Five steps to become an effective leader

Becoming a visionary leader requires crossing the Rubicon. It’s taking that leap from being an excellent and productive employee focused on delivering high quality work every day, to inspiring teams, impressing senior colleagues, and moulding the future. For those ready to move up to the next level, there are five effective steps to maximise the chances of success. Leaders aren’t simply created at birth. They acquire and hone important skills by:

1.     Being willing to step off the well-trodden career path

Doing something just because it’s the traditional way of progressing a career is not the way to become a modern leader. Often, these well-establish paths don’t give you the tools you require to become the leader modern organisations need. Authentic leaders need to understand themselves and their motivations. They need to find their ‘why’. There are thousands of articles on the internet which talk about leadership, all advising the same things. If they guaranteed success, everyone who read them and followed that advice would be a leader. Yet, thousands of people who read them will not become authentic leaders who inspire teams and devise creative, innovative solutions.

Understanding why you want to become a leader and what you can offer is the starting point for an important journey. Becoming a leader isn’t something which can be bolted on. It must come from the core.

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2.     Being unafraid to fail

Albert Einstein said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” He also said: “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. ” The fear of failure leads to us staying within our comfort zones, avoiding trying anything which seems risky.

This is fed by the tendency to measure ourselves too closely by what other people think of us. That can encourage a conservative attitude.

For those who have been focused on delivering work at the frontline in well-established patterns, there may be a tendency to avoid risk. Anyone wanting to move to the next level needs to overcome a fear of risk. They need to be able to see things from different perspectives, to think laterally to solve problems, and to have an in-built resilience. Go the extra mile and take calculated risks. Developing a growth mindset is an important part of leadership. The idea was first established by world-renowned Stanford University professor of psychology, Carol Dweck. Her research found people have two types of mindset – a fixed or a growth mindset. Those with a fixed mindset have the tendency to see talent as innate and fixed, no matter how much someone tries to develop it. They fear trying new things because they fear failure. Often, they avoid them.

People with a growth mindset see every decision as either a potential success or an opportunity for learning. There is no failure. They also believe talent can be enhanced by hard work and practise. A growth mindset encourages the resilience and problem-solving organisations need from their leaders.

3.     Developing sound judgement

The ability to weigh up a situation quickly, to think through the consequences of potential actions, and to have the confidence to take calculated risks is much sought-after among leaders. It’s not acting on intuition, but it is quickly assessing problems and opportunities. It’s also the ability to understand not everything has to be solved by one person. Knowing when to bring in other people, and who to call upon, is an important skill. Understanding your own strengths and weaknesses, and those of the people around you, will assist you in building an effective team and finding creative solutions. A reputation for sound judgement will get you noticed.

4.     Creating and maintaining your personal brand

In the UK, we avoid ‘blowing our own trumpets’ at all costs. Our innate reserve means we don’t want to be seen to be shouting about our achievements. These days, though, creating a personal brand is vital for leaders. It’s so important to show and share our knowledge and expertise. There are ways of doing this without seeming arrogant. One of the key ways is to help the people around you rise by sharing your skills and expertise. That way, as they rise, you rise. Communication is an important part of this process.

The tools and the tone leaders use to do so are part of that overall personal brand which helps respect develop in peers, staff, and senior managers. Being an excellent link in a chain of internal communication helps to inspire your team, gives confidence to your senior managers, and impresses your peers without the need to shout about your achievements.

Leaders understand that succeeding isn’t just about what you know, who you know, or even who knows you. It’s about the work for which you’re known – what everyone else knows about you. Developing a reputation for excellence and inspiration attracts opportunities. It’s about developing a certain gravitas and gaining the ability to influence the agenda.

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5.     Developing Emotional Intelligence (EI)

This is a concept first described in 1990 by two psychology professors, Peter Salovey of Yale and John D. Mayer of the University of New Hampshire. Mayer later described EI as: “The ability to accurately perceive your own and others’ emotions, to understand the signals that emotions send about relationships, and to manage your own and others’ emotions.”

Psychologist Daniel Goleman’s 1998 article ‘What Makes a Leader?’ stressed that all effective leaders have one thing in common: a high level of EI. Without it, a person with technical prowess, creative ideas, and analytical skills, would remain an excellent and valuable member of staff but they would not be a great leader. There are five basic planks of EI, empathy for others, self-awareness, social skills in building and managing relationships, self-regulation, and a passion for the work itself, something which is not tied up in status or money. Developing these soft skills are the most important thing anyone can do to become an authentic and effective leader.

In a competitive field, excellence in communication and emotional intelligence will set you apart from the rest of the field. People such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, people who can see beyond the traditional, transactional method of leadership with empathy and vision, set the gold standard. In my experience, I have found it is extremely hard to come by these skills.

In essence, anyone who wants to lead effectively must find their inner authentic leader - someone who inspires, engages, and develops the people around them. Be someone who leads by example, who transmits passion, and helps those around them achieve their ambitions. As they grow, you will grow.

This article was originally published in CBI Business Voice.