Do's And Don'ts In Leadership

A lot of people are currently occupying or have attained a form of leadership position or the other and have taken some actions, decisions and whatnot. However, it is worthy to note that leadership may be earned, conferred, or even inherited, but what you do at the leadership position is exclusively dependent on you, and it will determine if you will succeed at it or not. Here, we shall be taking a look at the things that are expected of a good leader to do and the things that they should not do.

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The first point is that as a leader, you have to understand that you do not know everything and that you can actually be wrong. So do not hold on to a particular belief in a straitjacketed way, you can seek for other opinions so as to see the world from a different view. You will be surprised that it may even be the second opinion that you get from someone else, maybe your subordinates, that will get the job done. Know that no one, including you, is a repository of all the knowledge that is in the world. In fact, for the fact that you are in a leadership position already means that there are things you can still know because you do not know as much as you need to. When you understand this, you will learn to welcome other people's ideas, suggestions, opinions, etc.

The next point here is that as a leader, you need to learn to work together with others. Of course, no matter your ability, you cannot do everything all by yourself. This is just like saying that because Ronaldo or Messi is a captain of their responsibility clubs that he can play the entire wing by himself. Obviously not. He will need to cooperate with other players from other wings to form a team to win the match. In the same way, as a good leader, you have to learn the strategies of cooperating with others. Work with them without bringing in the sentiments of "I am a leader" into it. Everyone in your organisation knows that you are the leader and if you need to remind them, then you are beginning to lose that position. Learn to work with others.

The third point is that as a leader, you have to learn to take responsibility for your actions and their results, not blaming others or giving excuses for your actions. It is true that at some points, you may take a step in error, which also makes you human, but you should take responsibility for it. This will make you to learn lessons from the actions so that you can take corrections and become better. If you try to blame others or give excuses, you will not learn from it and you will be bound to make the same mistakes over and again because you do not even know why you made them in the first place.

Another point to take note of is that, as a good leader, you have to use "We," not "I." If something is done and gotten right, do not take all the glory, try to also acknowledge the inputs of others - this is so as to motivate them to do more, because they know that their efforts will be appreciated. If you take all the glory, when next you need their support, you may not get it because they will be unwillingly to help you. Of course, they know that even if they sacrifice their lives for the course of the organisation, you will still not recognise them. But if you are known to acknowledge other people's inputs, you will be getting their supports when needed.

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The final point that we will look at is; as a good leader, you have to be approachable, be relatable, do not see yourself as the ultimate lord. If you want something done better, try to ask nicely for it, not commanding from a high throne. After all, you are a leader, not a ruler. The idea is not to make them do your biddings out of fear but out of motivation. Even if your subordinates err and you want to correct them, nothing stops you from doing it as a human. Learn to talk to people with respect - being a leader does not mean being disrespectful. In all your dealings with others, always have in mind that they are humans too.

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