Currently, there is a lot of talk about different types of management and leadership, the subject has “gone viral” and several trends have emerged about it, full of difficult words and foreign words… but after all, underneath all these speeches, promises of innovation and posts on LinkedIn, Do people really understand what it means to be a good leader? What is the objective of a leader within a team? Can leaders themselves see these factors?
Of course, there is no magic formula, especially because we are talking about human relationships, where a cake recipe is not a rule for a good result. Each leader will be different, as each one has their own way and individuality, which is great. However, in general terms, what can and should be expected from these professionals?
Step 01: the group
To better understand the role of leadership, let's start by understanding what a team is.
From French team, is the gathering of individuals who carry out (together) the same task or work. In other words, we can conceptualize it as: the collective effort to achieve objectives.
When people who are different from each other, and who have probably never met in their lives, invest around eight hours of every day in search of a greater result. What is the glue that makes them not want to leave? Who or what is responsible for engaging and guiding these professionals to do good work together?
A good team is one that presents variety in every way: talents, behavioral, racial, gender, etc., but is also made up of individuals who see beyond each other's differences. It is understandable that the atmosphere is not always so pleasant, but good teams value and seek good communication, and that is why they are able to overcome conflicts maturely most of the time.
Step 02: the north
The word leader, of Celtic origin, means what goes in front. And with that, you can already imagine that the second step is, in fact, understanding what a leader is. When thinking about society as a whole, one can see that this word is directly or indirectly present in different aspects: in religion, for example, there are pastors; at school, there are teachers; in a traditional family, there are parents; and so on. In other words, even changing the context, the name, the degree of responsibility of these people towards you, a leader will always be a leader, charged with the duties of instructing, commanding, and unifying a group of people, and motivating through a sense of belonging. , identification and representation.
The leader in the corporate sense of the word is responsible for all of this and even more!
The manager of a team must inspire, collaborate and harmonize, in addition to always seeking the development, learning and maturity of their team members. Concerned with improving hard skills, but with a focus on the soft skills of each team member, after all, this latter influences the daily interaction of people who at least need to get along well, and in light of this, have a receptive attitude to new ideas with respectful dialogue and constructive.
A leader is 100% involved in an employee’s entire journey, from your admission upon his dismissal. When opening a vacancy, you must pay attention to the profile you will select, after all, this decision could be decisive for the performance of your existing team.
Align expectations, value and stimulate true potential through a feedback strategy and culture... The truth is that the greater the alignment of a team with its leader, the more engaged and higher its performance will be. In other words, the skills of a leader are non-transferable.
In this context of leadership, it is essential to understand that any type of excess is toxic. That's why so much is said about courses and training, every leader must aim to find a balance between their virtues and defects. It's not an easy task, but no one said it would be. Having the responsibility for guiding professional lives, along with the company's objective, is not for everyone.
Step 03: reality
The truth is that a leader with all these characteristics mentioned above is a utopia (I mean, at least I've never met someone like that), we all have flaws and flaws, but that's where the real kicker comes in: a good leader, you know? that you will always have a lot to learn, and that you are not perfect, so you are always looking to improve.
A leader is not born ready, it is necessary to train and prepare him so that he can act with empathy and understanding. Unprepared leadership directly and profoundly compromises the results of a team. High turnover, demotivation, lack of admiration are just some of the factors that people who are not prepared for management roles will generate in a corporate environment. No one can sleep and wake up the next day leading like a CEO of a multinational, everything is process, experience and self-knowledge. Are you, leader of the x,y,z trend, prepared for this? Do you care more about the leader you want to be, or what your employees really need?
Ultimately, intelligent leadership values and cares about human capital and what it has to say even in silence. If you truly understand this, not just lip service, you are ready to begin the journey of If you become a leader, you already understand the role of leadership in a team and, if you already do, you are a good leader.
