What Does It Mean to be a Leader?
Last Updated April 19, 2023
Today’s business organizations continue to see a need for managers at all levels, and the need is even greater for managers who can cultivate the long-term mindset and skills of a great leader. Not every manager has the capabilities to become a leader, but managers who can grow into that leadership role are instrumental in driving long-term business success.
Different types of leaders are needed to help organizations perform at their highest levels. These include:
- Team Leaders: Responsible for a team of up to 20 members whose tasks are specifically defined.
- Operational Leaders: Oversee a key portion of the organization, including several team leaders.
- Strategic Leaders: Responsible for setting the vision and strategies for teams, departments and the entire organization.
4 Actions Areas for Leaders
Whatever the leader type or level, the most impactful ones are distinguished by their behaviors and actions in four areas: taking a people-first approach, the ability to communicate well, having a vision for the future and their focus on and development of impactful teams.
1. Put People First
Managers who are likely to move into true leadership roles understand the value of encouraging and cultivating interpersonal relationships. These relationships are not merely between customers and the company’s associates but among all associates as a whole. This helps unite your organization in the common goal of delivering the optimal customer experience based on service and respect.
Respect is a key calling card of great leaders when it comes to working effectively with people. They are fair in their dealings with their associates, rewarding successes, using failures as lessons to learn from, and can be tough without losing the respect of their teams. In fact, their perceived toughness can go a long way in earning the respect of those who work under them. They emphasize activities that will promote personal growth and satisfaction throughout the organization. For example, formal and informal mentoring programs are often used to help build workplace relationships, participants’ feelings of self-worth and level of confidence, and along the way they create a path upon which future leaders are created.
2. Communicate: Early, Often and Clearly
Communication goes hand-in-hand with people skills. Leaders are able to sharpen their people skills when they foster open dialogue, are clear in expressing their expectations, and spend as much time listening as they do talking. The most effective leaders understand and practice all forms of communication that create impact and buy-in. For example, verbal communication is critical, but when they are matched with non-verbal communications like hand motions and facial expressions, trust and believability can be more easily established.
Great leaders know their communication effectiveness sets an example for associates along all rungs of the organization’s ladder. Their style for clear and open communication will set the stage for a more cohesive business environment where misunderstandings and misrepresentations are infrequent. A leader’s ability to communicate what needs to be accomplished is vital to the success of any size task, according to Alan Cutler, author, and owner of U.K.-based consulting company Hospitality Leadership. According to Cutler, “A person holding a leadership position without a clear vision, or the ability to communicate one effectively, will be leading the team towards an uncertain future.”
3. Set a Clear Vision for the Future
The difference between a team member and a leader is perspective. Leaders don’t think of their position in the company as just a job and a paycheck, but rather a platform from which they can positively affect the business, its employees, and its customers. On one level, they have taken a deep understanding of their industry and applied it successfully to their careers. On another, in true leadership style, they have seen how their knowledge has created a clear vision of the future. As a visionary leader, they are now in a position to inspire others by making their vision a shared vision, representative of deeper aspirations. Success here makes it easier to attract and retain people who share a stake in the business’ growth and success.
4. Develop Team Leaders and Players
Leaders set an overarching tone for the collaborative teams that are essential to successful organizations. When team members work together it’s easier to avoid mistakes and issues that can lead to problems. Great leaders have learned to be good team players because that’s how they set the best example. This means they treat others as they’d like to be treated, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and celebrating the individual and group achievements for the contribution they make to the organization’s success. When everyone is working together toward a shared goal, the outcomes can have much more impact.
Education for the Next Generation of Leaders
Impactful leaders have the people skills, the ability to communicate clearly and effectively, and with a clear vision for the future of their organization. They motivate and lead others to success. These leaders are needed in organizations across sectors and industries. Developing these essential leadership skills can turn an efficient manager into the leader who will guide their organizations on the path to solidarity, growth, and overall success.
Take your leadership development beyond training with instruction from the leading management faculty of Michigan State University’s top-ranked business school. MSU’s online Strategic Leadership & Management Certificates provide deep insights into strategy formation, career-specific knowledge, and targeted skills for leadership growth.
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