4 steps to become an exceptional leader

Would you like to gain the respect of many people in your organization?

Do you want your ideas to be heard, validated and implemented?

Would you like employees to come to you for help with project problems?

Would you like to rise to a higher level of leadership?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, keep reading.

I will share with you four crucial qualities for effective leadership, which are summarized in the acronym LEAD

L is for leadership skills

E is for empathy

A is for action

dis by proxy

Leadership skills

As a leader, you know that there are dozens of skills that you need. Did you know that one of the most important is assertiveness? As a leader, you need to get noticed and let people know what needs to be done.

Assertiveness is NOT the same as aggressiveness. The art of being assertive requires presenting activities as win-win situations. Aggressiveness is being demanding and tough. Assertiveness, on the other hand, provides clear criteria for achieving goals and uses rewards to give people incentives.

One of the other key leadership skills is motivation. Provide praise and rewards. If a relationship already exists, a reward can be as simple as the positive feeling they get from helping you. You could say, “It would really help me a lot if…”

For an added incentive, let people know how you’ll help them or that they can receive a benefit (time, bonus, etc.) for completing the task. It’s equally important that you track and provide feedback on people’s progress. Continuous feedback can increase motivation and the quality of job performance.

Empathy

Empathy is a very important communication skill. People will respect you if they feel you listen to them and respect them. This means more than just asking someone how they are. It means really listening to their response and providing additional feedback.

Take the time to listen to what your colleague or supervisor is saying, and then repeat it back to them (“so what you’re saying is…”) or provide an empathic statement (“that sounds really hard” or “sounds like a wonderful idea, you are excited?”).

DO NOT ask a question that you cannot or do not want to hear the answer to. Never ask someone how their project is going while you’re still running down the hall. It is better not to ask or, preferably, to wait until you have time.

Values

“Practice what you preach” “Actions speak louder than words”

These shots actually have a lot of merit. Why should you expect others to do things that you are not doing yourself? Research shows that we learn by observing others and that sometimes we only perform a behavior if a reward is present.

When I was a manager at a high-volume retail store, one of the clerks complained that he didn’t know how to discount an item at the register. Instead of explaining it to her, I explained it to her. Then I asked him to fill in the discount for the customer. After the client left, I asked him to show me how to do it. A common expression in the medical field is “Show one, make one, teach one.” This strategy is very action-oriented and effective in all settings.

Delegation

Delegation is not simply assigning tasks to employees. If you delegate in this way, you will not reap the rewards that delegation offers. There are three fundamental points in effective delegation:

Assigning tasks to the right people.

Consider the individual’s unique talents and attributes in terms of training, experience, and personality. Consider who has the best track record, who is efficient, and who is enthusiastic about the particular project or task.

Provide clear and concise project descriptions.

Make sure people know exactly what, how, and when the task needs to be completed, and provide specific time frames.

create responsibility
Have employees present their progress to you, the leader, and let them know what other team members are doing to increase accountability to the group.

Now you know the LEAD model. But knowing it is not enough to see powerful change. Practice one of these steps every day and you are sure to become an even more inspiring leader.