PR & brand analyst, strategist and futurist Merilee Kern, MBA is chief strategy officer at The Ascendant Group and founder of The Luxe List.
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While some vehemently uphold the tenant that leaders are born, not made, others just as fervently disagree. I personally lean toward legendary football coach Vince Lombardi’s counterpoint: “Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” Of course, many people are born with innate leadership qualities that can unequivocally provide some kind of edge or inherent advantage that can accelerate one’s upward career trajectory. For others, leadership can be a daunting responsibility riddled with self-doubt, apprehension and second-guessing. Whichever camp you fall into, sweat equity is ubiquitously required to ascend each rung on the ladder of success.
Great leaders become so, in large part, by being molded from their personal experiences — the good, bad and ugly. In fact, many say they’re better leaders due to their failures versus successes. Trials and tribulations forced them to dig deep emotionally, muster more innovative ideation, demonstrate inner resolve and grit and situationally adapt to dynamically problem-solve.
Becoming a highly adept leader is like any growth circumstance: It’s not going to be easy, but by committing to mastering your craft, you can make it out on the other side better than you were before. The road there may not be easy or free of adversity and opposition, but these situations present opportunities for leadership prowess to shine and be refined. Especially in the early days of stepping into a leadership role, you can commit to easy-to-employ managerial strategies with exponential payoff potential. Below are three tactics you would be wise to undertake.
Embrace your limitations.
Play to the situation, not to your reputation or your ego, and see that others’ strengths complement your weaknesses. Understanding that you are not (and will never be) an expert of everything is arguably the most important first mindset paradigm when stepping into a leadership role. There’s just nothing productive about lamenting things that are beyond your scope. It’s best to be hyperaware of your own shortcomings and think comprehensively and holistically in order to lead your team toward sustained success. It may seem like a weakness admitting your limitations — even to yourself. However, without acknowledging what you can and can’t do, you likely won’t mitigate opportunity loss and, thus, reach your full potential as an effective leader.
Trust your team.
If you are new to a leadership role, you might find it difficult initially to trust your team to get the work done in the way you want it done, even when you don’t have the requisite expertise. When a managerial role is fresh, it might feel awkward delegating and having team members do work that you are not necessarily hands-on with, especially when it relates to tasks or projects you used to personally execute. Whatever the case, always remain aware that trust is a cornerstone of building an effective and cohesive team. While this pursuit certainly makes staffers feel good, establishing trust isn’t just about being well-liked. Rather, there are financial and company culture benefits to building this confidence and interdependence within your team and organization.
Paul J. Zak, a professor of economics and psychology, outlined study findings in the Harvard Business Review that positively correlated trust and productivity/profitability in the workplace. He surveyed employees from varying organizations with different leadership styles and found that those who trusted and respected their teams and leaders had 106% more energy, were 50% more productive and were 76% more engaged at work than respondents at low-trust companies. With data points like this, it’s clear that fostering this ideal in the workplace can proffer significant payoffs.
Maintain composure at all costs.
Perhaps one of the most difficult functions of leadership is keeping calm when all you want to do is the opposite. Maintaining a level head amid consternation and chaos is a mission-critical character trait that often separates good leaders from great ones. Demonstrating restraint, poise and control during times of crisis will not only likely facilitate a better problem-solving result but also impress and inspire your team. This kind of mindfulness amid a literal, or figurative, mêlée breeds admiration, respect, staff loyalty and retention. It also builds goodwill and models behaviors staffers can endeavor to emulate, making the entire enterprise stronger.
While upholding this ideology can project a sense of calmness and determination, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t demonstrate vulnerability when the going gets rough. In fact, quite the opposite. Being honest and forthcoming, empathetic and humble can also greatly endear staffers during tough times. Just be committed to keeping a level head in hectic situations and when the pressure is on. You will build trust as a voice of reason and amass those all-important votes of confidence.
Mindful leadership requires much more than intelligence, astuteness and academic qualifications. It also involves being honest with yourself and putting others ahead of you. The hopeful result is making the right decisions at the right time to bring about the right results. Although the above approaches require that you step outside of your comfort zone, they each are fully under your span of control and can, proverbially speaking, often pay huge dividends. As a newly minted manager, embrace your position at the helm and find meaningful ways to rise to the occasion. These conducts and habits need not be mammoth or complex. As exemplified above, even a few simple, yet mindful, choices — made consistently — can prove profoundly impactful on what should be a joy-filled journey to the top of your game.
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