Every manager has these dark thoughts. If you have been asking yourself “l am doing well as a leader lately” lately, it is probably time to face some difficult truths that determine whether you will succeed in your role as a manager. Here are four of them:
1. You cannot be a good manager if you do not inspire confidence
Looking in the mirror, every leader must ask himself: “Does my behavior inspire confidence in others?” If you want to elevate your management skills to a higher level, confidence is the first step on the ladder on which successful leadership is built. The trust between the manager and his employees depends on every aspect of employee performance – from productivity to creativity. The lack of trust, in turn, is detrimental to any team, no matter how knowledgeable and capable its members are.
Trust cannot exist without several key elements: transparency, accountability, sincerity, acknowledgment of mistakes and subsequent correction. So focus your attention on these aspects of your behavior and don’t make your employees regret the faith they have put into you.
2. It is the leader’s job to serve others
“I’m in the business of developing people – people who are stronger, healthier, more independent and more competent. In the meantime, we create and sell things that we make money from to make it all possible, ”writes Robert Greenleaf in his essay The Servant as Leader in 1970. Read about Personal development management on BVOP.org
If you are unfamiliar with the idea of a “servant leader”, it is generally based on the idea that good leaders pay more attention to the success of their employees than to personal achievements. In them, the ego remains in the background.
The Washington Post writes that the “servant leader” is loyal, emotionally intelligent and strongly committed to the lives of his subordinates.
3. Good managers take off their masks
Some people just like being a manager by nature, though sometimes it may be expensive. That said, an experienced venture capitalist turned coach, Jerry Column, also known as the CEO Whisperer. In his new book, Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up, Column explains how valuable and at the same time challenging to learn is good self-knowledge.
“We are masters of self-deception. Most of us start to get an illusory picture of reality as soon as they tell some lie to others. We wear masks that present us to people in the way we want to be seen, and at the same time, we hide our true selves. If you want to be a leader, you have to take off your mask, “says Column.
4. Good managers help others walk the road to success
“How can I help you?”. This is the most important question a leader can ask his subordinates.
Calvin G. Butler, Jr., CEO of Baltimore Gas and Electric, embodies this philosophy.
“As a manager, I set the strategy, select the most talented people, and provide them with the resources and opportunities they need to do their job the best way they can,” Butler says.
—
Marcel Chuantes, founder of Leadership From the Core, for Inc.com
