How to be an effective leader
Tags: Leadership, Community, Values

John Quincy Adams, the 6th President of the United States of America wrote, “When your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more — then you are a leader.”

Leadership is one of the most empowering and important traits you can possess.

It is important because you are able to inspire and motivate others to reach their full potential and chase down their dreams. From this you can achieve great success in whatever area you are leading, be that your business, campaign, event or organisation.

If you are a strong leader, you initiate action and set the tone for your organisation or business. Take Greta Thunberg who is leading a global movement of people taking action to protect the environment and prevent the climate crisis. At only 16 years of age, she sets the tone that a single person CAN and WILL make a positive difference in the world, inspiring all ages to join this movement.

Through your powerful leadership, you can guide people and ensure everyone is on the same path. Through building morale, acting as a spokesperson and generating confidence, you create an unassailable movement with the power to change the world.

But what does it take to be a strong and effective leader?

Sunnie Giles from the Harvard Business Review, looked for the answers by studying 195 leaders in 15 different countries, investigating what they thought were the most important leadership competencies. From this, she grouped the top answers into five major themes, providing a resource we can now learn from as we grow into our own strong leadership roles. I will discuss these below.

A strong and effective leader is someone who:

1. Demonstrates strong ethics and provides a sense of safety.

You must be an example to others, holding a high sense of ethical and moral standards and adhering to these in your everyday life. Giles writes about “Deep Fast Forwarding,” whereby you envision your funeral and what people will say in your eulogy; ask yourself if what they are saying is what you want to hear. From this exercise you can figure out what is important to you. Hence it is important to connect with your core values and act them out on the daily. Lead by example.

Alongside this you must communicate clear and fair expectations to others, ensuring everyone is on the same page, which instills a feeling of confidence within everyone. If your employees or members feel they are in a safe and supportive environment, they can actively engage, blooming with innovation, creativity and ambition. Act with empathy and neutralise unwanted results by considering them from the very beginning.

2. Encourages others to self-organise.

As a leader you do not want to tell people what they should do. Rather you want to guide them, providing a clear sense of direction, while encouraging them to organise their own time, work and personal goals. Share your power. In this way you not only lead others, but you become a teacher as well, empowering your team.

3. Nurtures a sense of belonging and fosters connections.

Good communication is extremely significant for a strong and effective leader. You want to create an environment where everyone feels like they can approach you, to share their ideas and fears, and to ask for help. Make sure everyone knows they play an important and unique part in the team, fostering a sense of belonging and community.

To do this, you must communicate clearly and openly, and do this often. Actively show your team you care about them and value their time, effort and input. If everyone is happy and inspired, these contagious feelings will spread throughout your team. It is the people within your team who are your most vulnerable asset.

4. Is open to new ideas, and promotes the benefits of learning.

The team environment you create through your leadership should be one where people are allowed to fail. Let your team know every day that all that counts is they simply show up and do their best. Encourage people to share their ideas and different approaches and be flexible to changing your path and opinions; foster a culture of risk-taking. This will create a diversity of ideas and new thoughts.

Focus on finding solutions through learning about new things, instead of getting stuck in the rut of problems. Encourage open discussions without a specific agenda or result in mind. Both provide and receive constructive feedback, ensuring everyone can learn and grow.

5. Fosters growth.

Aim to teach your team something important and commit to their ongoing learning and training. Be an advocate for their own personal growth and encourage them to grow into their own strong and effective leaders. If you show loyalty to your team, putting in the extra effort and going the extra mile for them, they will reciprocate, working hard in turn for you cause or company.

Alongside these five values, I also believe it is important for a leader to have passion and to believe in themselves, their team and their cause. With passion you ignite inspiration that creates powerful activism.

Do you have any more ideas on what makes a strong and effective leader? Who represents a strong and effective leader to you?

Let us know in the comments below.