5 tips to jumpstart your leadership game (Part 2)
Note: This is the second part of a two-part series offering tips for leaders. Read part one here.
Being at your best as a leader is a goal worth striving for. In the first part of this series, we offered two tips on how to jumpstart your leadership game:
- Tip 1: Take stock of where you’re strong and where you can focus to make a better impact.
- Tip 2: Set a goal for yourself. Be clear about the outcomes you’re looking for.
Being mindful of where to improve and what you hope to achieve gives you a charted course and a destination.
Now, how to get there…
Tip 3: Root change in the moment that you’re in.
Change doesn’t happen in abstraction. It has to be connected to the work we do as leaders every day. The good news is, our days present us with countless opportunities to do something different.
The simplest move you can make is create a daily ritual to look at your calendar and do a quick pulse-check on where the team is, what’s ahead, and where there’s opportunity to try something new.
A graduate-level move is to dig into the psychology of what’s happening with the team and why. Why is the team stuck? Is it that we don’t have a clear sense of purpose or know what success looks like? Why is someone on the team struggling? Is it that they don’t have the tools to be successful or are they new to the role and need more clarity?
For greater impact, make this ritual a group sport by inviting others into the process.
Tip 4: Experiment with new ways of working.
No one ever read their way to the top. You’ve got to get your hands dirty. We’ve found that the best way to discover your leadership style is to “try on” different behaviors, ways of working and showing up as a leader until you find what works for you.
Here are a few tips if you want to experiment but don’t know what to do in a given moment.
- Brainstorm. This is tried and true. Write down what you’ve done in the past, and challenge yourself to come up with one or two alternatives. Pick one and apply it.
- Call in a life line. There’s no shame in asking a more seasoned leader or a peer you admire what they would do differently.
- Tap the team. Asking what they think is a great way to make them participants in the change and increase their critical thinking skills.
Most important: Keep trying. At Leadfully, we’ve found that you’ve got to put yourself out there at least 15 times before you really sense the difference in yourself and see the impact with your team.
Tip 5: Think about it.
Like with 9th grade science, experimentation is followed by reflection. Leaders who spend focused time upping their leadership games also make time to reflect on what they did. These moments of reflection are what fuel insights that propel you forward.
You’ll get a big payoff from every new action you take when you give yourself five minutes at the end of the day to write down:
- What worked
- What was hard or got in the way
- What you will do next time
Even if this is just a mental exercise, reflection is key to your success.
Being at your best as a leader is one of the most important things you can endeavor to do. It’s what will enable you to bring out the best in others so that together you can do great things. If you’re looking for a boost, Leadfully is designed to be there at your side, helping you unlock your best self.
-The Leadfully Team