Leaders may experience ups and downs, twists and turns, and tremendous growth. How we lead ourselves impacts how we lead others. Below are eight ways to be a more effective and empathetic leader.
Effective leaders consistently:
1. Listen
Great communication starts with listening. Active listening involves being present, engaged, removing distractions, and listening more than speaking. It means listening to understand versus respond, and being genuinely curious about others. We can learn to listen with our entire being, not just our ears. Listen with curiosity for:
- Tone, pitch and voice fluctuations
- Underlying energy
- What is being expressed through non-verbal language
- What is really being said
2. Include
Beyond listening, celebrate differences, and drive a sense of belonging. Invite team members to attend key meetings, make decisions, and share perspectives, regardless of their level or ability. Deconstruct titles, biases and other barriers that prevent others from being included. Create a space for team members to connect and learn from each other.
Ask people outright: “How included do you feel? How might you feel more included?”
3. Learn
Develop a mindset and culture of continual learning, and remain humble despite your expertise. A culture of learning contributes to growth and enhances the ability to tackle more complex challenges. Reframe failure as learning, and conduct retrospective conversations. Ask the following questions:
- What worked?
- What didn’t?
- What did we learn?
- Where do we go from here?
- What do we want to learn next?
4. Connect
Great leaders make powerful connections. They can:
- Connect to others
- Connect abstract ideas
- Connect people to their purpose
Draw relationships across work, people, and values, so team members can relate to their craft in a more meaningful way. By connecting individual efforts to a broader mission, you create a reason to believe in the work. Consider the following:
- How can each team member connect their talents to the overall vision?
- How does each team member fit into the future of the organization?
- What do they value? Why is that important to them?
5. Ask
Get curious, ask thoughtful questions, and challenge the status quo. Ask questions from a beginner’s mindset and with a desire to understand, even if you think you have the answers. Asking questions can inspire team members to feel valued, think critically, and gain confidence. It is a powerful way to bring ideas to the forefront and promote empathy. Questions may include:
- What energizes you about your work?
- What do you think about this idea?
- How would you approach that issue?
- What’s another way to look at the problem?
- How can we disrupt the experience?
- How can I bring you along?
6. Evaluate
Evaluate tools and processes and how they are either empowering or limiting work. This includes collaboration tools, meeting cadence, work intake processes, systems, and team structure. By evaluating and optimizing how work gets done, leadership can be streamlined, and team members can feel empowered to get work done more efficiently.
7. Reflect
To be a more effective leader, invest time in regular self-reflection and challenge your own status quo. Take a moment to celebrate how far you have come, process your emotions, and simply be. Reflecting and recharging can be vital to transform into a higher level leader. Reflect on:
- Yourself
- Your day
- Your thoughts, actions and behaviors
- The lens in which you view the world
- Your conscious and subconscious biases
- Your fears and dreams
- The work, people, and progress
8. Trust
Create a culture where it is safe to share, and where trust grows through communication, transparency, and inclusion. Empower team members to steer the boat while coaching them through the process. Trust can be shattered if leaders take costly shortcuts, leave teams in the dark, or sidestep truths to get ahead.
Trust your intuition, too. It is a powerful guide on your journey.
Summary
In addition to these strategies, experiment with the process, find what works for you, and discover your unique leadership. Allow yourself the time and space to learn and rethink leadership altogether. Believe in your limitless potential to become a more powerful and effective leader. Lead on, learn, and light the way!
Lead on, learn, and light the way!
—Manisha Dhawan
Copyright © 2021 Manisha Dhawan. All rights reserved.
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Manisha Dhawan, Founder and CEO of MPath Coaching, is a certified professional coach (CPC), MBA and management consultant with 2 decades of experience leading digital innovation and change management initiatives across multiple industries. As a design thinking specialist and lifelong learner, Manisha is passionate about empowering executives to advance leadership skills, maximize team potential, and drive innovation forward. In addition to corporate coaching, Manisha works with professionals on career strategy and human skills development.