Leading Peers: No more a Catch-22
Tags: Growth, Leadership, Leadership Development, Leadership Skills, Business

Leadership is a quality which a few people excel in. Leading people is difficult and leading peers even more. It becomes difficult for the leader to choose the leadership style, i. e. autocratic, democratic or free rein, for leading peers. Choosing any rigid approach may not only hamper the success but may even be detrimental to the present position. Moreover while leading peers the level of authority with the leader is almost non-existent. Having negligible authority and full accountability seems a catch-22. Colleagues may resent or even fear assistance or orders from a peer.

Leading peers is seldom easy. However it is not impossible. It is rightly said, If you want something to be done by someone, GAIN THEIR TRUST. Gaining the confidence of the colleagues will help in bridging the problem of resentment to a great extent. One requires to find the needs of the colleageus and fulfill them. Needs maybe financial,social or other needs. Fulfilling these needs would lighten a flame of satisfaction and belongingness between them. Thus, it would help them to work in right direction and accepting the changes with open arms. Also, the leader must understand that his colleagues would not follow him through his words but through his actions and behaviour. It is a human tendency to follow an example than a speech. So, he must himself follow his speech and his colleagues may follow his lead.

Leading peers may seem out of the question if effective communication does not takes place between the colleagues. Proper communication and minimal miscommunication will enable the leader and the peers to be confident about the goal to be accomplished. Also, a leader may suffer a major setback if he considers the idea of informal communication as flaucinaucinihipilification. Informal communication help in creating a comfortable environment for the employees to work in. It also fills up the gaps left by formal communication. Communication is not a one way process. Not only speaking according to the intellectual and physical capacity of the receiver, effective communication requires involvement and participation on the part of peers, the leader must listen to the speaker with due attention and try to understand the message the speaker wants to convey in the same sense.

At the same time the leader must avoid getting involved into gossips. Gossips not only waste the time that can be used efficiently and productively but also breaks the trust and confidence of the other colleagues. Gossiping about other employees or peers must be a strict NO for the leader.

Leadership is an attribute and like an art it is influenced by human nature and improves with practice. Every person may have a different notion about leadership. However, leading the peers requires a great skill in the field of influencing people and gaining and maintaining their trust. One major formula to be kept in mind for leadership is that strategy for goal accomplishment must not be imposed on colleagues. Rather it must be formulated with a thorough discussion and involvement of the colleagues. Such an approach will help in easy and fast accomplishment of the goal. Also, the success must not be enjoyed only by the leader but by the whole team because A boss has a title while a leader has the people.