Best Practices for Your Best Leadership

We all want to be the best leader we can be, both in life and in business.

Often times, though, despite our best intentions, we struggle with where to start on the path to being the best leader possible.

These tips break down the complexities of what makes the best leaders so great, and how you can utilize those same practices in your own life!

The hardest part of being a great leader is identifying the aspects that make for great leadership.

Usually, when we consider the best leadership, words like “strong,” “powerful,” and “well respected” come to mind.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with being perceived as strong, powerful, and well respected, but what contributes to those qualities is usually much more concrete and easier to grasp.

Below are four easy and manageable tips that will allow you to be the best leader you can be, as an aspiring business owner or just in your everyday life.

1. Successful Communication

  • Now before you run off the rails saying this is an obvious tip, pause for a moment so I can tell you what successful communication actually is.
  • Communication should be two things: efficient and effective.
  • When it comes to being the best leader, you need to be able to successfully communicate your ideas to those under you.
  • That communication needs to be unceasingly clear and direct, and delivered quickly and to the point.
  • Do not waste time on beating around the bush, or trying to make analogies, or whatever else may hold you back from saying what needs to be said when it needs to be said.
  • Being an efficient and effective communicator is the #1 most important trait in a good leader.

2. Be Honest and Kind

  • This one ties in strongly to the previous tip. Being direct and clear requires you to be honest.
  • That honesty will usually be better received if it is accompanied by kindness.
  • This doesn’t mean you should be disingenuous or rely on flattery to get your point across. Employees will see right through that.
  • Speak to them on a human level, showing that you understand their perspective. This will improve their work and ability to understand you quicker, as well as increasing employee loyalty.

3. Try Being Vulnerable

  • This tip can be extremely difficult for leaders who have been under the impression that they should never show weakness or any real emotion when at work.
  • While I understand the desire to be a figure of strength and almost robotic mentality, the ability to be vulnerable can actually make you a better leader.
  • For one, it makes you more trustworthy. People are infinitely more likely to trust someone they can relate to and believe is capable of human feelings than someone they see as mechanical and unfeeling.
  • It will also encourage transparency and openness in the office and will allow for everyone to be better communicators.

4. Make the Goal of Feedback Clear

  • This is probably something you haven’t seen a million times before, and it can be incredibly helpful in the workplace and in personal life.
  • As a leader, chances are you’re regularly called on to provide feedback.
  • Feedback can mean different things to different people, and can even mean different things at different times.
  • When you’re settling in to provide feedback, you must first determine what the goal of the feedback is, by asking the person you’re talking with.
  • What does the individual hope to gain from this interaction?
  • Do they want an expert giving them advice on what they can improve, or do they simply want a cheerleader?
  • Knowing what someone expects will help you in giving the most productive feedback possible.
  • Even if you don’t agree with the feedback that they want (they want a pat on the back, but you think something needs to be changed, for instance) knowing what they expect will help you in navigating how best to communicate your feedback to them.

In business and in life, we all want to be the best versions of ourselves.

As part of that, we often see ourselves as leaders, and want to be the best and most effective leaders we can be.

Keep these easy tips in mind and try to incorporate what you can.

Notice the difference you feel as a leader, as well as the difference in how people perceive you as a leader.

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