10 ways to shine when you take on a new leadership role

10 ways to shine when you take on a new leadership role

As we’re almost in the midst of holiday season, what better time to share with you some top tips to elevate your leadership and SHINE ? (even more than you already do!)

Ready? Let’s go!

1?? Slow down to speed up

You may be able to run at a 100mph but your team may not be able to keep up.?

You'll make better, more thoughtful decisions if you slow down a little. Sometimes the best work comes from taking the time to gather a little more data, and make decisions with all the available information, instead of rushing and then needing to mitigate afterwards.?

Take the time to get your team fully on board, educate them, nurture them, mentor them. Your own impatience is a sure fire way to make you feel that you have to do everything, because no one can do what you can do, right? Wrong! Slowing down gives us permission to train others up, and let them become experts too.?

Remember, once upon a time someone took the time to help you learn and level up, and it opened doors for you. It’s time to give back and do the same. And bonus, you'll get more done, because your time will no longer be the bottleneck. But to get to this point, you need to give you and your team permission to breath a little.?

2?? Be open to feedback

Giving and receiving feedback is one of the core leadership attributes that you should never stop utilising. You'll never NOT need feedback to grow and develop. As humans we are never done developing!?

But it’s difficult and sometimes uncomfortable to receive feedback, and particularly critical feedback. As the leader in the room, its your job to deal with the feedback from someone who isn't very good at giving feedback (which will happen!). Be the one who owns these conversations. Encourage a culture of feedback. Be proactive about getting outside perspectives and feedback. Nurture open and honest conversations with your team.?

By being open and honest, you allow your team the freedom to do the same, you establish trust and rapport and nurture your relationships. If you can, train your team in how to give and receive feedback too. And remember, that some people don't even like receiving positive feedback because they have so much discomfort with the idea.?

3?? Drive vision

Great leaders have vision, core values, and beliefs. They use this to inspire and encourage focus. If you don't know your own vision, start with that, but you also need to have clarity on the vision for the business and business unit you work in.?

In an ideal world you should be excited and able to link the business vision to your own in some way. At minimum there needs to be a clear overlap between your beliefs and values and how you operate and execute the company vision. If there's not, you aren't going to be able to fully inspire those around you, because you won't feel fully aligned. Start there and see how things go.?

Remember, having a vision also helps you set expectations and goals.

4?? Be decisive

The worst type of manager to have is one that doesn't make decisions. Or makes decisions but then backtracks and changes their minds. As leaders we can easily become the bottleneck in an organization because we aren't making decisions fast enough. That doesn't mean that you aren't taking the time to make good decisions. Instead, it means recognizing that you could spend another year collecting more data and still not having clarity. Sometimes it’s worth making a decision, setting the path, so that you can get clarity.?

Recognize when you are in your own way, and that it’s your lack of confidence around your ability to make the decision that is holding you up. Then make the decision in spite of your lack of confidence. Remember, your team needs to know what they are doing, and take action.?

5?? Work on your executive presence, trust and credibility every day

Executive presence, trust and credibility never stand still. If you aren't actively working on them, I can promise you that they are being eroded. You need to keep filling that bucket on a daily basis.?

This requires you to know how to work on these things - always start with trust and credibility. They are part of your executive presence after all.?

Ask yourself every day 'what can I do to build more credibility'? and 'How can I demonstrate trust today'. Remember that how you show up really matters. Particularly on your hard days.?

6?? Be authentic and be genuine

Authentic leadership is a buzzphrase in this day and age, and for good reason. Your team needs to trust you, and you need credibility (see number 5 ^^). That starts with authenticity.?

Showing up as who you are, with your vulnerabilities and being aware of your failures. But don't make the mistake of thinking that authentic leadership is showing up in yoga pants and complaining about your spouse and kids (I mean the yoga pants might be your style, in which case cool). The key here is to show up as the polished but best version of the true you. That means being fully aware of when you are out of your depth, and sharing that you don't know the answers and that you need feedback and insights.?

It's about being open about your weaknesses with your team, not just your strengths. It is about creating a culture of receiving feedback and not getting defensive. It is about sharing how you got through a sticky situation so people see you as human. It is about saying 'I need to take a mental health day - see you tomorrow' instead of pushing through and taking it out on your team while heading to the burnout door. All of this builds your authentic and genuine leadership presence.?

7?? Know your values

Have clarity in what you stand for and be transparent about your core values and your beliefs. This transparency builds trust in your team and may also shorten the learning curve for them, therefore enabling you all to collaborate more effectively. Knowing what is important to you as a leader and being solid in that will give you more confidence and you can avoid being wishy-washy.?

People will have stronger faith in a leader that knows what they stand for than someone who is unconfident and unsure of themselves. Being able to articulate your vision and beliefs is critical for forward-thinking leaders.

8?? Ensure you are always learning

Be on the lookout for areas to grow and develop in, but be purposeful with it.?

What we do and know today will be outdated in 10 years time. In some industries it will be outdated in 6 months. As a leader you need to stay up to date in your area of expertise, but you also have a responsibility to grow your soft skills (I prefer to call them 'real skills'!). Your leadership journey should never stand still. Leadership is not the hardest thing you'll ever learn, but you do need to learn it. Great leadership isn't something you wake up with, its learned, developed and honed over a lifetime. Always keep learning!?

But don’t learn and add just for the sake of learning and adding, choose skills and techniques that resonate the most with you and that speak to your values and beliefs.

9?? Focus on your team's strengths and contribution

It’s very easy to focus on what people aren't doing, aren't good at, and can't contribute to. In the same way it is easy for us to focus on what we haven't done or achieved, instead of what we have. As a leader this is incredibly dangerous. When we focus on what our team can't do and their weaknesses, you limit potential. If you have a negative attitude I promise you'll be carrying it as a chip on your shoulder. And you aren't able to see how to use your team well.?

People aren’t good at everything, so work with your team to identify their skills, competencies, and abilities that are relevant to the job. Embrace mistakes and create learning opportunities when they happen.

?? Give your team permission to contribute to your ideas

Allow your team members to interpret your ideas, to question it, pick it apart, break it down, and put it together again. Everyone learns differently, so give your team time to collaborate and look into ideas their own way. You’ll uncover what excites your team and motivates them. And bonus - you'll likely have more robust ideas, decisions and strategies as a result!?

You are one person. Believe me - your team knows something you don't that you do not yet know, but need to know! You just need to give them the space to share it.?