Leadership acumen
Leaders are not born overnight. They go through trial and error and experience failure and success before they rise to lead a team. Some people have an inborn talent to become an influencer of the group they interact with daily. Some students at school or college may find it easy to inspire their colleagues. At the office, some employees can encourage colleagues to follow the rules. Leaders need to remain honest with themselves.
Self-accountability will help one follow what they know and to learn what they do not. Self-learning is another aspect that leaders follow. They converse with like-minded people to know insights into various tasks at hand. They read books and enhance their wisdom to make sound decisions. Leaders can self-manage. A leader should adjust and manage their time, emotions, and attention according to the nature of the work. They also know how to handle their personal and professional life.
Strategic thinking will benefit them in assessing their environment to act accordingly. Leaders can know how to talk to someone, whom to assign a task to, or how to deal with a crisis. This comes as a part and parcel of the leadership position. Leaders remain curious about the business environment, are flexible in accepting new ideas, and focus on the future of the business by being open to change.
Leaders are effective communicators and show prowess in written and verbal communication. They have to explain the present and future situation to their employees without creating confusion or anxiety. They have to share details as and when needed and communicate in simple terms so their idea is easily accepted. A leader is able to share information that remains relevant to all tiers of employees – trainees, mid-level, and executives.
When it comes to action, leaders are accountable and transparent in evaluating actions and performances. They know how to exercise their power without crossing limits or taking action for their interests. As far as actions are concerned, leaders need to create goals that are simple, measurable, accurate, realistic, and that are completed within the agreed-upon timelines. Furthermore, leaders cannot live a day without thinking about the future. They have to plan how their business can achieve milestones.
A visionary leader knows that growth is achieved through continuous learning backed with continuous action. Adaptability and agility are the keys to remaining open to change and accepting the future. If leaders are open to change, they also have to solve problems that may arise because of the change they pursue. Their asset becomes the ability to address the complexity arising when managing teams, when addressing situations and crises. They should measure the intricacy of a situation and take a suitable decision. With action comes the insight to remain innovative to be prepared for the future.
Leaders should give room to experimentation, generating ideas, and implementing innovative practices. They have to communicate this plan with the team and encourage them to work towards the collective good of the organization. Finally, leaders have the acumen to lead teams while enhancing each team member’s strengths. They bring out the best in each member while at the same time encouraging them to unify their vision and action to strengthen the team.
