Being a leader is an attitude that does not depend so much on university degrees, although education does indeed provide a solid foundation on human management, it is, ultimately, an attitude toward life.
Let's start by understanding, what is a leader?
A person is considered a leader when he has the ability to direct and motivate a group of individuals toward a common goal. This person has the ability to influence the behavior or way of thinking of his team personnel with the purpose of working for the common good.
One of the main characteristics of a leader is his ability to handle several scenarios and situations at the same time, stay connected and attentive to all events, be a reference for their teams, and foster commitment in the groups.
How can a leader cultivate his talents?
Habit makes perfect, so he must maintain practices that help him move closer to his optimal self. In the following recommendations, we speak in general of business work teams, but the situations can perfectly be extrapolated to academic or governmental institutions.
The following are recommendations that will help you cultivate your leadership:
1. Be open to change.
Seeing constant change as part of the process helps leaders to be more effective since they see change as an opportunity, rather than an obstacle. In addition, being people who feed their curiosity, they always look for different ways to achieve their plans and goals.
Of course, this also gives them a lot of openness for topics such as, for example, artificial intelligence in the technological area, just to give an example. Only those leaders who are open to change are able to respond quickly to challenges that require a quick and agile response.
2. Delegate.
A person who does not believe in his team and is capable of trusting its members will not be able to grow. As the saying goes, you go further as a team, so those people who manage to delegate tasks to their teams, providing support, but without micromanagement, are capable of fostering teams full of confidence, which stop working just for doing their duty, if not by honoring their leader.
This is the main difference between a leader and a boss, the loyalty of his team.
To determine if you're delegating enough, ask this simple question, suggested by Jesse Sostrin in the Harvard Business Review: "If you had to take an unexpected week off from work, would your initiatives and priorities move forward in your absence?"
3. Open up to different perspectives and opinions.
Leaders welcome different points of view. The healthiest work environments are those in which employees feel comfortable expressing their opinion. Leaders open to different points of view and opinions encourage their teams to share their positions, they are afraid of shame or being judged, which enriches the work team and its actions.
Salesforce found that employees who feel their voices are heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to do their best work.
Companies with an open-door policy are much more creative when it comes to solving situations, as well as having better work environments.
4. Promote self-care.
Leaders give importance to their personal well-being and lead by example to their teams. Being a leader is a lifestyle, which is why taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually is a very important characteristic in leadership personalities. In addition, these attitudes are usually admired by other people, influencing their way of living life.
5. Foster empathy.
Empathy is, without a doubt, a quality capable of changing the world. The ability to put yourself in the shoes of others is so relevant that a study conducted by Ernst & Young revealed that 89% of employees agree that empathy makes for better leaders.
There are many trainings and books that can help you improve your leadership skills, but if you cultivate these habits, they will help you get closer and closer to the goal. Always seek to get closer to that version that allows you to be your best version.