What makes a good leader?
No matter what sector or industry, change is a must to help any workplace evolve and progress. However, for teams to become comfortable with implementing change, they require the steer of confident leadership that recognises its value. Becoming a leader that drives change isn’t a simple feat – it takes a lot of resilience, a desire to learn, and a willingness to get out of your comfort zone.
1. Embrace networking opportunities
Networking is important for any business leader to foster a positive attitude towards change. Meeting and learning from other innovators in the sector can expose leaders to new ideas, different ways of working and opportunities to encourage positive change in their organisation. It’s also essential for personal growth and developing key leadership skills that put leaders in an established, confident position to pioneer change.
Taking on positions outside of the workplace, such as in local industry committees or industry mentoring schemes, can be hugely valuable to develop their growth mindset.
2. Explore new life experiences outside the office
Another essential way to inspire change in your organisation is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable in all areas of your life. That means coming face-to-face with change in your personal life, building the foundations for a flexible, growth mindset in business.
By embracing unfamiliar experiences, such as solo travel or taking up new, challenging hobbies, team leaders can become more resilient in all areas of their life.
3. Influence from the top down
Having a positive attitude towards change can enhance any leader’s ability to support their clients and teams. If a leader understands the process of change, the hesitancies attached to it, and its ultimately positive impact, they can better guide their people to embrace it.
Leaders can set regular team challenges, such as a Move more May, to boost morale and help inspire change in their teams, pushing their staff to get out of their comfort zone and to be the best, most improved versions of themselves.
4. Avoid seeing change as a one-off project
To see change that lasts, leaders must embrace it as an ongoing process, rather than a one-off task to tick off. When change is built into the values of a business, and with staff on board, leaders will see their organisation thrive in new ways.
Communicating the value of change across the board, leaders should perceive change as a core part of their approach to management, along with the business itself – with this in hand, they will be able to drive innovation at every level.
Change is not a checklist, and the onus is on leaders to build it into the values of their business, their leadership style and their approach to life, in order to see the benefits quickly unfold. Leading by example, they will be in a stronger position to influence change across their team, along with in their client projects.