I’m often asked what makes a good leader and in previous blogs I’ve talked about the characteristics of an effective leader however, I’m a great believer that everyone can be a Leader without having a Leader Title.

Here are 3 ways to demonstrate Leadership without having the title of a Leader:

1. Be self-aware.

Being self-aware is key to developing your weak spots and working your strengths. Only by knowing what you need to work on in your work style, your communications skills, your short comings etc., can you then become the best Leader possible.

I don’t just market and promote Psychometric Assessment Tools as a revenue stream, I see the evidence every time I run an Myers Briggs Type indicator (MBTi) or Insights Discovery workshop. People really can see the value of understanding themselves better as well as understanding and appreciating others. They can then develop the skills, capabilities and awareness from this learning to make themselves more effective and productive in the workplace.

Another way to increase your self-awareness is to get feedback from your peers on what you are like to work with and what can you improve on – this can be very informative.  Don’t look at the feedback as a criticism but as how others see you and then do something about it. If the feedback says you can sometimes be short or cranky when someone asks you a question then move into a better mental state to ensure you are open and will give time to others when they approach you.

2. Be exceptional in your performance.

Mediocre performance will not make you stand out from the crowd and look like a Leader.  Demonstrate that you can get any job done well without trampling on others.

Foster a growth and development mindset in yourself and in others.  Attend CPD events, briefings, sign up to topics and blogs of interest on LinkedIn and listen to TED talks – all of which will help you learn and subsequently deliver exceptional performance.

3. Work collaboratively with your Team.

It sounds obvious but if you encourage your Team to work collaboratively and encourage the Team to be mutually accountable for all they work on and deliver, the Team and all of its members will grow in many ways.  They will learn to work more effectively with each other, learn how to work through issues together as well as learn how to solve problems together and that’s just for starters.

A mutually accountable mindset means that every Team member is accountable for completing work – Team members have each other’s back. They offer help when they see it’s needed and they encourage and support each other to get the job done. Being in a ‘responsible mindset’ means each Team member is responsible for only their piece of work, this works okay but it’s an individual mindset and not a Team mindset.  If you can encourage and foster a mutually accountable mindset on your Team, then you will definitely stand out as a Leader.

Til next month, Laura.