by Eliza Rafle

Being a leader is many people’s dream.

Many of us grew up with a good image of a leader. For example our parents were leaders — they were leading a family and doing a pretty good job at it.
Some of the best childhood cartoons featured a leader. Think about Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan or Snow White.

Becoming a leader seemed like a very easy to achieve goal, but the reality is far from the simplicity of an animated movie.

In fairness, everybody can be a boss but not many are able to be great leaders.

If you are in a manager position but you feel like you are still missing something, you can undergo some management training courses to become a better leader.

You may also want to check out this infographic for more tips.

First-Time Manager Tip #1: Have a clear vision

Without directions your team would feel lost and confused. Your duty as a leader is to provide a clear path of where you are going so that your team can follow.

Take time to share your vision, mission and goals with your team so that you know you are all on the same path and going in the same direction.

First-Time Manager Tip #2: Be passionate

This is one of the most important management skills. You cannot lead a group of people into something you are not passionate about.

Great leaders don’t focus only on getting team members to finish a job. They are genuinely passionate about that specific project and they transmit their passion to their employees.
They will be inspired by your drive and they will use their best efforts to complete the task.

First-Time Manager Tip #3: Organization

A good leader has everything organized in a clear manner. If this is not a natural skill for you, it would be a good idea to work on improving it.

Think about a system, how you want to organize the work. You can create files, spreadsheets or you could also make easy training videos if needed.
Once you have everything systematized in a certain way, you will also have things more organized in your head. That way you will be able to put views across easily to your team.

First-Time Manager Tip #4: Confidence

Leaders have to be confident and strong people. If you are going to lead people you need to know yourself well.

If you know your strengths especially, you could use them for the success of the business. You could also be confident in showing your weaknesses if needed and ask your team for help with a certain task.

Nobody is perfect and your employees would feel valued for being able to help. That would also give them more confidence in return.

First-Time Manager Tip #5: Motivate others to greatness

Great leaders are able to look beyond the obvious and see others with compassion. They recognize each person’s greatest value and motivate them to improve and move forward.

By acknowledging someone’s potential you might be able to help them becoming leaders themselves. Sometimes people become great leaders because they had a great leader.

First-Time Manager Tip #6: Continue to educate and improve yourself

As a leader is good to demonstrate efficient leadership skills, but as a great leader is very important to continue to grow and improve yourself in every way you can.

Read books, take on courses or simply learn from other people’s stories. Keep your brain and knowledge active, never stop learning.
It’s not healthy thinking we know it all. There is always room for improvement.

Photo: Andreas Klassen, Unsplash