No BS Advice To Be A Better Leader

The majority of us face a necessity to manage people almost daily. It may come in all sorts and forms, but even the most trivial event from your daily routine is likely to involve some sort of managing people. When we speak to our colleagues and friends, some form of management – an implicit one – is inevitable since all people are made different and we have to take certain steps to get things done, etc. It should not push you into thinking that we are meticulous and bossy daily. On the contrary, knowledge of managing people can prevent you from being rude, inefficient and may save a good deal of nerves to you and those around you!

Although I have not experienced a formal position involving management, I have had numerous occasions where I assumed leadership and implicit managerial roles. For example, when working on a pretty innovative electric devise in a very diverse team, I felt that my peers were either too technical-oriented or strategic (big thinkers who already envision entering the Australian market even before final consultation with physics). At least when compared to me. This led me to assume an informal management role which has been useful – I hope and pray – decision for the team. With my experience and knowledge in mind, I would like to share with you some tricks and algorithms I use to manage people efficiently. However, it would be an exaggeration to claim that I am a big expert in managing people but I do my homework properly and I learn from mistakes. Enjoy the ride!

First and probably foremost, it is important to be able to properly communicate things to the team. From my experience, it is the dumbest thing on earth to think that all people are made identical and that they all look at and perceive the goals outlined the same. For example, some people who are tech-savvy in my team used to be overly optimistic with their time management skills. They, I assume now, perceived time very differently. Just like one more variable in the physics equation. This resulted in tones of very small tasks that piled up over time and were not realized for weeks. This led to lots of redundant and unnecessary stress in the team. When I noticed the problem, I tried to explain to them that some tasks should be done straight away instead of being put on the Google Calendar to be done when the pigs fly. At first – to convince them to accept me as a leader and adjust to a new way of doing things – I helped them catch up with some tasks I could deal with (I am far from sophisticated technical matters). I eventually succeeded in implementing clear and friendly communication bridges which led us to greater productivity and mutual understanding. The stress level within the team was reduced very notably.

It is also vital to get well with the team on a personal level. Clear and efficient communication is only one piece of the puzzle. To do the whole jigsaw puzzle right, it is crucially to listen to people. Honestly, I used to be bad at that. I just nodded, smiled, and imagined the way I looked while nodding and smiling. As funny as that. Now, I am a very competent listener, however. Each team member knows that they can speak to me and I will listen. They know that I can help to come up with solutions for almost all sorts of problems we face. The formula for great listening I derived suggests making as few assumptions as possible. I try to eradicate assumptions and ask a direct and clear question instead. I also ask people to voice their opinions and problems in a very direct and precise manner so that I can identify what should be changed or improved to make things done. To avoid being rude or AI-like, I ask them to paraphrase their saying when I think I miss the point. I like talking to people individually since they are more willing to open up when the atmosphere is less formal and nobody overhears. Also, I ask for feedback. Now, I think about how team members can deliver feedback more systematically. This is going to improve the “listening” part of the jigsaw puzzle even more.

Leaders should exude confidence. When leading people – I think – confidence is a must. The team should rely on someone when things get turbulent. When I was in a start-up, we had many different problems. However, the person leading our start-up team was very confident which always boosted my motivation and added lots of meaning to my effort. This demonstrated to me the importance of a confident leader in a team. For my current team, I try to showcase confidence. This not only leads to people being more motivated and engaged, but I also show a greater level of consistency with my decisions. I enjoy my confidence and the ability to bring peace to people when they appear to be upset with something. To exude confidence, a leader should make sure that problems encountered are only temporal and solvable. Everything is manageable! I always tell my team that our problems make us stronger and more resilient. I smile and tell them that nothing can break us. I think, that this helps them quite a lot. As a confident leader, I am not afraid of unexpected feedback or acknowledging that I am not right about something.

Another thing that contributes to successful people management is the focus on the team. I, as a leader, should always care about my team since this human unit stands behind the success of the venture. Ideally, good leaders and managers should love their team. People should always know that they are appreciated and heard. I see the link between our productivity and the well-being of the team members. At the moment, my team is quite small and it is thus easy to appreciate the human capital I work with. For example,?one of the tech guys got a call which was probably quite depressing. He got distracted from the work and I asked him what happened. It turned out that his girlfriend was at the airport and she lacked the money to get a taxi to get home after a tough flight. Unfortunately, my colleague had close to nothing on his debit card at the moment. I offered to make a transaction. When things were done, he was appreciative of the help. This boost in his mood translated into what he managed to do during the rest of the day. To be honest,?I was genuinely happy to rescue him and his girlfriend. As a good side-effect, I made him even more successful with his task and our bonds got even stronger. I loved that.

The last piece of advice I would give to anyone interested in being a better leader and manager is to be a constant learner. The thing is that there are countless books and articles written on the matter. At the same time, life is not long enough to read all that literature. I suppose that it is not necessary since many books narrate about more or less the same things. Some books should be definitely on the table, though. For example, I especially appreciate “Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek so check it out! Books may help you see a bigger picture which enables you to understand the motivation and concern of people in greater detail. A the end of the day, it is not about the number of books you read but the mental effort you undertake to grasp the point.