54% of the global workforce is made up of millennials and Gen Z. This means that the majority of employees today are under 30 years old. These are people who want to work, but dislike being managed. We attempt to manage yet we fail because we are using old methods on a new generation of employees. It’s time to change. Its time scrap managers and bring in leaders.
Becoming a leader is not complicated. The word ‘leader’ sounds daunting because we associate the word ‘leader’ to greats such as Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs and Barrack Obama. These great people are no different from you and I. We are made of the same things. Except they behaved themselves a bit differently. We are all leaders in our own right, we just need to know what to do differently. The difference between what leaders do and what managers do, is behaviour. So here are tips on how to behave more like a leader, and less like a manager.
Respect
Treat everyone, no matter of who they are. We are all human and deserved to be treated with respect. Do not belittle team members by showing them respect, allowing them to voice their opinions and show them that they are important to you.
Adaptability
“You can plan the perfect picnic but you can’t predict the weather”
Outkast
You do not need to be the best at everything. You cannot do everything. If you think that only you can do it right, then you have an ego problem. Allow yourself to be open and fluid so that you can use the support of your team to thrive in every situation. You need to train and trust in your team’s skills. This is a display of confidence.
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Positivity
Shit happens. Sometimes there just nothing you could’ve done. Accept it.
Instead of looking at your faults and who to blame, focus on being positive in every situation. Focus on solutions and finding the good in a bad situation. Consistency in this will create a culture of positivity and solution finding within your team.
Communication
If you’ve ever worked in a team then you know that one of the most frustrating things is poor and confusing communication with no direction. Focus on being transparent with clear outcomes. Ensure your communication clearly explain why, how, who, what and when. This will increase accountability, direction and results.
The elites
It may take time but build a small, elite team of high performers who display the same attitude as yourself. These people should sit just below you in the organisational chart. These elites will mirror your culture and goals. These will be the people you can trust to lead when you’re not around. You should treat these people as the people who could replace you. This will aid effective decision making and result in a high performing team.
Thank you for reading, JT.
Complete the read with part two!
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How to reference this article
- Toor, J (2019). How to be a leader not a manager part one? Available: https://pmgrowth.co/how-to-be-a-leader-not-a-manager,-part-one?