How to boost your leadership impact in eight steps

In this time of extreme uncertainty and change, organisations need more real leadership – here is how you can enhance your leadership skills and make a true impact to your organisation

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Inc

There’s no question that the working world has changed from a ‘command and control’ environment to a much more collaborative one based on values and team empowerment. 

Here are eight key steps to enhancing your leadership impact at work, home, and anywhere else that needs you.

Live in alignment with principle-driven values

Living in alignment is shorthand for the notion of aiming to live your work life as closely as possible to the principles and values that guide you, your personal goals, and the decisions you make to achieve your goals. 

You have to be authentic, trustworthy, and do something worth following, as well as communicate effectively to your potential followers.

Maintain a self-awareness of your leadership 

Be realistic about your real self, including weaknesses, strengths, and failures, as well as your successes. Pay attention to feedback from others and how your emotions impact your thinking. 

Nearly all leaders, no matter how much success they’ve had, face blind spots in their personal and work lives. It’s common for all of us to focus externally to solve our issues rather than looking within ourselves.  

Ignite integrity and responsibility in teams 

The key to integrity is your willingness to tell it like it is, with genuine reasons for hope and optimism.

If you keep your promises, this encourages others around you to take responsibility for their actions and become leaders also. Serve others by providing resources and by helping them grow their skills.

Embrace empathy and compassion for people  

Empathy and compassion start with your awareness and understanding of another person’s challenging thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. 

The next steps include overtly helping your followers, making sure they understand that you care, and moving forward with them in a shared sense of purpose.

Make decisions without biases and emotions

Wise decision making starts with gathering relevant data. Then you identify options, make a call, and follow through to implementation. 

Always do this in the context of your big picture and values, and be willing to reframe your thinking as needed, based on input from others.

Cultivate mental agility and a learning mindset 

Experts have found that your willingness to ‘let go of what you know’ is the overarching component of learning agility. 

Top leaders are intensely curious, even to the point of being uncomfortable in pursuit of growth, and this motivation to learn is characterised as a learning mindset.

Build a plan and achieve purposeful goals 

Your visibility while building and executing a plan to achieve purposeful goals is a major key to being perceived as having leadership intelligence. Once you have this recognition, don’t forget to ‘pay it forward’ by finding ways to help others achieve their goals and improve their leadership ability and following. 

Clarify expectations and empower others to lead

Encourage team members to act and lead with authority, to make decisions, and to consistently act in accordance with their competence and motivation. Empowerment done right ramps up your leadership results as well as theirs.

Above all, remember that every leadership journey has setbacks, so expect some bumps in the road. Stay willing to reflect to figure out what caused your setback, don’t be afraid to reframe your approach, and rebound with courage and determination.

Don’t forget to help followers manage their own setbacks, and you will both emerge stronger to lead us into the next millennium.