Remember the phrase “he is not meant to be a leader”? But is this a given? I'm sure not. Leadership qualities in yourself can be developed, like other soft skills, and predisposition - charisma and other natural data - only help in this, but are not decisive. How can you independently “pump up” your leadership and what leadership skills are especially needed by developers who want to become team leads?
My name is Ekaterina Dementyeva, I am the HR Director of the Russian software developer MyOffice. In many areas of life, including professional ones, you need to constantly learn. To succeed and achieve what you want, it is important to continuously develop. In this article I will tell you how you can independently develop such leadership qualities as:
- Long-term vision
- Goal setting
- Perseverance
- Flexibility
- Ability to bear responsibility and share it with the team
The post will be useful not only to current and future team leads, but also to those who do not seek to formally lead a team.
What is the difference between a leader and a manager?
A leader is not always a manager, and not every manager is a leader. Look: the manager manages goal setting, controls performers and relies on analytics; leader - inspires the team, increases its involvement and inspires trust. Sometimes these are different people. And if this is the same person, they will definitely say about him: “god of team leads” 
Companies value leaders very much because they are often about innovation. They are original, support change and think long term. It is leaders who can make the team’s work as efficient as possible and give the company impetus for development, which is sometimes critical for the survival of the business. Cultivate your leadership skills and you will be worth your weight in gold.
External manifestations of leadership qualities
A dominant person in a community is not always active. But it is quite easy to identify it by external manifestations of leadership qualities:
- They dress well. They take care of their appearance, but without extravagance in their appearance. They have their own style.
- They surround themselves with people.
- They look straight into the eyes and confidently shake hands.
- Direct the conversation when communicating.
- They always listen to the speaker to the end and do not rush to answer.
- Quite polite and tactful.
- In the classroom they are placed at some distance from everyone in order to have an overview and not allow strangers into their personal space. But they don’t hide behind their backs.
- Characterized by a confident gait with swinging arms.
- They themselves volunteer to perform duties from which the majority remain silent.
- They immediately grasp the essence of the problem.
It is very important to consider the implicit leader in the team in order to direct his activities for the benefit of the entire organization.
Long-term vision
Taking the long view and seeing potential in unexpected or unnoticed things is an invaluable leadership quality. The management of any company wants to know what will be in demand in their industry tomorrow, how to solve the problem with less cost and greater efficiency, what products everyone will use in the future. Suffice it to recall services that were very popular in the past, but over time they were replaced by more original ones - who knows how things would have turned out in these companies if they had a forward-looking vision?
How to improve long-term vision
BOOKS:
- Luc De Brabander, Alan Iny "Think in Other Formats"
- Dave Stewart, Mark Simmons "The Game of Business." Spaghetti ideas, garbage collectors, Viagra and other ingredients of creative doping"
- Scott Belsky, Bringing Ideas to Life. How to bridge the gap between vision and reality"
- Ivan Bubnov “Vision as a resource. Strategic session with yourself"
- Bill Torbert "Action Research"
VIDEO:
Rosalinda Torres: " How to Become a Great Leader "
FREE CLASSES:
“Netology”: How to evaluate the result of personal development
QUESTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS:
- Think about your ideal job - what is it like? What does it include?
- Make a list of 50 of your accomplishments (minimum). Think about it, is there something that unites them? Based on this information, create a chronology of future achievements—just a list with approximate dates will do.
- Talk about the future as if it were the past. Imagine that your plans came true, how the world has changed?
- Make a list of so-called places where you would not like to be - kind of flags, what kind of life you definitely do not want. And make sure that your actions do not lead there.
Goal setting
Don't be a samurai who "has no goal, only a path." Improved goal setting helps to formulate a vision as a tangible result and plan steps towards it. If all your actions directly or indirectly affect the goal, you will reach it. Additionally, a leader with a clear plan energizes and motivates others.
How to improve your goal setting
BOOKS:
- Brian Tracy "Achieving a Goal"
- Robert Maurer “Step by step to achieve your goal. Kaizen method"
- Theo Tsaousidis, The Brain with Obstacles. 7 hidden barriers that prevent you from achieving your goals"
VIDEO:
- Reggie Rivers: “ If you want to achieve your goals, don't focus on them ” (in English)
- Playlist of five TED Talks “ Tips to help you set and reach your goals ” (each video has a Russian translation)
FREE CLASSES:
- Seminar by Margulan Seisembayev “ Kaizen planning as the basis of a happy life ”
- GeekBrains: Course “ How can a team lead organize work in order to maintain team efficiency and not burn out himself ”
QUESTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS:
- What goals have you achieved over the past year? What didn't work?
- Try to understand the nature of past goals - were they your internal desires or external impulses?
- Determine what goals you want to achieve in a year. Plan each month, ensuring that they contribute to achieving your annual goals.
- Learn SMART goal setting and set goals using this methodology.
- Record not only your successes, but also your failures. If something didn’t work out, try to explain to yourself in writing why.
- Determine your starting position in relation to the goal. This is your starting point that will help you plan your first steps.
Show concern for others
Caring for others is different from respect. The main difference is that you not only talk, but also show care in action. Both respect and caring are necessary to gain the trust of the team.
To inspire others to achieve, it is important to invest in them and their careers. Without establishing such a personal connection, the leadership process may become more commanding. You can establish such a personal connection:
- Communicating with colleagues not only on work issues
- Taking an interest in the goals and interests of team members
- Learning to listen carefully and put yourself in others' shoes
- Taking part in team building games
Creating personal connections with co-workers helps improve work relationships. This even helps to develop effective teamwork and strengthen team spirit.
To me, being a leader is the ability to help, support and guide others on their path to success. Leaders provide the vision, and success is determined by the entire team, not just the leader.”
—Chris Giuliano, Head of Business Acquisition, Asana
Perseverance
Yes, this quality can also be developed! It is important to understand that there will always be obstacles and difficulties, this is our life. It is persistence that will help you not to give up, treat defeat as feedback and continue working. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are” - remember this phrase of Theodore Roosevelt?
How to improve perseverance
BOOKS:
- Linda Kaplan Thaler, Robin Koval "True Grit. How to develop the qualities necessary to achieve success"
- Hardy Darren “Cumulative effect. From action to habit, from habit to outstanding results.”
VIDEO:
- Angela Lee Duckworth “ Grit: The power of passion and perseverance ” (translated into Russian)
FREE CLASSES:
- Skillsoft: “Resilience & Perseverance ” (course in English. Paid, but there is a trial period of 14 days - you can complete it in time. 10 books on the topic are also included).
QUESTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS:
- Remember one of your significant achievements and write down what difficulties you encountered while moving towards implementation. How did you find a solution in each case? How significant do these problems seem now?
- Think about what inspires and motivates you? Make a list of what creates the right mood: music, movies and more. Turn to these things when you feel low.
- Train self-discipline: specifically set difficult tasks for yourself, fit into challenges, start running. Even simple decluttering, when you decide that it’s time to throw away things, trains willpower.
- Think about who among your loved ones can support you and become like-minded people? Tell these people about your successes, do not hesitate to praise yourself.
OTHER:
- Try the service for achieving goals Smart Progress : there you can practice setting and achieving goals, and also watch how other people solve similar problems and find like-minded people.
Flexibility
To prevent your persistence from turning into obstinacy, it is worth developing another systemic quality of a leader - flexibility. This is the ability to switch and easily abandon non-working strategies. A leader always has a “Plan B” and a “Plan C” in case something goes wrong. One of the most important soft skills in a world where every day is different from the previous one.
How to improve flexibility
BOOKS:
- Susan David, Emotional Flexibility. How to learn to enjoy change and enjoy work and life"
- Gareth Moore Brain Trainer. How to develop flexible thinking in 40 days"
- Srini Pillay “Jew's harp, sprinkle, marai and taste. Unlock the power of a relaxed brain"
VIDEO:
- Tatyana Vladimirovna Chernigovskaya “ Training the brain: speed, cognitive flexibility, decision making ”
- Irina Khakamada, blog about leadership on YouTube in general and answer to the question “ How to develop flexibility ” in particular
QUESTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS:
- What topic do you understand best? Find someone who wants to dive into it and try to teach them.
- Remember what games you loved when you were a child? Find games that you might have also enjoyed as a child. With age, a person loses flexibility - and we’re not just talking about physical abilities.
- Imagine that another person was in your place - fictional or real. What would he do first? What would you say to the people around you, how would you solve current problems?
Ensure Effective Communication
Collaboration is a key element of any successful team, and it is one of the main qualities of a good leader. There's a fine line between too little and too little, but it's always better to err on the side of too much. Lack of communication can lead to poor performance and lack of organizational clarity.
Your communication skills must ensure effectiveness, and this requires direct communication with a personal touch. These skills include communication within projects, as well as establishing communication with the team. You can implement interaction skills:
- Inviting colleagues to express their opinions
- Listening to the other person before speaking yourself
- Answering questions directly
- Tailoring the information communicated to the target audience
The best part: Effective communication can be easily taught. So if you need help, don't be afraid to ask for it.
While we were working remotely, we had to relearn how to interact in all its different forms. Slack, Asana, and the integrations between these tools have replaced or complemented many of the face-to-face communication channels we used to use.”
—Casey James, Head of Creative, JKR Global Read how Jones Knowles Ritchie is building powerful global brands with Asana
Ability to bear responsibility and share it with the team
The leader has to bear responsibility not only for himself, but also for the entire team. What makes a truly good leader and manager is that he shares responsibility, accomplishments, and blame equally. This is perhaps the most “stressful” leadership quality, but the larger a person’s area of responsibility, the larger his sphere of influence. Yes, you have to be responsible for your decisions, especially unpopular ones, defend team members and keep promises; As a reward, the leader receives trust from management and subordinates, and therefore freedom to find the most effective path to the goal. And this skill is not a given from above, it can also be developed!
How to level up responsibility
BOOKS:
- Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Risking Your Own Skin. The Hidden Asymmetries of Everyday Life"
- John Miller "5 Principles of Proactive Thinking"
- Bregman Peter “Emotional courage. How to take responsibility, not be afraid of difficult conversations and inspire others"
- Dalio Ray Principles. Life and work"
VIDEO:
- Rob Cook " The Cost of Work Stress and How to Reduce It "
- Simon Sinek " Why a Good Leader Makes You Feel Safe "
QUESTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS:
- Get into the habit of the “one minute rule”: before reacting to a negative event, exercise self-control and wait 60 seconds. And before you speak yourself, listen to the other.
- Do you trust yourself? Think about which areas you don’t ask for advice from others, and which areas make you feel insecure and doubtful. Try to make choices in such areas on your own and observe the consequences, moving towards confidence.
- Think back to your big failures where you were held accountable. How did you cope with the consequences? How scary do they seem now? Think about what works best to help you cope with failure.
- Ask yourself: what depends on me and what doesn’t? Write a list of what is in your control right now and what you can control. Your attention should be directed to these aspects, since you cannot be held responsible for what is not in your control.
Be a visionary
Seer is a fairly broad term, although everyone usually knows what they're talking about when they hear the word. Seers are able to see the end result even before creating anything tangible. This is why business owners and entrepreneurs are usually visionaries. They see how to implement a good idea long before the result appears.
While not everyone is born a visionary, this skill can be practiced to motivate a team. Regularly train the seer in yourself:
- Visualizing what your group will achieve in a year
- Practicing brainstorming and combining ideas into a single concept
- Motivating others to think critically
Foresight is akin to strategic thinking. Both are important for making decisions and setting clear goals.
How companies manage leadership
It is clear that hiring a strong leader for your company is costly both in terms of resources and time, so many organizations strive to develop their own leaders. This is a great opportunity for the employee too, because with the support of the company, professional growth will be faster - thus, everyone will benefit.
Let me give you an example of leadership management in our company. Here's how we develop MyOffice employees:
- We identify leaders . First of all, we find among new and current employees those who have an aptitude for leadership and, importantly, want to grow themselves. Sometimes it is enough just to listen to your colleagues and pay attention to the names that they repeatedly pronounce in a positive context, to situations where this or that employee aroused respect when solving a problem or finding a way out of a difficult situation. Most likely, this person will in fact be a leader who is worth developing.
- We establish communication with colleagues . Another important stage is receiving feedback from employees about their needs, motivation, and wishes. We not only observe, but also use various tools: surveys, interviews with experts, 1-to-1 meetings with managers, and also conduct reviews. And based on feedback, we can see who is ready to help and inspire colleagues, what we would like to develop and what our colleagues are strong at.
- We create conditions for the development of leadership qualities . At the beginning of 2022, we launched the “Knowledge Hub” - the center for organizing MyOffice training. One of his tasks is to help the company develop specialists. Colleagues from help and organize seminars, strategic sessions and meetings where the team can exchange experiences and learn new things, and knowledge is shared by both internal experts and invited specialists. We have recently begun to develop the practice of working with internal speakers. Anyone can declare themselves, prepare for a performance, and we are ready to provide all possible assistance in this. Colleagues also have the opportunity to mentor new employees and guide them through the difficult onboarding process.
- We provide the opportunity to receive additional education . For employees who can and want to grow, we develop an individual development plan that includes courses and events aimed at key growth competencies. A mandatory step to start the program is a willingness to learn. Before moving forward, an employee must be internally certified in their knowledge of our processes and products.
As you can see, we cherish and cherish people with leadership potential. If you are interested in development and work in MyOffice, look at our open vacancies - we will be happy to discuss cooperation.
2. Focus on team development
The willingness to share your wealth of experience and knowledge is just one of the many traits that a leader has. A good leader not only develops himself, but also takes the time to help others grow. This can take the form of training sessions, luncheons, or even collaborative problem solving with team members.
This approach not only helps your colleagues develop their careers, but also allows you to learn something new too. You can implement the professional development of your colleagues:
- Paying attention to what interests your colleagues
- Using mistakes as learning opportunities
- Using constructive criticism even when it's difficult
It is important to remember that you need to encourage and train your colleagues the way you would like to be encouraged and trained.
