Honestly, I am taking the risk here to discuss this subject. I am fully aware that I am no expert in leadership. You will be able to find excellent references out there in this topic. Books authored by John C. Maxwell, Jack Welch, Steven R Covey, Stephen M R Covey, and many others are a few of the great sources on this domain. Great motivators such as Mario Teguh, Tung Desem Waringin, James Gwee and many others are also experts in this subject. I am sure that the list can go on with yourself adding more names and references.
However, in this posting I will try to give some tips on tips of being a good leader:
1. Be yourself. Do not try to imitate anyone leadership style. Although you admire the person and think of her as your role model, you need to come out from that boundary of trying to be her. You always need to create your own leadership style that is most convenient to your personality.
2. Care about your team. In my personal experience, once you show a genuine care to your team, there is nothing limiting you from doing extra mile for your team's success. Don't be afraid to go beyond their work and career. You can also care about your family, personal aspiration and anything else as long as you stay being professional in demonstrating your care for them. Active listening, attention giving, and trying to extend the support their need in your capacity are things you should never be lacking of as a leader.
3. Being flexible of staying on top of things and going down to detail. In some occassions you need to deep dive into a detailed level to understand the root cause of an issue. However, once you are comfortable enough with the detail, you must not forget to go back to the surface ensuring a helicopter view of the things happening surrounding your project or your team.
4. Continuous development. Your team will highly appreciate you as their leader when you consistently shows that you are passionate about new things and that you are keeping yourself up to date to new developments.
5. Be a good mediator between your team and your management. When you are in middle management position, you are highly expected to deliver your team's message and concern to your senior management and vice versa. A good communication and negotiation skill is key to be successful in this role.
Well, as I said in the beginning, there is a very long list of good leadership tips to which every good leader can contribute to. Therefore, I will welcome your thought and input on how to become a true leader.
Edwin
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| Picture credit: CreativeMagic |
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