One should not only be a good boss but also a great leader. lalit Jain says that though it is not easy being both, focusing on leadership and building teams that work together are a few traits needed to succeed
Being a boss is not easy. People don’t naturally wish to have one, and not everyone aspires to be one. There is a difference being a boss and a being a leader. One needs to be a leader who inspires, motivates and instills trust and builds loyalty. Managers should strive to become good leaders not just great bosses. By focussing on leadership, people will learn from the leader and contribute to the leader’s success. Therefore, there are certain traits that a person should have:
· A good leader creates an atmosphere of expansive thinking. He empowers his team with time, resources and techniques, to solve big issues with big ideas instead of quick fix solutions.
· He builds in the right culture from the very beginning. This culture is built by design is not a default. It means they attract the right people. It’s also important that they ensure that the wrong people never get on.
· Most managers often give task based assignments to people without sharing or involving their team in the long term strategic plan or business implications. Time and effort spent in teaching some one in the team to work their way through the project will pay off. The team will appreciate the increasing trust and responsibility and will work harder to prove their value. Be accepting of different work styles or approaches. The team may have new ideas.
· Reward and advocate the team. If the team has delivered and completed some challenging assignments. Don’t forget to reward them for a job well done. Recognising their efforts and rewarding them is very important. Advocate for them throughout the organisation. Applaud them in front of their peers and senior managers.
· An effective leader integrates learning into every job. They ensure that the company apportions time and money towards personal growth so that everyone shares reasonable expectations of commitment and success.
· A good leader builds teams that work together to succeed and fail together (of course he also ensures how to ensure people fail safely as well — that’s good direction). This creates a tight bond of loyalty to the company and each other. Successes are met with equal high praise and rewards, while failures are met with encouraging acceptance and post-mortem learning discussions yielding next-step improvements.
· A good leader admits he is human. He takes responsibility for their own errors. As a leader, one is also a teacher. Showing a sense of humility when an error happens. This also sends out a clear message to the team about honesty and owning up responsibility when things go wrong.
· A leader conducts himself with high standards of morals and ethics. It’s important to inspire future leaders by living and working with integrity.
· leaders demonstrate passion. They have a feel for the business. The best leaders have a solid understanding of all the key aspects of the business they are in. They understand the products, the technology, market share, sales channels, and how to read an income statement. Those well-rounded managers make the best business leaders.
· Good leaders are good decision makers. One has to remember that management is about decision-making. The most effective way to do that is to ask the right people the right questions, listen to what they tell you, then trust your gut and make the call.
(The writer is director & co-founder of Annectos Rewards & Retail)