“No, again?!”
You may have felt before that you thought things through and found your way. Until you find out, you have to put your head spinning again.
Working with people and relationships involves constant little tweaks, changes of plans, processes, and communication.
You thought you had it lined up and could enjoy your coffee silently. You won’t get to sit because the next thing is already waiting for you.
No time to enjoy the silence
You thought you communicated clearly. But then one question can change the whole course of the day.
The moment you feel comfortable with your team, someone will quit.
When you are finally on track with your to-dos, your project gets messed up, and you have to jump right on it.
How you deal with such changes shows the strengths of your mindset, leadership skills, and communication.
The longer you are in a leadership position, the more you notice how some topics come in circles. They are timeless
1. Communication
All stands or falls with communication. Imagine your communication is your house foundation. If your foundation is weak, your house falls. It must endure earthquakes, natural disasters, usage, and accidents.
Everything is communication - data analysis, providing feedback, sharing information, listening, resolving conflicts, and having coffee chitchats.
Communication forms authentic relationships. It builds trust and collaboration. How you communicate influences everyone.
2. Vision & Purpose
At the heart of great leadership lies a clear vision and purpose.
A compelling and relatable vision inspires and motivates your teams to care. When they care, they deliver. Without a purpose, your team is only a bunch of people meeting each other in the office.
What’s yours?
3. Decisions & Problem-solving
You have a vision and strategy and communicate everything. Everyone works alongside you. When a problem occurs, they rely on you to correct a direction.
“What should we do now? How should we solve it?”
Don’t panic. Leaders have quick critical thinking and creativity to correct the course. Others can rely on them to help them tackle challenges and changing circumstances.
Sometimes, you need firm decisions. Other times, you consider alternative perspectives.
4. Empathy, Listening, & Emotional intelligence
It is either you have the empathy or not. Empathy is a skill.
Learn to connect with others, understand what they go through, and relate to them. That is how you build authentic relationships, recognize their needs, and support their growth.
Emotional intelligence is the underlying gold for team morale.
5. Change adaptability & Resilience
Change is inevitable. If you like it or not.
Stay flexible, positive, and resilient. Then, you inspire confidence in your team, and together you will navigate challenges more easily.
6. Integrity & Ethics
Leadership does not happen in a vacuum. Let others know what values you have, and how best they should communicate with you.
Be honest, transparent, and accountable for what you say. Don’t expect respect. Earn it. Ethical behavior is worth following.
7. Continuous Learning & Development
Your life is a journey. Leadership is part of it.
The best thing you can do as a leader is to seek feedback. Because what you think might not be as it is.
And of course, do the usual stuff as you’re used to - reading, attending workshops, talking to mentors, and honing your skills. It will not only look good on your CV, but you will deliver what it’s written.
TL;DR
Leadership is knocking on your door. How do you respond?
Communication is fundamental in navigating constant changes in work and relationships, influencing trust, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities.
Effective leadership entails having a clear vision and purpose to inspire and motivate teams and guiding decision-making and problem-solving processes.
Adaptability, resilience, empathy, integrity, continuous learning, and development are essential to build authentic relationships.
Monday Case Study: Communicate your values
Thursday Newsletter: Listening skills for teams and business