Leadership is one of the most underappreciated skillset that an individual can have. Good leadership is relevant to any job field, from the military and law enforcement to education to the service industry. Managers, Non-Commissioned Officers and any other kind of leader must be able to influence others to do the job the best they can and make the work environment a fundamentally better place. All to often though, leaders fail to acquire the basic skills that inspire others to follow.
1. Confidence
Confidence is key to leadership. Nobody wants to follow a leader who cannot make decisions, who appears doubtful of others in the organization or who constantly caves to pressure from others. If you are in a management or supervisory position and you lack confidence in yourself, your subordinates or your superiors you will struggle to gain the respect your position demands. Confidence can be built through several methods. Train and educate yourself in your known weaknesses. Remind yourself constantly you have your own unique strengths and demonstrate that to your co-workers. Utilize correct body language, such gravity defying behaviors. These simple techniques will help increase your confidence.
2. Communication
A breakdown in communication is one of the most easily avoidable mistakes that can destroy a leaders ability to competently wield authority. While this should seem like a basic skill most people pick up during high school, this is the most common complaint I have seen subordinates make of their superiors. Remember to constantly update your subordinates of pertinent information. Keep your comments as short as possible and use the plainest language you can. This will help avoid any misunderstandings and will eliminate the need for others to try to decipher your message. Make sure to answer questions as quickly as possible, but do not lie. If you do not know, let whomever asking know and do your best to help them find the correct answer.
3. Lead From the Front
We all get annoyed when we have a boss asking us do things that we know that they are unwilling to do themselves. Lazy, incompetent leaders are visibly weak leaders that inspire feelings of resentment in their subordinates. On the other hand, supervisors that are willing to train, help and work alongside of their subordinates often inspire confidence, trust and higher morale in their workforce. We all have had at least one boss who was always in the suck with us and we all know how we felt when we saw them embracing the suck with us.
4. Don't Be a Jerk
As a boss, sometimes you are going to have that one worker who just cannot figure out how to do their job. That being said, screaming and hollering at everybody over every petty infraction is how you build a toxic work environment. You will see a high turnover rate and honestly, you probably won't be well received by your superiors either. Stay professional and polite. Praise in public and discipline in private.
Hopefully these tips can help you build your leadership skills. Even if these do not sound like flaws that you might have personally, remember there is always room for improvement in anybody's leadership style. Communication and confidence in particular are the two I would emphasize as those two will aid you not just in work but in any relationship you might have. Whether it is a professional or personal relationship these are two basic building blocks of relationships.
Love Yourself First