Leadership is one of the most misunderstood topics in business. Is there such a thing as ‘a born leader’ or is great leadership learned? Why do some businesses have dysfunctional, destructive, acrimonious, and poor performing teams on one end of the spectrum whereas other teams are tight, harmonious, focused and productive on the opposite end of the spectrum? In almost all cases the team is a direct reflection of its leadership. Often a business coaching client will say to me “My team is crap and I don’t know why that is or what I need to do to turn it around.”
My standard answer is, “A good start is looking in the mirror. Your team is usually a reflection of you and your leadership skills.” For most business owners that might be a bitter pill to swallow but at the same time they will often nod in agreement. The next step is being willing to take it head on and start learning how to go from being a mediocre leader to becoming a confident and inspiring leader to your team.
A simple yet effective definition is that leadership in business is the particular skill of being able to motivate a team to act towards achieving a common goal. He or she is the business owner that possesses the combination of personality and leadership skills that makes others want to follow the business owners’ direction.
An extension to that definition is great business leaders can get the very best out of their people by being clear on the direction of the company and their role within the company and by showing how to perform their responsibilities in an effective way.
Leadership is also about setting a positive example for team members to follow, by being excited about the work, being motivated to learn new things, and catching people doing things right as opposed to just bringing up the negative.
All this leads to a great ‘culture’ by design rather than ending up with a poor culture by accident!
Effective leadership includes developing a strong character and learning to be okay with being vulnerable yet fearless at the same time. Having coached hundreds of different business owners since 2007 I can honestly say that every single coaching client I have ever coached has realised that they still have a lot of potential in improving their leadership skills. What are some of these key items/skills that help improve overall quality and effectiveness of successfully leading a team in business?
Here is a (inconclusive) list:
This is quite an exhaustive list and it will come as no surprise that business coaching clients need help and support with learning these things.
Becoming a better and, yes, even a great leader may seem daunting but it is so rewarding for the business owners who embark on this exciting journey. This is exactly what I help my coaching clients do. Learn, grow, implement. Sometimes we take a step back to take 2 steps forward but it is ALWAYS worthwhile, not just for your own personal and professional growth, but for the growth of the quality of the business and the team alike.
I’m Mark Vischschoonmaker
An insightful, reliable and unflappable Sydney business coach.
I’m an award-winning, global top-10 business coach and mentor who specialises in helping business owners gain more structure, profits and sanity in their business life.
Now I’m ready to help you.
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