How to Become a Leader Who Is Agile?
In today’s world, most organizations are having problems with their workforce due to the increasing pace of technology and innovation. Due to this reason, they are having difficulties in retaining their talent as well as keeping them motivated.
The situation is not any different for the leadership roles in an organization. A leader needs to motivate his/her team, provide them with directions, and keep them motivated in order to get maximum output and expand your business model.
But, there is a catch! This task becomes even more difficult when a leader has a team which is distributed across geographies or cultures. To make it more complex, there are newer challenges like adaptability, quick response time, and an agile environment.
With this backdrop, a leader needs to look into the following five things in order to improve their leadership qualities, complete their agile transformation, and get out of the status quo:
#1 Understand what makes your people happy:
It’s not just about giving people perks or money. You need to understand what makes your people happy at work. You also need to understand what kind of support they need from you in order to be successful at work.
What is it that motivates them? It could be a compliment on their performance or just a simple appreciation of their work. As a practicer of agile leadership, you need to understand what makes your people happy at work and act accordingly.
#2 Appreciate them:
As a leader, you need to appreciate your team. It is not just about telling them but showing it. A simple “thank you” or an appreciative remark on their performance can go a long way in motivating them.
It will give them the boost that they need in order to keep performing well. Acknowledging the efforts of your team and rewarding them for their performance will definitely motivate them and make them feel more appreciated.
#3 Be open:
Agile leaders are always open to feedback from their team members. They know that only when they are open, they can lead their team better.
So, as an agile leader, be open to new ideas and be receptive to feedback from your team members. They will respect you for it and the whole team can grow into a more agile organization.
Remember that any feedback that you get is not personal but professional. It is always about how your organization can improve itself. Be open to receiving constructive criticism as it will help you grow as a leader.
Also, remember that not everyone has the same opinion so be ready for different opinions and try to understand them. Don’t forget that you are not the only one who can become agile. Your teams can grow into agile teams too!
#4 Understand their work culture:
As a leader, you need to understand the work culture of your team. Understand how they want to work and what is important to them. A simple change in your leadership style can go a long way in making your team members happy.
If you want to get the best out of your team, you need to understand their work culture and adopt a leadership team style that will suit them. This will not only help you become an agile leader but also help you become a successful leader.
Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash.
#5 Encourage them:
As leaders in business, you need to encourage your team members by letting them know that they are doing well. If you want to retain talent, you need to appreciate the efforts of your team members and encourage them for their performance.
Your appreciation will definitely motivate them and make them feel appreciated which is very important for retaining talent.
#6 Let them make mistakes:
When you follow the agile leadership model, you need to let your team members make mistakes. They need to learn from their mistakes. You need to give them the freedom to make mistakes so that they can learn from them and improve themselves.
Also, remember that every mistake that they make is not a reflection of you as a leader. Be open to your team members’ mistakes and encourage them to learn from them. If you do this, they will become better at their job and your organization will benefit from it.
#7 Give them a vision:
To improve your leadership competencies, you need to give your team members a vision! A clear vision about where the organization is headed will help motivate your team members. They will know what the organization stands for and where it is headed.
This will also help keep them motivated because they will be working towards achieving the same vision! Also, remember that giving people a vision does not mean spoon feeding! As an agile leader, you need to help your team members develop their own vision about where the organization is headed and what it stands for!
Conclusion:
Leadership is all about being a good human being. It is not just about the title but it is about how you treat your team members.
In order to become an agile leader, you need to understand what makes your people happy at work, appreciate them, be open to feedback and be receptive to their mistakes. You also need to understand their work culture and encourage their work performance!
These things will certainly help you become an agile leader!
About the Author
I hope that my post has helped you know more about Startups. Feel free to leave a comment and tag me and I will answer them. Follow my profile to get the latest content I post to stay ahead of the curve.
I am the Founder of Cudy Technologies, a full-stack EdTech startup helping teachers and students learn better. I am also a mentor and angel investor in other Startups of my other interests (Proptech, Fintech, HRtech, Ride-hailing, C2C marketplaces, and SaaS). You can also find me on Cudy for early-stage Startup Founder mentorship and advice.
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