Sisters! 2019 is here and we are coming for everything we deserve. Whether getting a new job, a promotion, finally starting your own business or revamping your team is on your goal list this year, your style of leadership will play a big role in achieving that goal.
If you had a good leadership year in 2018 and you’re thinking, “if it’s not broke, why fix it,” consider this: there is always room for growth and if you keep doing the same things, you’ll keep getting the same results. Why settle for good when great is right around the corner, right?
As Forbes reports, here are 5 ways you can become a dynamic leader in 2019:
1. Never Stop Learning
PHOTO: For Harriet
Being in a leadership role does not mean you have reached the pinnacle of your career and nothing new will ever emerge. In other words, you don’t have all the answers and that’s okay. In order to help others excel and grow, you must be willing to grow in your role and to do so the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) suggests becoming a “digital learner.”
Finding downtime can be a challenge when you have a lot on your plate, but committing to learning a new skill or enhancing your knowledge in your field can be just a click away. CCL says the easiest way to take this step is to: Commit and set deadlines around these lessons; practice the new skill or apply your new found knowledge in your daily practices; and celebrate your wins because this encourages you to want to learn more!
Check out EDx for some of their free leadership courses on topics including: ethical leadership, leadership and influence, driving digital innovation and more.
2. Make Team and Operations Investments
PHOTO: Bona
Investments aren’t always monetary. Sometimes they are time, energy and productivity. Jane Claire Harvey of Forbes spoke to CEO/Co-Founder of Open Arms Studio, Meg Erskine, who said she focuses her investment on her team members.
"My personal leadership style is to invest in really great, well-matched team members, give them the tools to do their job and then the freedom to be creative with their own approach while offering support when needed," Erskine told Jane Claire Harvey in an exclusive interview with Forbes.
You can also invest in your company’s standards and procedures, team-goals, office culture/dynamic and more.
3. Become a Thought Leader
PHOTO: VideoBlocks
According to Business 2 Community (B2C), a thought leader is someone who is a point person in a business or organization because of their vast knowledge/expertise in a specific field. Not only are they seen as reliable but they gain respect and trust through their innovative ideas that keeps their business or organization at the cutting-edge.
B2C says this type of leadership can help you and your team in these areas: provide PR options, inspire quality/higher quantity of content, build-up credibility and promote an eagerness to learn.
4. Be Bold
PHOTO: Common Sense Leadership
Speak up and be bold! Gaining respect as a soft-spoken leader doesn’t always work for everyone. People love to hear your thoughts, even if they include construction criticism and momentary rejection. If you are in a leading role, you got there for a reason so make sure you are sharing your point of view.
5. Embrace Your Womanhood
PHOTO: Afropunk
Some women love to take on the “think/act like a man” mentality, and while it may come with advantages, being a woman in a leadership role helps you see things from a different perspective. If all the leaders in your office are men, why would you want to think or act like them? You want to bring something different to the table, right?
What are some other ways you are looking to become a better leader this year?
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