorbedead.com/blog/item/851).

Show confidence when others cannot — Confidence is the fundamental principle of leadership. Staying confident and making your team member’s confidence is crucial for a leader. To increase your team’s confidence, you have to help them improve, upgrade and learn skills, so they contribute fiercely to the project.

Effective time management is imperative — Effective time management influences effective Leadership. The best leaders are proactive, ambitious and motivated about their day. It enables them to use their caliber to the best, thus ensuring interactions with the team are positive and productive.

Showcase your strengths and everyone else’s — Successful leaders spend most of their time developing and capitalizing their strengths and applying them in the workplace.

Leaders are also able to use this skill to identify strengths in others.

Optimism and communication go a long way — Good leaders possess the quality of openly and smartly interacting with people in a way that feels genuine. They demonstrate empathy, engage in active listening, and enhance meaningful working relationships, whether they are peers or direct reports.

Always hold employees in high esteem — Good leaders are always unbiased to the employees and the organization’s processes. They acknowledge good work and always make room for everyone to blossom together.

They understand the importance of recognizing and rewarding employees, thus creating mutual respect and proficiency within the organization. They work towards giving them an environment where everyone can flourish.

Lead by example, always — Leaders don’t simply lead by being authoritative and dominating. They lead by guiding others on what to do and by setting a good example themselves.

If you demand a lot of your team, you should also be mindful of offsetting high standards for yourself. Aligning your words and actions guarantee win trust of the team

Encourage creativity — Creativity drives excitement, and excitement drives efficiency. By encouraging creative problem solving, leaders challenge their teams in new and exciting ways. This enthusiasm catalyses idea generation or the creative stages of projects into those repetitively daily tasks that they can’t help be tired of.

Serve as a role model — Successful role models work hard and pitch in when their team needs assistance or orchestration and are always demonstrating responsibility to company goals. Role models take accountability for their actions and inspire others to do the same.

Encourage people to make contributions — A great leader allows and welcomes the inflow of ideas from the members of their teams. They let team members share recommendations and thus contribute significantly with confidence.

Offer rewards and recognition — Frequently and consistently recognizing achievement is one of the most powerful habits that differentiate leaders. This motivates team members to stretch themselves and contribute their best efforts knowing that their work will be valued and appreciated.

Leadership is an attitude built over time. These habits can help you create and strengthen your own brand of leadership.

What can you do to embrace these valued leadership qualities and become a ‘different’ leader?

Related: This Magic Question Is the Secret Sauce in Your Career

— Liliana Chitnis is a former HR professional who now works as a content marketing executive at Naman HR, an organization that offers end-to-end HR solutions to help companies build a strong human capital base. She writes about various topics related to human resources and shares trends, techniques, and tips with her readers. She loves to read and practice yoga regularly, and occasionally binge on Netflix.