As leader — People come first

Over the last year, I’ve realised just how much of a sponge I have become. Decisions are never black or white, so most people fudge. The straddle middle grounds to keep everybody happy. Whether it’s how to have great 1 on 1’s, showing others they can have the creative confidence to push their ideas (even if they aren’t on the “creative” teams), knowing what “bad” words to avoid when talking to your team (alternatively, what “power” words exist to influence and inspire) or learning interviewing techniques that actually work, defending the team as much i could.

My job is to help my team get things done. And listen the others, I’m much more effective when I remember what I learned from all the accidents that got me here: leading an team is not about the title, and it’s not about me — it’s about humility (even if it doesn’t sound humble to say so).

When it comes to leadership, humility is often perceived as weakness. That couldn’t be further from the truth. There are many ways to express humility — you might welcome feedback, admit mistakes, or simply treat others as equals. Your employees will view those as signs of strength, not weakness.

The first step to becoming an effective leader is to know yourself — all that is good and admirable and all the stuff that makes you cringe. Because the good news is you can change and grow. It’s a choice you make. The stronger your commitment and the more often and courageously you act in the face of discomfort, the greater a leader you will become.

People come first

Historically, leaders were the people around the camp fire who made us feel safe because we knew they would be the ones to charge in the direction of danger to protect us. This expectation has translated to modern leadership too. As Sinek put it, “We expect leaders to never sacrifice people for the sake of numbers.” He added, “Sometimes a leader will lose his job and sacrifice himself in order to do the right thing.”

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So, It’s not about how loud you can be or take credit from some project. It’s tempting to be overly active as a leader and tell everyone what to do — you’re a leader after all! But, actually, good leaders listen, let conversations evolve and develop, and provide measured advice only when needed.

Design leaders know that their job is as much about editing as it is creating. Getting to a resonant design requires unflinching honesty about the work, without soft-pedaling or delaying critical feedback. But being honest isn’t a license to be an asshole. Remember, designers are people with feelings, so keep feedback rational, direct, and focused on the work, not the individual. Nurturing a safe, respectful environment keeps open lines of communication and fosters positivity and great ideas.

We need to free our teams, when you have this kind of energy, you want to tell people that they don’t have to wait for the next workshop day opportunity. Give them permission to take one or two hours out of every day where you’re paying them to innovate and pursue things they want to do. Build in ways for people to share this kind of work with their peers and their managers.

“Make them feel rewarded or you risk losing them.”

Talented people are the first to resist being trapped in any environment. “You have to tell people so that they will believe you: ‘You know what, you can do this thing exactly the way you want to at our company. Give them the trust and responsibility and remove their fears.”

Many companies they also had a talented team that wanted to try out something different. The result was Facebook Paper, google mail, The company gave the team the resources to turn it into something real. “When other people see things like this happen they get inspired and motivated to pursue something new too. Just having creative people at your company is rewarding and high-impact.

Give them the trust and responsibility and remove their fears. Those are the main ingredients for great projects.”

Leadership is not born, it’s made. If you’re not excited about your current circumstances and success, you have complete power right now to make radical transformations.

Thank you for reading, if you have anything to add please send a response or add a note!
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