How to lead regardless of your role

Leadership can feel intimidating initially, but it represents a nuanced practice of breaking old learning habits and adapting to change over time. Irrespective of age, one has the capacity to broaden their skills and intentionally mold themselves into a capable leader.

At CCL, we believe, becoming a better leader is strongly linked to combining personal and professional experiences. Over time, we have successfully identified the markers that can assist in leading in any role you assume.?

Leaders draw valuable lessons from unforeseen, unfamiliar, and startling events within the workplace. By taking strategic pauses and calculated risks, they recalibrate with renewed motivation, striving to construct a more enriched and purposeful organization.?

So, even if it seems difficult, leadership skills can be learned with the right guidance and strategies.

But before that, it is essential to look at where you might have missed out when embarking on the leadership journey.

1. Setting the right tone

The tone used in communication with colleagues reflects your stance. It conveys the emotions involved, regardless of what set of words you use. Your conversational tone conveys what your words fail to do.

Hence, establishing a professional tone that works for your people holds significantly more power than a bland one. It can be achieved through:

• Working on your intrinsic motivation for your goal.
• Using language that is simplified, not containing jargon.
• Prioritizing two-way communication across colleagues

1. Being hesitant in actions

You limit yourself due to conscious bias involving fear and hesitance. The output of such bias results in goals that don’t turn into reality. This in turn creates a stressful working environment, preventing innovation and growth.?

Such situations do more harm than good, so it is advised:

• Being critical of your values as they guide your actions.
• Reconsidering objectives if they don’t lead anywhere.
• Focusing on visualizing your goals to eliminate distractions.

1. Developing the existing caliber

Upskilling ensures continuous learning and that holds true in the workspace as well. It is essential that leaders understand their employees’ strengths, motivate them to upskill, and promote a learning culture at work. True leader values their team's growth, which starts with their own willingness to learn.

As a leader, I have witnessed fellow leaders burning midnight oil so they could assist others.

Development and innovation at the workplace can only happen in the space of learning, and they can be attained through:

• Making learning a habit that results in change at workplace.
• Improving interpersonal skills to build trust among colleagues.
• Adaptive learning for best output of projects you take on.

A leader’s proactive approach toward creating a space where the employees are seen and heard makes the difference in improving intra-team relationships.

And with the right strategy, you can maximize your leadership potential:

1. Be action-oriented: Brainstorming sessions are fun, but they will go in vain if there are no actionables. A true leader is action-oriented and comes up with solutions beneficial for the overall well-being of its people.
2. Cooperative team leader: No matter your role, working well with others shows you understand the bigger picture. All facets of departmental work, be it research and development, production, or technical aspects, are interlinked and consequently have an impact on one another. If you finish your tasks early, offering to help during busy times can help the team.
3. Foster effective communication: Using encouraging words creates an environment that works for everyone. It helps in building a space where ideas, opinions, and thoughts are welcomed, leading to the overall happiness and success of the team.

Leadership is developed through learning and experience. No handbook will help you develop these qualities as they come from within and improve through constant effort that is put into achieving them. To be a successful leader, it is essential that you proactively look at things, work on the shortcomings, and come up with solutions that work.