Written By : Simon
Are the natural abilities of leaders enough for an organisation to thrive or are learned traits and life experiences equally important? Yes, the age-old nature versus nurture debate has a business angle to it.
The world has seen many great natural-born leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr but a modern business leader is more likely to be someone who has worked hard for his success.
Talent may give you an edge, but many successful business leaders have thrived even without having much of it. In fact, the basic elements of leadership have very little to do with special skills.
Successful leaders stand out for their effort, attitude, and work ethic. They are determined, dedicated, disciplined and show desire. Very rarely are they able to survive only on skill or potential alone.
Here are four basic strategies you can adopt to improve your leadership abilities as you navigate the business world.
1. Have a clear vision
The most important prerequisite for a business leader is vision. In the words of Jack Welch, you must have vision, be able to articulate it, own it and relentlessly drive it to completion.
A typical vision would earmark where you see yourself and your organisation five years into the future.
2. Focus on self-management
How you manage your personal life has a direct bearing on your leadership skills at the workplace. If your personal life is topsy-turvy, your professional life will likely be unpredictable too.
A great leader manages time well by prioritising tasks and completing them within the given time frame.
Equally important is the ability to contain emotions and remain objective while refraining from finger-pointing when things go awry. Instead, take immediate action.
Staying positive even through the most trying of times while exhibiting a tolerance for stress and having good impulse control are other facets of a great leader.
3. Make team management a top priority
A team is a unique mix of people with different values, personalities, strengths, skills, and temperaments. A team which is inclusive and accepting of each other can work better to achieve given targets.
Great leaders ensure their teams work smoothly and resolve conflicts quickly and effectively so that their collective objectives are met.
Take Steve Jobs, for instance. When designing the iPod, he had a diverse team of engineers, designers, software developers, and marketers who under his leadership, worked together to create one of the most revolutionary products in human history.
4. Deal with challenging situations effectively
Elon Musk and Steve Jobs can be described as “visionary” in how they navigate difficult situations, while Bill Gates takes on the role of “coach”.
In addition to these strategies, here are six characteristics of a leader that don’t require any skill but can be adopted by anyone wishing to lead successfully.
1. Show up
If you want your subordinates to look up to you, show up without fail because leadership requires participation. Teams do not work well in the absence of their leader.
2. Exhibit a caring attitude
The age-old saying, “People don’t know how much you care unless you show them” is true when it comes to leadership.
You require zero skills to be courteous and diplomatic towards those in your team.
If you dislike arrogant, brash, and rude teammates, then be the kind of leader who is humble, diplomatic yet assertive to bring out the best in your people.
3. Be willing to work hard
When Elon Musk was an aspiring entrepreneur, he used to work for more than 16 hours a day.
What this shows is that it’s not the most intelligent or naturally talented who succeed but the ones who are also willing to put in the hours to bring ideas to fruition.
4. Keep your promises
If you never cultivate the habit of following through with your promises, you’ll never be an effective leader. However, if you feel like you can’t keep your promises, don’t commit to them in the first place.
5. Stay positive
You don’t have the power to control what happens around you, but you do have the power to control how you react to any given situation.
Great leaders have a positive outlook on life – they listen, smile, and engage with people positively. Giving out a high positive vibe is not a talent but a conscious decision to stay positive.
6. Do the right thing at the right time
Having the courage to do what’s right shows character and the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. True leaders never compromise on their core values. They tell the truth and play by the rules.
At the end of the day, how successful a leader you are depends not so much on your innate talents but on your attitude, effort, and outlook on life.
