If you love to influence and lead others, then a leadership career path has your name written all over it. Of course, even if you are not a natural-born leader, there is nothing stopping you from becoming the leader that you want to be. Through perseverance, resistance, growth, and development you can make a difference to colleagues and team members, and you can have a great impact at all levels. As a leader, you will want to be sure that you are giving 100% at all times. However, to be sure that this is happening, you must focus on growth and development – so where do you begin?
Becoming More Reflective
Firstly, you have to start by being more reflective. Reflecting on your behavior and reflecting on your actions or approach to work is important. If you are not reflective, you will struggle to learn. This will then hinder your growth and development. When you show reflective behavior and traits, you show others that you are improving your leadership skills all of the time. When others see your reflective behavior and actions, you will see they are more likely to follow your lead. This behavior can be productive as it can help build strong and reflective teams.
Check-in With Others and Gain Feedback
What others think about you and your leadership skills is important. Getting feedback may not always be something that you are keen on doing, but you will see that over time the process is worthwhile and beneficial. When you take time to check in with others (such as colleagues and team members) you get the opportunity to see what they think and what they feel. As a leader, it can be hard to listen to what others have to say. Undertaking regular check-ins with those that are connected to your leadership will prove beneficial. They will be able to give you direct advice and guidance based on what they have seen. You can then apply this feedback to improve your leadership style and approach.
Undertaking a Process of Change
All leaders have to change, and they have to be prepared to change: you need to be ready for change because it can happen when you least expect it. If you look at how the UK steel industry has changed and evolved over time you will see directly how important rapid change is. If a process of change is not undertaken, you will find that your leadership style and approach become antiquated and out of date sooner rather than later. Taking to heart real-life experiences (and knowledge) and being prepared to undertake a process of change is something that you must naturally focus on as a growing leader.
Evaluate What You Are Doing
Regular evaluation within leadership is essential. If you do not undertake a process of evaluation then how can you expect to improve and evolve? To develop and grow you must be prepared to grow and develop in a timely manner. Your competitors are watching over your efforts, and this is why continual self-evaluation is required.