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Five reasons why you need to act like a leader
No matter what level you may be in your organization, there are opportunities to act like a leader. But I’m just a low level employee with no power, you might say. How could I be leader? And moreover, why should I take on leadership responsibilities – especially when I’m not given the title or money to go along with those responsibilities?
In the past, the term leadership was often reserved for those who are in positions of power, for those that oversee people, departments, and operations. But this, I believe, is not an accurate perception of leadership. We are all given the power to be leaders – to own our thoughts and actions, and truly drive success for both our organizations and ourselves.
Key qualities of leadership, such as communication, the ability to inspire, confidence, and commitment, naming just a few, are not just for CEOs or vice-presidents. (There are many articles outlining leadership traits such as this Forbes article). These are often qualities that many people do exert in their daily lives to some degree whether they are parents, marathon runners, or organizing a family reunion, but haven’t truly recognized in themselves. For some reason, once these same people enter the work environment, filled with hierarchy and titles, they think about and live these qualities very differently.
We can each be leaders within our own right, at whatever position we may occupy at work. And there are several benefits to acting like a leader to benefit both yourself and your organization. Here are five reasons to start acting like a leader today.
Become more productive
Acting like a leader changes your mindset. It becomes more apparent that there are things to do and goals to accomplish. This brings you to action. Acting translates into doing, and this helps you get things done and become more constructive and productive in the process.
Achieve your goals
By virtue of being productive, you are better positioned to achieve your goals. Acting like a leader brings into focus what needs to get done and helps you clearly define near-term and long-term goals. Being productive, defining goals, and achieving results turns into a positive cycle, which boosts your confidence and further encourages the same behaviour. What you thought you should and could do becomes action-oriented goals setting and achievement.
Create opportunities
Acting like a leader means taking the initiative, searching for solutions, and understanding what your resources and options are. It also means looking at things from different perspectives and integrating information across subject areas. The curiosity and resourcefulness that is required to act like a leader can lead you to create additional opportunities as you act on immediate opportunities.
Think like a leader
According to Herminia Ibarra, an expert on professional leadership and development and author of Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader, “people become leaders by doing leadership work.” So instead of thinking like a leader first and acting like one later, getting to action first will clear the path to truly thinking like a leader. As you act like a leader and take control of your job, you will learn how to think like a leader in order to resolve challenges and take advantage of opportunities.
Become the leader
Acting like a leader will help you to eventually become the leader. Your behaviours, thoughts, and results will attract the attention of others in your organization and network as well as the deserved recognition and treatment. Over time, you will also develop those qualities that you admire in certain leaders as you practice and hone your skills.
As you build your reputation as a leader, be prepared for the additional opportunities and accompanying rewards to come your way, reinforcing you to act like a leader.
Four ways to motivate employees through the power of communicating progress
While recently leafing through a 2010 Harvard Business Review journal, I came across an article that piqued my interest titled, What Really Motivates Workers, by Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer. The answer to the title of this article was identified as a breakthrough idea for 2010. This was the idea that progress was the top motivator for employee performance based on a multiyear study tracking the day-to-day activities, emotions, and motivation levels of hundreds of knowledge workers in a wide variety of settings. Although it was a 2010 breakthrough idea, it certainly applies today.
With this knowledge in hand, we can assume that communicating progress to employees on an individual, team, and company level, can have a deeper positive impact on employee motivation and all the benefits that come with it such as improved employee engagement, satisfaction, performance, and retention.
If you think about it, the idea of tracking and reminding yourself of progress made, taking stock in what you have accomplished, brings to light the hard work that you have invested and the payoff you have received. This brings a sense of pride and achievement, as well as a motivation to perhaps work harder on your path to obtain further tangible and intangible rewards. The extrinsic acknowledgement of progress also reinforces the desired behaviour, and can drive additional positive outcomes.
We can apply this thinking to employees. Companies use performance reviews to measure progress against goals set at the beginning of the year. For most companies, however, this is usually an annual, or semi-annual process, at best. But what about the remaining days between the start and end of a year, when employees encounter obstacles, challenges, and wins that should be acknowledged?
As a leader, it is within your control to help influence and improve employee motivation through your communications and leadership practices. Here are four actions you can take to get you on the road and keep you on track.
1. Set meaningful goals and clarify them on an ongoing basis
Setting meaningful goals that are tied to your organization’s strategic objectives gives your employees a real purpose for their work. This enables them to understand the value they contribute to your company’s successes and a better idea for how they can further support initiatives. Business is dynamic, however, so working with your team on an ongoing basis to tweak the relevancy and direction of goals while empowering your employees to bring forth ideas to sharpen their focus can achieve greater clarity for all.
2. Provide appropriate resources to support achievement of goals. Then get out of the way.
Sometimes, the best thing a leader can do is to provide the appropriate resources the team needs to help them achieve their objectives and then get out of the way. Although you may feel obligated to constantly monitor progress, knowing when to let your team drive an initiative versus when to step in can be a real challenge and a true leadership skill. Often, managers tend to micromanage the situation limiting the employee from experiencing real learning opportunities, which from time to time include bumps and mistakes. Allow them the space to experiment and try things out knowing they have the tools to work through problems and that you are there to act as a sounding board, when necessary.
3. Communicate meaningful progress in a consistent manner
As a leader, you may have timely access to how your team’s work is contributing to the overall priorities and objectives of the company. As much as you are able, communicate the value your team is making to your company’s overall progress to reinforce the purpose of their objectives and efforts. Whether that’s through weekly team meetings or one-on-one conversations, providing regular updates helps employees understand that they are all working towards common objectives.
4. Celebrate progress
The Amabile/Kramer HBR article advises leaders to recognize the wins and to celebrate progress. Throughout the year, as your team is making progress and hitting milestones, take the time to celebrate their successes, including the small wins. Tie the celebration directly to a clear success to reinforce that outcome and the behaviours that got your team there.
Taking the time to reflect on your employees’ achievements and to communicate their progress back to them can make a big difference in the performance of your team and the outcomes for your organization.
The lion and the boar: A lesson on the importance of understanding your business ecosystem
I’d like to tell you a story about a lion and a boar.
On a hot summer afternoon, a lion and a boar each felt very thirsty. While they were looking for water they both happened upon the same well at exactly the same time. A quarrel immediately ensued as they argued about who would drink first from the well. Soon the quarrel turned into a fight and then it was all out bloodshed.
By Frans Snyders
They fought for a long time. Both of them became badly wounded but that didn’t stop them from taking another swipe at each other. They finally stopped to catch their breath, when from out of the corner of their eyes, they spotted two vultures sitting above them on a tree branch.
The vultures were looking at them hungrily, waiting for them to kill each other, so that they could come down and feed on their corpses. Upon this realization, the lion and the boar stopped fighting moving from antagonism to partnership saying, “It is wiser for us to become friends rather than be eaten up by the vultures.”
The Lion King, Walt Disney
This disturbing story (at least with a happy ending) is, in fact, an Aesop’s fable. So, what is this fable teaching us about stakeholder relationships? To understand this, let’s break it down.
The story presents us with an ecosystem that includes different stakeholders, issues, and objectives.
- The lion and boar initially had a specific issue they were attempting to resolve – thirst. And they were both operating under particular conditions – heat.
- Both creatures were competing for a valuable resource – water – with the objective of being the first to obtain it.
- They both approached the situation as their natures dictated. They acted instinctively, without too much thought, with an intended outcome concretely set in their minds.
- Both animals knocked their heads, literally, trying to resolve this issue. In this process, they wasted energy, became weaker, and opened themselves to great risk.
- Upon taking a step back to catch their breath, they made an observation that inspired them to reflect upon and re-evaluate the situation – two vultures patiently watching them.
- This environmental analysis, albeit brief, encouraged them to weigh their options: 1) continue to fight and risk being killed and eaten, 2) work together and survive, or 3) walk away thirsty.
- Fortunately, the lion and the boar chose the option that resulted in meeting both their needs – survival and satisfying their thirst.
- Meanwhile, don’t forget those vultures. Through their capabilities of flight, perspective, observation, and patience, they were able to spot a potential opportunity, although they were denied of their meal this time around.
The lesson: We all operate in an ecosystem that includes different stakeholders, challenges, goals, and interests. Understanding the ecosystem in which you operate and being willing to engage with participants in that ecosystem can make, break, or change your meaning of success and how you get there.
Once you understand your stakeholders, their needs, and how you are all connected, you can begin to build an enriched ecosystem, paving the way for greater opportunity and shared success.
Harvard Business professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter has written about the concept of enriching the ecosystem. Her view is that an enriched ecosystem positions companies to better compete, encouraging collaborations between different participants in the ecosystem, such as small and large companies, educational institutions, and policy makers, leading to innovative growth and business solutions.
In an enriched ecosystem, competitors can become partners and collaborators, risks can be mitigated, and goals can be achieved in an effective manner. It all starts with your organization evaluating its situation and becoming aware of prevalent thoughts, behaviours, and its internal and external environment.
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