Being a good leader can mean many things, but when you are training and considering your own qualities, you might not be so quick to think of what a good leader is not.
It's very important to consider whether you have the qualities of a good leader, or if you are displaying qualities that you only believe a good leader should have. Read on to debunk some myths and find out what does not make a good leader.
Myth 1: A Good Leader Is The Most Important Person
Many people believe that a good leader is the most important person in the room, but the truth is quite different. Leadership is not all about you - you need to consider your team even above yourself. Your time shouldn’t be spent expecting to be congratulated for providing excellent leadership. Great leaders focus instead on inspiring and empowering their employees so that they feel valued and cared for in their roles[JF1]
‘Being the leader is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.’ – Simon Sinek
Myth 2: A Good Leader Has a Lot of Power
We have all mistakenly thought that leadership was all about power. And, of course, power does naturally come when you are in a leadership position. But your main concern should never be your own power, and getting more of it. You can’t gain the trust of your team this way. Instead, you should focus on creating that sense of trust - you will become more influential this way, and be able to use the natural power inherent within leadership to create positive change[JF2] . Patrick Lencioni shows through his 5 Dysfunctions of a Team why trust is the underpinning factor in achieving high performance.
Myth 3: A Good Leader Has The Loudest Voice
If you catch yourself talking over others or interrupting to share your ideas, hold fire. There is a myth that good leaders must have the loudest voice in the room and do all the communicating, but this isn’t strictly true. While excellent leaders are nearly always very good at communication, communication in a leader is more about listening than talking. Listening is a truly great skill to hone, and you will learn more about inspiring and caring for your team this way.
With all these myths busted, you should have a better idea of what actually makes a good leader. Ultimately, it's often about removing your ego and focusing on others. If you want to discover more about developing good leadership skills and learning what a good leader should not be, then get in touch with Red Sky Learning to see how we can help you.
.webp)
Image Source: Unsplash