9 tips to be the best leader

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Become the leader that your business or organization needs.

We’ve all had a boss—or maybe more than one—who’s left an indelible mark in our professional career. Sometimes their impact was positive and sometimes we remember people precisely because our experience with them wasn’t precisely great. The truth is, a person requires certain skills to take on the responsibility of heading a business or organization.

For Roberto José Nieves, president of the firm Carimerc, being a boss is not the same as being a leader. “‘Boss’ is the person who gives orders, while ‘leader’ is the person who helps,” explains the creator of the HappyLunes workplace culture movement.

Here are some tips on becoming the best leader for your business:

Have empathy

The trick to achieving a working relationship full of respect and openness is empathy. “In the office, when you’re going to make a decision, put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Ask yourself: ‘How would I like to be treated?’” Nieves recommends.

Learn to delegate

No matter how many abilities we may have, we can’t do everything at the same time. “The important thing is to avoid micromanaging. And to avoid it, the best strategy is to create a robust reporting system.

That way you can stay abreast of what’s happening but you don’t have to intervene in every process,” he suggests. In the white paper How to Be a Boss, the Center for Creative Management says that not knowing how to delegate threatens other people’s sense of confidence, security and autonomy.

Acknowledge your mistakes

Nobody’s perfect, and one of the core characteristics of a leader is the ability to acknowledge their own mistakes. “Apologize if you made a mistake. That’s really important—never think you know it all,” Nieves advises.

Know your team well

The best way to obtain better results is to know your team. According to the OBS Business School, this is the ideal way to get the most out of the human talent in your staff.

Set achievable goals

Employees can become frustrated when their supervisors assign them impossible tasks or don’t offer them the tools to adequately carry them out. That’s why the OBS Business School recommends that a good leader should set clear timelines for carrying out tasks and be specific regarding the goals that must be met. In addition, goals should be communicated correctly so the team can feel motivated to achieve them.

Organize your plans well

Disorganization is an Achilles’ heel in any business or organization that wants to be efficient. That’s why the person heading the team should lead by example and keep things in order to help processes run smoothly. But a word of caution: The OBS Business School says that orderliness doesn’t mean being rigid. Instead, it refers to “a disposition to carry out tasks in a coordinated, coherent way.”

Face change assertively

Admit it: You can’t control everything. When unforeseen changes occur in your business or organization, the best thing you can do is face them—with your team—in an assertive way. According to the coaching firm 3Back, using correct decision-making styles ensures that team leaders earn the trust and respect of their colleagues.

Offer feedback

Encourage your work team’s members to exchange ideas. The OBS Business School suggests that to ensure good communications with others, you should make an effort to be open and understanding.

Control your emotional intelligence

Leaders should control their impulses, especially since unforeseen events almost always come up in projects. It’s all about setting an example and doing the things that you want your team to do, Nieves says.