September FAQs – Questions from Today’s Future Leaders
One Friday each month, I dedicate the post to looking at two or three questions I have heard recently from developing leaders. Sharing those questions and my thoughts for them is a way for me to spread the information to as many leaders and future leaders as possible. If you have a question about leadership, or just a situation you would like some additional insight on, please email me at Effective Retail Leader. Let’s take a look at this week’s questions.
What are the most important skills I can learn to become a better leader?
This is always a difficult question to answer. There is no single right answer. My responses almost always start with, “it depends”. It depends on where you currently are as a leader, the situation, or business you find yourself in. Less critical, contrary to many people’s belief, is whether you have a team or not. Anyone can be a leader; having people that work for you is not a definition for leadership.
Where I tend to land with this question is around people. The most important skills for effective leaders revolve around a leader’s ability to engage and connect with people around them. One simple starting point is expanding your listening skills, so you can really hear what people are saying. Another is, developing empathy. This is important, so you can feel what they feel as you hear them talking about their thoughts, ideas, or concerns. Finally, being transparent ensures that others around you know what you think, how you feel, and what you believe in. Those all create deeper levels of engagement and trust – a cornerstone of any great leader.
If I had to provide one additional starting point, it would be acting with humble confidence. Confidence to share what your ideas are, explain your beliefs to others, yet be open to new learning and different points of view. Don’t be afraid to adjust your stance. The humility component ensures that your confidence remains a positive force and stays away from becoming arrogance.
What pitfalls can I avoid that other leaders before me have been troubled by?
It is impossible to avoid every mistake that leaders have made in the past. While we all want to eliminate mistakes from our lives, especially when others may be counting on us, the mistakes we make are sometimes the best way to learn. Avoiding repeating mistakes is the more critical skill to hone, versus trying to eliminate them entirely.
To avoid recurring mistakes, the best approach I have found is to take note when a mistake is made. Own it and understand it. Acknowledging a mistake can be hard, but it is an important part of learning for anyone. As you acknowledge the situation, write some notes about the circumstances leading up to the undesired outcome, the actions you took, and what you would do differently in hindsight. Don’t beat yourself up about what could have been. Move forward with your learnings, and you can feel better prepared for similar situations in the future. I wrote an article about failing forward that shares some additional thoughts on how a mistake can help you grow.
The best leaders learn the most from asking questions. We all benefit when those insights are shared beyond ourselves. I hope that you can take something away from these great questions that others have asked and put it into practice for yourself. Again, if you have a question about leadership that you would like answered, you can click HERE to send an email directly to me.
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