Let’s talk Leadership – 3 tipsPosted by Nicole CoyneOn February 8, 2023

“How can I be a good leader?” – This was one of the questions I was asked at a talk I gave to a group of young up-and-coming leaders last evening.

Over the years I have learnt through my own mistakes, achievements and observations of other leaders around me, and so this is an excerpt of what I shared with some of the future generation.

Unfortunately we can’t manage time. Time, it just happens. We can however manage what tasks we complete in the time we are given.

A natural urge is to want to do everything and do it now. Unfortunately, this is not realistic or sustainable. Before getting stuck into your “to-do” list, get clear on your “why”. What do you want to achieve for the year? This goal or purpose for the year should be your guiding beacon or anchor. Everything you do will be aligned to this vision.

Once you have built the vision, compare your original “to-do” list with your vision. If tasks and activities don’t align, remove them.

When are you most productive during the day? Mornings, afternoon or evenings? If you are a morning person and feel your most creative and productive at that time, schedule your trickiest projects to be completed or worked on during that time frame.

If you know you hit a slump and become a couch potato at 3pm in the afternoon, then why force yourself to work at that time? Would some exercise or a break not suit you better?

You know yourself best. Instead of trying to conform to conventional time slots, build your schedule around yourself and your needs.

As mentioned previously, give yourself a focus or a goal. This will help to remove any unnecessary distractions and tasks so that you can pay attention to what’s most important to you. Secondly, ensure you have a strong support network around you. Being a leader can be lonely and without a trusting support team in your corner, the role can become stressful.

Your support team can be anyone who you trust and who has your best interests at heart. No people with hidden agendas and no “yes-men”. People who will support you, but also challenge you. This could be colleagues, family, coaches, your minister, etc. We all need support, make sure you have people you can lean on during tough times.

Before I tackle this question, I want to clarify the definition of leadership. There are many definitions, I know, but the one that I love is as follows. “A leader is a person who surrounds themselves with people who can do a specific task better than them”. Being a leader doesn’t mean you have to do the job yourself. You are there to motivate and encourage the people around you to achieve the goals.

So, coming back to the question – give them a voice. Give them a platform to express themselves. Listen to their ideas, be curious and ask questions. Your ideas as a leader may be great, but you are just one person. Imagine what you could achieve if you gathered everyone’s ideas and aligned them to the overall vision?

You don’t need to know everything and to have all the answers at your fingertips. Lean into your team, give them an opportunity and you will be amazed as to what they can come up with when given the chance.

For people to follow a leader, they need to trust them. How can you get people to trust you?

Make them feel valued. Make them feel part of something bigger than themselves. Being part of a team, adding value, being recognised, builds loyalty and trust.

Reward and recognise, listen, pay attention and always be curious.

To end off, leadership is about being assertive and confident in your path and vision, but humble enough to always be curious and listen to the people around you.

Stay tuned for some additional nuggets next month.