One thing I know from personal experience is that it’s never easy to be a leader. Whether you’re a managing a project, a group leader in a university project or even being captain of a sports team, leadership is one of the most difficult and most accountable roles you could have, but also one of the most rewarding.
That being said, natural leadership doesn’t always have to come from a position of management. Leadership comes from the qualities you have rather than the title you possess. Whichever position you have, this blog will show you simple and subtle ways to improve your leadership abilities.
Understand your Strengths and Weaknesses
We are all human, not everyone can do everything. However, having the humility and honesty to admit that there are areas which you struggle in is a sign of a good leader, and an approach many will find admirable. Once your weaknesses are identified, there should be someone in place who can provide expertise in this area to turn that weakness into a strength. While it is important to focus on your strengths, the identifying of your weaknesses and improving on them is crucial to the success of any team.
Mindset is Key to Leadership
Your Mindset can determine the success or failure of a project, and there are many ways in which Project Managers can improve their Mindset. There are two main types of Mindsets; Growth and Fixed. Having a growth Mindset, particularly as a project manager, is a crucial tool to have in your locker; allowing you to keep persevering in the face of adversity and have a relevant coping strategy in place for when there are setbacks. People will start to pick up on your attitude and mindset, this will rub off on others and they will look to you as a leadership figure. Therefore, it goes without saying that the better mindset you have, the better leader you will become.
Be Open to Change
Avoid being narrow minded at all costs. As a project manager, you should encourage your team to be innovative and speak their mind when it comes to creating new ideas. In a world where the business environment is ever-changing and fast-paced, it is important not to stifle innovation and instead to encourage creative solutions (no matter how ridiculous they sound!).
Trust
The final essential element of being a successful Project Manager is to trust and believe in those around you. Attempting to micro-manage your team will ruin their confidence and may hinder your success. Relax, give your team confidence by believing in their work and reap the rewards.
Conclusion – Leadership
While there are many hundreds of ways to start improving your leadership skills, this blog will hopefully have given you the impetus to become the leader than you’ve always wanted to be.
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