The best leadership qualities and skills need to be developed over time. Learn from some of the best leadership examples to accelerate your career growth.
A leader does not mean a person who has people reporting to him.
It is a myth that you need people officially reporting to you for you to become a leader.
True leaders start exhibiting leadership traits even before people officially start reporting into them.
This is at the heart of learning to influence without authority.
In some fields like product management and project management, every single person is expected to display leadership qualities.
Learn how to become a Product Manager.
The individual tasks of a Product Manager may be different from those of a Project Manager, but the leadership qualities should remain the same.
This is also a good time to brush up on the following differences –
Leadership Qualities
Let us go over some of the necessary qualities of a leader.
Also note, all of these skills revolve around the central skill of communication.
Learn the tricks effective communication.
And never forget the KISS principle!
Conflict Management
Every leader faces situations where there is a conflict of opinion.
A leader is expected to not only listen to a diverse set of opinions, but also actively seek them out.
A diversity of opinions is a good sign. It means that people are active participants in the decision making process.
Naturally, no two people will think the same solution to a problem.
On the contrary, if everyone in a team is agreeing with the leader from the beginning, it means something is wrong.
Nobody wants yes-men or yes-women who blindly follow what their boss says.
Managing conflict of opinion should be done delicately.
All the pros and cons of all opinions should be written down on a white board for everone to see.
All aspects should be debated and voted upon.
A leader should drive his or her opinion through facts and numbers.
And that is how the conflict should be settled.
However, if someone is adamant about their opinion, the leader should talk to them separately after the group meeting. There is no point in engaging with somebody who is not agreeing with you, in front of other people who are already on board.
People Management
People management is easier said than done.
A leader should always strive to ensure that his or her subordinates are given the right training to replace the leader in the future.
A leader should not be insecure about his or her position.
True leaders are confident and humble.
Scrum team meetings are great examples of situations where diverse opinions need to be managed efficiently and quickly.
Managing the expectations and wishes of people should come naturally to leaders.
It is a great opportunity to mentor talent and should never be let go.
At the same time, leaders should not force their opinions on other people, but rather guide them into what they think is best for them.
A leader should act as a sounding board for his or her people.
Manager Personality Traits – Leader vs Manager
A manager is someone who blindly follows processes without looking at the bigger picture.
A leader, on the other hand, not only is fully aware of all the processes, but also understand the intent and the big picture behind those processes.
A manager generally is afraid to voice his or her opinion to the superiors for fear of unwanted consequences.
A leader is not afraid, but knows how to delicately navigate tricky situations. Knowing when to voice one’s opinions is an art.
Everyone needs to choose their battles carefully.
What Makes a Good Manager?
A manager who can effectively become a leader is a good manager.
As discussed above, a manager may be junior and bound by certain rules and processes. But effectively navigating these rules and coming up with fresh ideas is the hallmark of effective leadership.
A good manager always welcome opinions and is ready to try out new things.
Always have a strategy in mind, such as Google’s OKR strategy framework.
A good manager will encourage people to make mistakes and challenge them to challenge themselves.
A true leader is not afraid to fail.
Leadership Examples – Leadership Qualities
Let us look at some well known leadership examples.
Every leader possesses common underlying skills that we should strive to understand.
Steve Jobs
A great example of leadership comes from Steve Jobs.
The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.
Steve Jobs
Apple is reborn when Steve Jobs returns to it.
In Steve’s absence, Apple was just an average company with average products.
After the board had removed Steve from Apple, the company was about to go bankrupt.
Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997.
The rest, as they say, is history.
iPod enters the market in 2001.
iPhone enters the market in 2007.
iPad enters the market in 2010.
Each product has set a benchmark in its respective product category. Apple displayed tremendous agility while navigating change.
The product life cycle of Apple’s products is a dream for other companies and products.
Elon Musk
Few people are as successful as Elon Musk in managing a wide variety of products.
Learn why Elon Musk is a brilliant Product Manager.
An electric car is a glamorous product today because of Tesla.
Private space companies are a reality today because of SpaceX.
Such risky bets can very well end up on the list of the top 10 products fails of all time.
But it took the perseverance and the skills of Elon Musk to turn these dreams into reality.
Check out the top skills for a Product Manager.
Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett is a great example of how not to panic during difficult times.
At the same time, Warren Buffett exemplifies how to grab the right opportunity and the right time.
Warren Buffett gives immense freedom to his managers at different companies.
Each manager is free to run the business as they please.
The key leadership trait here is trust.
Every leader must completely trust the skills and intuitions of their employees.
Yes, people will make mistakes. But, everyone makes mistakes.
A leader should guide his or her people to learn from their mistakes.
If people are making mistakes, it means they are trying something new. And that should always be encouraged.