Become a Better Leader, Right Now!
Make an immediate improvement in your leadership skills by following these simple steps from the Entrepreneur.com article “Be a Better Leader Today.” You don’t have to read a book or take a seminar to become a better boss. Doing the little things, like these, can make a big difference:
Spend at least 15 minutes listening. When you’re always busy telling employees what to do, it can be easy to forget to listen also. Not just to your employees, but to vendors, contractors, and others involved in your industry, as well as other business leaders. If you listen to each person you engage with as if they are a consultant or outside expert, you’ll learn some valuable lessons every day.
“Becoming a better leader is often about letting other people in to have a better understanding of how to move forward,” leadership coach Dan Rockwell told Entrepreneur. “The more you need to say, the more you need to listen.”
Say, “Tell me more.” Rather than asking a million questions when engaging with people as described above, use the phrase “Tell me more,” to encourage discussion without making them feel interrogated.
Allow some doubt. Confidence is a crucial aspect of leadership, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t question yourself before making important decisions. When you think you’ve come to a conclusion, think a little deeper. Does your choice apply to the market you serve? What are the consequences if you’re wrong? What are the possibilities if you go with another approach?
Go to lunch. Whether it’s lunch, coffee, dinner, or breakfast, at least once a week, sit down with someone you admire or feel has some knowledge to offer. People should be glad to chat with you as inspiration can come from mentor or mentee, so it’s a mutually beneficial exercise.
