Great study has been made about leadership as a social phenomenon. It is the versatile approaches and the dynamics of the phenomenon that has intrigued the scientific space and has made a number of sciences (psychology, sociology, political science, etc.) Servants for better understanding and explanation. What makes people follow voluntarily and willingly a physiognomy?
The definition of leadership phenomenon seems very romantic if not utopian. What about the inherent selfish motivators of a man? What happens with reality that is definitely not angelic? What happens with power relations and dynamics with dark nuances developed in an organization?
The above concerns can be alleviated if leadership is been understood as a constantly wandering struggle. A continuous learning process that aims to bring someone closer to the utopian definition of the leader. A struggle against selfish motivations, vulnerable human behavior and lack of self-discipline. A continuous path of responsibility for tackling imperfections.
Τhere are many books on leadership. They can have many examples and in-depth explanations of how to lead a team or a company, but sometimes you just want to have something simple to help you focus on the essentials of leadership.
Some ideas of how to approach leadership are following:
The objectives. Make it easy for your team to understand the mission and their role.
Concise objectives. Make them simple and easy to understand.
Focus on as few goals as possible.
Communicate the goals with your team often and through various means (meetings, one-on-one meetings, emails, posters, slogans).
Then, do even more.
Track the progress towards goals
Involve team members in tracking goals so they can own the results.
Motivate people. What you reward is done. It’s so simple…
Encourage team members to do the tasks that are most critical to achieving the main goals. Make sure the rewards are useful and worth it. Try to understand each member and what they really want about their work and life in general. This is how you will know how to reward them.
Praise, thank, and acknowledge all the great and small contributions of everyone. Do it often and then do it again.
Set high expectations. Your team will evolve according to the expectations that you will define. Set the bar high and you will say, “I believe in your ability to do great things! “
Empower people around you by delegating responsibilities.
Celebrate the successes of the team often.
Encourage Fun. Make your workplace a great place to work. Yes, work must be done, but fun and short breaks can make all the difference in the culture of your team.
Pride. Promote a sense of pride in your team. As a team, you can create a mascot, create a kind of team anthem, and have a meeting focused solely on the strengths of each and the strengths of the entire team.
Turn your words into actions. You need to practice what you preach. This is how you build trust and credibility.
Βe an example by participating in the team’s tasks as much as possible.
Be honest. Keep your promises. Actions speak louder than words. It may be silly but see it as with your children. You know that they do not listen to you, they judge your actions.
Take personal challenges. Do your best (and even more) just as you ask your team to do their best.
Stay competent. You must be competent to encourage others to follow you. If you do not improve yourself, you will be left behind. Learn continuously and keep up to date with skills, technology and knowledge in your field.
Perhaps it would be wiser to define the leader as the one who is constantly fighting to reach the “leader”. The perfect model leader who can never be conquered. With the goal of a utopia that has realistic implications so as not to disappoint and to lead to resignation, we can undoubtedly have positive results both as individuals and as groups and as organizations but also as a society and culture as a whole.
