How to be a Great Leader and Manager: Strategies to Improve your Team - and their Results
Nov 29, 2023
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Peter Anderton, Founder of Internal Alignment, shares actionable tips to become a better leader by creating alignment, fighting your own ego, improving your listening skills and appreciating the differences within your team. Strategies for leaders, presenting constructive criticism, common mistakes, and the importance of authenticity and alignment are discussed in this podcast.
Alignment is crucial in leadership and involves agreement on goals, understanding the current state, and bridging the gap for success.
Leaders must prioritize listening, set aside ego, appreciate diverse thinking, and create an environment of psychological safety.
Authenticity fosters strong relationships with teams, as leaders recognize strengths and weaknesses, acknowledge challenges, and create a culture of trust and collaboration.
Deep dives
The Importance of Alignment
Alignment is crucial in leadership, and it involves three key elements: agreement on where you are going, understanding where you currently are, and determining the necessary steps to bridge the gap between the two. Many organizations struggle with alignment because they overlook the importance of knowing their current state. Creating alignment requires leaders to navigate tensions between the present and future. When a senior leadership team is aligned and pointing in the same direction, they can accomplish remarkable things.
Effective Listening and Connection with Teams
To create a strong connection with their teams, leaders must prioritize listening. Truly listening goes beyond formulating responses and requires setting aside ego. It involves understanding the perspectives of others and valuing their input. By actively listening and appreciating the diverse thinking within a team, leaders can access valuable insights and make more informed decisions. Additionally, leaders should make it easy for their team members to speak up and feel heard by creating an environment of psychological safety.
Authenticity and Vulnerability in Leadership
Authenticity is crucial in building strong relationships with teams. Leaders should embrace authenticity by recognizing their strengths and weaknesses, being open about their challenges, and acknowledging when they don't have all the answers. Authenticity allows team members to connect with their leaders on a deeper level and fosters an environment of trust and collaboration. Leaders who are vulnerable and transparent create a culture where others feel comfortable expressing their concerns and ideas.
Value of Diversity in Teamwork
Having a diverse team can be incredibly powerful in problem-solving and decision-making. When individuals with different perspectives and strengths come together, they can effectively cover all bases and create a fully functional unit. This value arises from recognizing and respecting the unique contributions and perspectives that each team member brings. While it may be tempting to focus on the frustrations or differences that can arise, the true power lies in appreciating and harnessing the value that each individual brings to the table.
Giving Constructive Feedback
Constructive feedback is essential for individual and team growth. When giving feedback, it is crucial to be specific and focus on facts rather than opinions. General statements can come across as disingenuous and demotivating. By highlighting specific behaviors or actions, such as being consistently late for team meetings, leaders can address concerns without causing defensiveness. It is equally important to listen actively and explore alternative perspectives before engaging in tough conversations. By starting such conversations with open-mindedness and a willingness to understand the other person's viewpoint, leaders can foster a more productive and collaborative environment.
Peter Anderton, Founder of Internal Alignment, shares actionable tips to become a better leader by creating alignment, fighting your own ego, improving your listening skills and appreciating the differences within your team.
Creating true diversity comes down to truly appreciating differences
Presenting constructive criticism
More tips for leaders
Common mistakes
Excerpt from the interview:
"A lot of people talk about leadership as if there’s a magic tool that’ll make everything fall into place. Here’s a secret: it doesn’t exist. In fact, looking for another tool or another technique to solve all of our management problems just creates even more confusion for teams.
We need to stop looking for the secret tool and realize that leadership is about mindset. It isn’t a hat you put on when you come into work; it’s the way you think. Until leaders fully grasp this rule, attentive listening might remain a challenge. Leaders will probably think they’re great listeners, but their teams would say otherwise."
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