You Can Lead

Most people think that they’re not really leaders. They don’t believe that they have what it takes. So they prefer to just be part of a team where they can make a contribution, but they don’t have to take charge. However, being a leader may not be as hard as it appears. You do have to take responsibility for the actions of the team. But as long as you can get the team to perform its tasks in a creative and detail-oriented way, taking responsibility doesn’t have to be something you need to be afraid of. Here are a few tips to become the kind of leader that people look up to:

Love What You Do

This is the most important element of leadership. Sure, you may be able to get leadership positions in fields and companies that you don’t feel passionate about. And you might even be able to perform well in these positions. But if you don’t love what you do, then people are going to be able to see that, sooner or later.

You’re not going to have the degree of commitment you would have for something that you truly love. You’re not going to be happy spending more time than you need to on the job. But when you love your job, you’re willing to put in more time and effort, and you do so happily. There’s nothing so motivating for a team as watching someone who is enthusiastic about their job.

Rewards Work Better Than Punishments

There are essentially two ways to teach people things—through rewards and punishments. Now, psychologists have proven that rewards work better than punishments. Still, people continue to believe in tough love. They think that if they penalize others for small errors, people will take them more seriously.

This technique is likely to backfire because your employees won’t want to talk to you openly if they find out that you have a low tolerance for mistakes. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t penalize people at all, but do so only when they have truly made a mistake. And if the mistake can be easily rectified, then just ask them to make the change. Also, get creative about the different ways in which you can reward employees. Company parties, picnics, bonuses, verbal praise, employee of the month awards etc. are all ways to reward people for their hard work.

Please share on social media if you found this post helpful. If you have a comment or question I would be happy to discuss. Read more on my blog rhettpower.blogspot.com.