Whether you are an entrepreneur or part of an organization, climbing the ladder of success as a leader in the 21st century is essential and must include core ingredients to lead effectively.
As professional women, one of our goals in running our own company or ascending to a leadership role within an organization should be to personify core ingredients that achieve clearly defined outcomes.
- Are expectations communicated a clear concise manner?
- Are opportunities provided for growth and develop?
- Are team members given adequate recognition for work well done?
Upon reflection of past professional experiences, I learned a few Dos & Don'ts of leading effectively. Most importantly, I digested core ingredients that aided me in flourishing as a leader. Here are a few ingredients I embodied that distinctly added to my professional credibility and allowed me to display visible leadership qualities.
Assertive Communication:
Assertive effective communication is essential as an entrepreneur or while working in an organization. As leader it is imperative we communicate goals and expected outcomes in a clear concise manner to ensure team members understand and are in alignment with achieving outcomes. Oral communication skills are vital leadership characteristics for direct connections. Unlike written communication, oral communication allows us to immediately determine if our message is clear and concise by way of body language as well as providing a platform for dialogue and buy in.
Provide Opportunities:
McKeown (2012) noted, "Strategy is not really a solo sport -- even If you're the CEO." As a 21st century leader, it is important to understand teams are the ingredient to achieving measurable outcomes. Ensuring the team is provided adequate opportunities such as a forum for collaboration, a space to communicate without penalty, and a mechanism to engage interdepartmentally to network within the organization fosters innovation and creativity. Everyone deserves as opportunity to share a vision, idea, or concept to achieve the expected outcome. Therefore providing opportunities to our team by providing coaching, training, and professional development will create success driven teams .
Adequate Recognition:
Once measurable outcomes are achieved in alignment with organizational goals, adequate recognition is critical to ensure your team is praised for a job well done. Everyone values being recognized for accomplishing the work they were tasked to do. Adequate recognition encompasses four vital elements. Recognition should be prompt, proportionate, personal, and, if possible, public. As a leader, recognition illustrates your appreciation work well-done to meet organizational goals.
So, I say all this to say, as we continue to climb the ladder of success we want to lead effectively to achieve expected outcomes that we can measure along the way for continuous improvement. Again, whether you are an entrepreneur or part of an organization, application of the core ingredients of effective leadership can yield profound results. Ibarra, Ely and Kolb (2013) stated "Effective leaders develop a sense of purpose by pursuing goals that align with personal values and advance the collective good" (p.1). Consequently, adopting core ingredients to lead effectively consists of honing your leadership attributes with a defined purpose to achieve success.
References:
Ibarra, H., Ely, R. & Kolb, D. (2013, September). Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers. Harvard Business Review
McKeown, M. (2012). The Strategy Book. Pearson Education Limited.
Van Ness, S. (2013, July). Effective Leaders Build Success Driven Teams: Lead with Three C's. Huffington Post.