Being a team leader is more than just having a title or a position. It's also about how you present yourself, communicate your vision, and inspire others to follow you. In this article, we'll explore some of the best ways to brand yourself as a team leader and build trust, credibility, and influence with your team and beyond.
One of the first steps to brand yourself as a team leader is to identify and showcase your strengths and values. What are the skills, talents, and passions that make you unique and valuable? How do they align with the goals and culture of your team and organization? By knowing your strengths and values, you can craft a personal brand statement that summarizes who you are, what you do, and why you do it. This statement can help you communicate your purpose, vision, and value proposition to your team and other stakeholders.
It's crucial to remember that leadership is not a self-proclaimed title, but a set of skills and traits that you demonstrate. Your team's perception and endorsement of you as a leader is what truly matters. Some key traits I look for are: 1) Transparency: Tell the team what is coming down the road, even if you don't have all the details now. It allows them time to prepare for what's to come. 2) Advocacy: Understand your team's needs and then work to remove barriers or get them the resources they require to be successful. 3) Empathy: Our teams are not robots. Everyone brings baggage and experiences to the workplace. Sometimes, simply having a listening ear or someone to relate to can make a dramatic difference!
Consistency, fair treatment of others and ethical behavior is how you set yourself apart as a leader. Consistency comes from hard work. How you lead by example in effort. Fair treatment of team members and even stakeholders are huge builders of credibility because, if you set aside bias as the leader, then you build credibility within the organization as someone who is consistent in the treatment of others on the basis of merit. Ethics? Perhaps the largest part in building your credibility as a leader and as a motivator of a team, ethical behavior within a person builds trust with the team who are then inclined to communicate transparently with that leader, and clear communication is the foundation of great team building.
My first leadership role came without me chasing it. & despite seeming like diving in uncharted waters in the beginning, soon I realized that it was a challenge of personal and professional growth. Bringing on the table the traits, strengths and weaknesses of my personal brand, these being directness, evidence based approach and opinion, asking for others' input in areas I lacked knowledge and/or experience, honesty, transparency, setting boundaries and respecting the ones of others', communicating the vision, the final goal and the steps in-between has helped me to form amazing teams in every client context. Basic ingredient is that we care for each other and this, combined with the rest, acts like a glue. It's not a solo brand; it's OURS.
Branding yourself as a remarkable team leader is a journey of inspiration and impact. Cultivate an environment where your team thrives on collaboration and shared growth. Lead with passion, communicate with unwavering clarity, and showcase your expertise through actions. Illuminate the path by nurturing emerging talents and acknowledging achievements. Embrace change and innovation as catalysts for progress, and let your unyielding positivity be the driving force that transforms challenges into opportunities. By living and breathing these principles, you'll craft a legacy of leader. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” Ronald Reagan
ask for opinions and listen to those opinions attentively! positive feedback to team members and promote socializing outside work context to strengthen or create effective bonds between team members.
Another way to brand yourself as a team leader is to be visible and accessible to your team and others. This means being present, engaged, and responsive in meetings, conversations, and online platforms. It also means being proactive, reaching out, and offering support, feedback, and recognition. By being visible and accessible, you can demonstrate your commitment, involvement, and availability as a team leader. You can also build rapport, trust, and loyalty with your team and other collaborators.
I believe that oneself should not brand themselves as a leader. We may work in leadership positions but only the people we work with can brand us as leaders. I strive to become a better leader everyday by listening to people around me and by offering advice when advice is requested. I take initiative when necessary and encourage others to do so as well by example. I seek feedback from the people I work with to become a better person, employee, and leader. The last three sentences started with "I" because it is on me to work and learn to become a better leader. However, I cannot coin myself as a leader because this depends on the people I work with.
Branding yourself as a team leader involves cultivating a strong professional identity and reputation. Here's a mantra to guide your branding efforts: "Inspire, Empower, Achieve." Inspire: Lead by example and inspire your team through your actions and words. Encourage creativity and innovation among team members. Empower: Empower your team by providing them with the resources, autonomy, and support they need to excel. Achieve: Focus on achieving results and driving success for your team and organization. Set clear, ambitious goals, and work collaboratively to accomplish them. Celebrate achievements and acknowledge the contributions of your team members
Personal opinion and experience-based has shown to me that accessibility plays a pivotal role in team bonding, functioning and highly performing. Even when my office door is closed (only on a few occasions) there is a note on the door "knock please, it won't hurt; only these two scenarios may occur: a. get an answer b.door remains shut; no-one is there. Have you ever tried asking your people whether they prefer to have direct visibility to you? I have. The new comers may find this helpful and stressful at the same time; then a good option is to keep your door open with them being in the office next to yours and not facing yours; believe me it works. Also, it works when your people may be neurodivergent. Trust is built by doing so.
A third way to brand yourself as a team leader is to share your stories and insights with your team and others. Stories are powerful tools to convey your values, beliefs, and experiences as a team leader. They can also illustrate your challenges, successes, and lessons learned along the way. Insights are valuable pieces of information or advice that can help your team and others solve problems, improve performance, or achieve goals. By sharing your stories and insights, you can showcase your expertise, authenticity, and generosity as a team leader. You can also inspire, motivate, and educate your team and other audiences.
Whether we are acing our leadership roles or getting there, a good practice is to calibrate our "leadership compass" frequently. How? 1. Include co-workers' feedback and experience as regards to your leadership style, risk assess, fix-adjust-reform and formulate the feedforward which will, for sure be the ultimate drive for creating an amazing team brand. 2. Equally important; never become copy of the toxic leaders you have come across in your career. Toxic brands should be expelled without the slightest second thought. The ones I dealt with, a while ago (French-Finnish-German-Danish-Italian); were all of them, nothing but a toxic exposure & waste of time. A reminder though, to always recalibrate my leadership compass.
A fourth way to brand yourself as a team leader is to seek feedback and growth from your team and others. Feedback is essential to understand your strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement as a team leader. It can also help you adjust your actions, behaviors, and expectations to better suit your team and situation. Growth is the result of learning from feedback, taking on new challenges, and acquiring new skills and knowledge. By seeking feedback and growth, you can demonstrate your humility, openness, and willingness to learn as a team leader. You can also enhance your performance, confidence, and credibility.
A fifth way to brand yourself as a team leader is to promote your team and achievements to your organization and beyond. This means highlighting the contributions, accomplishments, and impact of your team and yourself in various channels and formats. It also means celebrating the successes, milestones, and recognition of your team and yourself with gratitude and appreciation. By promoting your team and achievements, you can demonstrate your pride, enthusiasm, and gratitude as a team leader. You can also raise your visibility, reputation, and influence in your organization and industry.
A sixth way to brand yourself as a team leader is to collaborate and network with others inside and outside your organization. This means seeking, creating, and participating in opportunities to work with other teams, departments, or partners on common goals or projects. It also means expanding and nurturing your professional relationships with other leaders, experts, or influencers in your field or niche. By collaborating and networking with others, you can demonstrate your cooperation, curiosity, and value as a team leader. You can also broaden your perspective, knowledge, and opportunities for yourself and your team.
Branding yourself as a team leader can be evaluated from your team itself, if your team is performing well without any pressure and you are always available for them to find resolutions instead of creating a problem then it’s easy to brand yourself as a team leader.