A strong leader is crucial to the success of a business and being a manager to a group of people can be a difficult but also rewarding task.
There are four main types of leadership people in charge tend to take, these are:
1. Autocratic – like a dictator, the leader has absolute power over the business decisions and does not listen to anyone other member. This style often leads to a high level of staff turnover in the company.
2. Bureaucratic – a leader will do everything ‘by the book’ and will ensure that staff follow the procedures exactly. This style can be good for businesses involved with high safety risks, or when handling large sums of money.
3. Democratic – a leader allows team members to suggest business ideas and contribute to the decision-making process, but will ultimately make the final decision. This staff involvement increases job satisfaction and helps to develop people’s skills. This style particularly suits businesses that require teamwork.
4. Laissez-faire – translating to ‘leave it be’, this leadership approach is laidback. The leader will allow employees to make their own decisions. This is only effective if the leader monitors what it being achieved, and the approach is particularly useful when the leader has a team of highly skilled and experienced individuals.
To choose the most effective approach for you, you must consider:
• The skill level and experience of your team
• The work involved
• The environment
• Your natural or preferred style
A good leader, however, will switch between styles, depending on the people and work he or she is dealing with. This is known as ‘situational leadership’.
There are certain roles a leader needs to take in order to manage a successful business. Some of these include: ensuring that tasks are understood, supervised and completed – communication is key here. A leader must set an excellent example; employees need a good role model, and he or she must make good and timely decisions. Lastly, a leader needs to know his or her employees and look out for their wellbeing.
The ability to empower others, offer flexibility, be an active listener and motivate others as well as be self-motivating, are all key qualities wanted in a leader. A great way to improve on self-motivation is with a training course, like Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) training courses offered at Human Xpressions. They help with leadership skills needed in everyday business scenarios, as well as tips on how to handle the pressures of the job. For more information visit www.humanxpressions.co.uk.
Seek out opportunities
Entrepreneurs see everything as an opportunity. They even believe out of failure comes success.
You might know nothing about a particular business, but every time you come across a product or service your mind drums up hundreds of ideas on how to make it a better experience. You always believe there’s a better way of doing things.
Dream without daydreaming
You’re dreaming a plan ahead while working constantly at achieving success on the details today. You’re a big-thinker but you don’t lack the ability to focus on details. Accomplish the little tasks is moving the ball forward for you…towards the big dream.
Have an ego
You look at your boss and shrug. You know things could be better, and you believe strongly in your own abilities. You’ve got a big, healthy ego. It’s not unwarranted, but it’s not proven just yet either. Still, ego is important – because it’ll help you take risks, power forward and succeed.
Think long-term strategies
You’re not just thinking about tomorrow. You’re thinking much further ahead than that. This is a trait you share with a lot of people – career ladder-climbers and ‘cover your ass’ employees. The difference is that you’re also a dreamer, and strategy plus dreaming is very powerful indeed.
Create things because they can
You don’t care about recognition, praise from your boss, awards and money as much as you care about building something remarkable, and having others enjoy it and benefit from it.
Want to be the boss
You watch the world spin, shake and bumble around you and want to harness that more. You watch your boss and co-workers shuffle around each and every day and you want to rattle some chains. You want control.
