Develop your leadership and your impact in 10 points

Develop your leadership and your impact

It's common to think that being a good leader is something you're born with. You're either born a leader or you're not.

What's more, the image of a leader in the collective unconscious is often that of a charismatic, go-getter person.

In reality, the world of work has evolved, as have employee expectations.

Today, more than ever, companies need to retain their talents and attract new ones, they need committed and motivated people.

A company's attractiveness and performance depend to a large extent on the quality of its management website, which covers several dimensions.

Here are 10 points to help managers develop their leadership and impact.

1 - Getting to know yourself better

Useful in life, this principle applies just as much to business.

By taking a step back to better understand your strengths and weaknesses, you can identify your "natural leadership " and set goals for what you need to improve.

By means of an MBTI or DISC type test, coach will help you to go a step further in understanding your behavioral preferences, your communication, your internal brakes... to better overcome them.

2- Have a strategic vision

It's hard to be taken in by a manager who doesn't know where he's going.

The leader must have a course, a roadmap. He must know how to set objectives and share his vision.

3- Know how to listen, take an interest in others, be inclusive

As such, the leader must be a role model within the company. They need to be able to listen to diverse opinions, even those opposed to their own. Developing active listening skills will help him to better understand others, whether employees, peers or decision-makers. By taking a genuine interest in others, by seeking to be a mentor, sponsor or ally, the leader will foster a climate of trust, conducive to team commitment and performance.

4- Knowing how to motivate and grow

As a manager, it's essential to get to know the people in your team, give them regular feedback and help them to develop.

By adopting the posture managerial approachcoach (listening to people and inviting them to find their own solutions), leaders help their colleagues to become more autonomous.

By trusting and delegating (rather than micro-managing), it boosts individual motivation.

Demonstrating our commitment to leadership also means taking an interest in the career development of our employees, and supporting them wherever possible.

5- Encouraging team cohesion

By sharing common objectives and a vision, but also by embodying the company's values and culture, the manager positions himself as a leader and relay of the company's project.

This is done on a daily basis, by creating the right conditions for exchanges within the team (in meetings as well as at the coffee machine) and by encouraging a participative management . It's also done at moments when we get to know each other better or in a different way, facilitating perspective-taking and reflection, during team-buildings or team coaching.

6 - Show courage and assert yourself

Asserting yourself leadership also means being able to face up to difficult situations, daring to do things differently, making decisions, even if it means making a mistake.

This starts with simply expressing your opinion, but also being aware of your limits - in terms of what you are prepared to accept or not - and being able to express them.

7 - Be visible, network

The importance of visibility and networking within the company is sometimes underestimated.

Yet this is as much a part of the leader's role as achieving more operational objectives.

As long as it's not focused exclusively on himself, it also contributes to the recognition of his department, to highlighting his employees, and to using and extending his power of influence withinorganization. Externally (at networking events, on LinkedIn...), it also contributes to the company's reputation and its attractiveness for attracting new talent.

You don't have to embark on ambitious projects right away to be more visible. Changing your posture to be more open, smiling more, giving advice or compliments are all little things that will make you more visible... without spending more time on it.

8- Develop your skills

His skills in leadership of course (assertiveness, conflict management, emotional management...), but not only.

Reinforcing your knowledge in your field of expertise, or seeking out knowledge that is advantageous to your business, is an excellent way to gain perspective, compare ideas with players in other sectors, and boost your legitimacy and self-confidence.

9 - Be agile

Covid, hybrid work, integration of generations Y and Z, artificial intelligence, CSR... these are just some of the issues that have had a major impact on the world of work in recent years. Leaders must develop the qualities of adaptability and resilience. They must be willing to question themselves, and look for opportunities in every change that comes their way.

10 - Having a good self-image

It starts with cultivating everything that helps you feel aligned and develop a positive mindset: sport, going out, food, social relationships... anything that helps you feel good about yourself, push yourself or simply feel zen.

It also means recognizing what you do well and realizing the progress you've made to boost your self-confidence and fully embrace your leadership.

Of course, it's not possible to do or apply everything overnight, but ask yourself:

• what you already do and can do better,
• what you don't do but can start to apply quite easily
• what will really make the difference and what actions you can take to get there, step by step.

Would you like to reinforce your leadership with a professional coach ?

Contact Laurence Levy

For further information, please contact Fabienne Revillard

Discover also AAA+ Coaching and Training on Facebook and Linkedin