| | MARCH 202019STRONG LEADERSHIP IS ABOUT EMPOWERING OTHERS, TREATING YOUR TEAM MEMBERS AS EQUALS, AND RECOGNIZING THAT YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO LEARN FROM EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEMvalues, experience, analysis, and the discipline to change what needs to be changed. This includes the ability to identify what shapes your opinions, and avoid project-ing them onto other people. It is imperative for leaders to have soft skills and emotional intelligence in order to navigate the interper-sonal and human elements of their role. The strongest leaders are humble; they are not in it for the title or the status. Putting people first is essential to modern leadership. Strong lead-ership is about empowering oth-ers, treating your team members as equals, and recognizing that you have something to learn from each and every one of them. The role of the leader is to guide peo-ple, not command them. The best leaders lead by example, guiding others with their humility and dedication. The trope of the infal-lible leader is outdated. The abil-ity to be vulnerable and open with your team is not a sign of weak-ness anymore, but a sign of a true leader. Admitting to your own im-perfections will earn you the trust and respect of those who report to you and those who you report to. Being an effective leader does not mean having all the answers. An effective leader finds the answers collectively with their team, even if it means stumbling every now and then. Encouraging curiosity and learning will not just keep the people on your team enthused, it will also lead to innovative ideas. As a leader, it is your role to cre-ate a space in which people feel safe to think outside the box and test new approaches. Encouraging calculated risk taking and help-ing everyone find the lessons to be learned, regardless of whether you win or lose, are essential tasks for the new leaders. These leaders must create a learning-friendly environment by speaking in terms of hypotheses, rather than just cer-tainties to increase performance. Putting people first is essential to modern leadership. The better you know your team members on a personal level, the better you will be able to guide them pro-fessionally and tap into their per-spectives. It is imperative that the same collaborative relationship is built among all team members as to foster maximum productiv-ity and happiness in your team. And remember that the happi-ness of your employees is inextri-cably linked to the happiness of your customers.Prioritize people over profit. The future of work demands that we put people at the center of every organization by encouraging them to bring their whole selves to work. Make sure that everyone is receiv-ing frequent and due recognition for their efforts. People are moti-vated when they feel their hard work serves a larger purpose; so take the time to demonstrate how their roles are important not only to the company, but also to the greater mission and goals of the company. Give individuals the as-surance that it is perfectly human to fail and that you will work with them to remedy their mistakes. The best leaders guide and support their employees through problem solving rather than telling them what to do, even in the most criti-cal moments. When it comes to taking credit for a job well done, make sure that the focus is on the team as a whole. Your team effort should shine along with your ef-fective management. The success of the team is also the success of the leader and all the members of the team. As a leader, you're only as strong as your team, so you want to develop that to the best of your ability. Part of this is helping them enhance their technical skills, but you also want to help them devel-op their soft skills and their con-fidence. Develop your own skills along the way so that you become a role model for your team. As John C Maxwell said ­ `A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way'. Leaders are not born overnight, but all great jour-neys begin with just one step.
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