“I don’t divide the world into weak and strong or successes and failures. I divide the world into learners and non-learners.”
– Benjamin Barbar
What are the skills necessary to become an effective leader while embracing a growth mindset to take your career to the next level?
Are you a Manager or a Leader? These two roles are vital to the success of any organization, as they bring structure, planning, vision, and motivation to the table. But what sets a leader apart from a manager? In this article, we’ll dive into the skills necessary to become an effective leader, while embracing a growth mindset to take your career to the next level.
To start, let’s address the elephant in the room: What percentage of companies do you think are facing a leadership gap? We’ll answer that question as we progress, but first, let’s focus on developing a growth mindset to reach the next level of your career.
Take a moment to reflect on what you want to achieve in your professional life. Are you aiming to:
- Enter a new leadership role
- Improve yourself
- Get a promotion
- Improve your business No matter your goal, having a clear understanding of what you want to achieve will help you stay focused as you develop your leadership and management skills.
Now, let’s talk about the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset. In a fixed mindset, people believe their abilities and talents are set in stone, while in a growth mindset, individuals believe their skills and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and persistence.
Let’s consider Microsoft as an example of a company that embraces a growth mindset. Founded by Bill Gates, Microsoft is one of the largest companies in the world, and they nurture a growth mindset in several ways. By doing so, they foster a culture of continuous learning, growth, and development, which ultimately leads to their success.
How a person’s mindset affects their perception of their abilities and intelligence?
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to effortlessly soar to success, while others struggle to reach their goals? It might just boil down to their mindset! According to psychologist Carol Dweck, a person’s mindset determines their perception of their abilities and intelligence – a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.
A fixed mindset believes that their talents and abilities are set in stone and can’t be changed, whereas a growth mindset embraces the idea that with effort, learning, and persistence, they can develop and improve their abilities. So, which one do you have?
Microsoft is a prime example of a company that embodies a growth mindset. They foster learning and creativity among their employees and encourage them to share their ideas. They have yearly hackathons, where employees can suggest projects, and high-risk projects for employees to volunteer for. The company even has a yearly talent review, led by the CEO, to identify emerging leaders and nurture their growth.
The benefits of a growth mindset are numerous. People with a growth mindset welcome challenges and view them as opportunities. They embrace feedback and criticism and use it to improve themselves. They are lifelong learners and embrace new experiences. On the other hand, those with a fixed mindset shy away from challenges, get upset with feedback, and limit themselves to what they already know.
If you’re ready to adopt a growth mindset, here are some tips to get you started:
- View challenges as opportunities
- Replace the word “failing” with “learning”
- Value the process over the end result
- Cultivate grit or perseverance
By adopting a growth mindset, you’ll find yourself more open to new experiences, less intimidated by challenges, and more resilient in the face of adversity. So, what are you waiting for? Start developing your growth mindset today and watch yourself grow!
What are the differences between management and leadership and their functions in a business or organization?
“Fit no stereotypes. Don’t chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team’s mission.”
– Colin Powell
Management and leadership play a crucial role in the success of any business or organization, be it commercial or non-profit. While they may seem similar, there are distinct differences between the two, and it’s important to understand what they are and how they can be used to achieve the objectives of a situation.
Let’s start by looking at the functions of management and leadership. Management functions include organizing, planning, accepting responsibility, motivating, and minimizing risk. On the other hand, leadership functions include innovating, being visionary, seeking responsibility, seeking followers, and calculating risk. In simpler terms, think of a manager as having a formal role, such as an HR manager, while a leader has an informal role, like a CEO.
Now let’s dive into the key management functions through the POLC framework. Planning involves setting objectives and determining a course of action for achieving them. Organizing involves assigning tasks and responsibilities, obtaining resources, and delegating authority. Leading involves directing the team and ensuring that the goal is clear to everyone. Controlling involves tracking and measuring performance, including production and operations processes, compliance with company policies, and other activities within the organization.
In any business, the management team has specific targets to achieve, including generating revenue, maximizing profits, and maintaining corporate social responsibility. To make this happen, employees need to be productive, trained, and the company needs to grow. Effective management is essential for this to occur, as it helps to create productive staff, increase productivity, reduce workplace conflict, and lead to greater profitability.
Management behavior is centered on gaining trust, being accountable, being optimistic, being visible, and providing recognition and reward. On the other hand, leadership behavior focuses on engaging, motivating, and trusting people. Managers must plan, organize, lead, and control their team to ensure they are productive, while leaders must engage, motivate, and trust their team.
It’s worth mentioning that 89% of bosses wrongly believe their employees quit because of higher salaries elsewhere, while only 12% actually do. In reality, most employees leave because of poor management and lack of career growth opportunities. Thus, the combination of good leadership and effective management can help create a positive workplace culture and increase employee satisfaction and retention.
Now that we have explored management a bit, let’s jump into leadership. Here’s a quote to sum up leadership:
What are the desirable characteristics of a leader and the two approaches to managing teams?
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.”
– John Quincy Adams
Leadership is an art that requires a combination of skills, empathy, and inspiration. It is all about inspiring others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more. A leader can hold a formal or an informal position within a company but the goal is always to lead by example. In this article, we’ll dive into the most desirable leadership characteristics, the two approaches to manage teams, and the SMART system for setting leadership and management goals.
Desirable Leadership Characteristics
Team-focused and Collaborative: Effective leaders build effective teams. A team that works well together is more likely to achieve its goals. Leaders set the tone for the team and focus on bringing everyone together. A clear vision that everyone understands helps to align the team and achieve the goal.
Empathy and Diplomacy: One of the main reasons employees leave a company is lack of empathy from the leadership. Leaders should have a human-centered approach and understand their employees. High emotional intelligence is also important to build strong relationships with employees.
Modest and Humble: Leaders and managers hold positions of power, but arrogance can lead to employees not following them. A modest and humble leader is more relatable and trustworthy to employees.
Integrity: Honesty and transparency are crucial for leaders to gain the trust of their employees. Leaders must deliver on their promises to maintain consistency.
Inspirational: Employees want to feel inspired at work. Inspiration fuels employees to work harder and feel uplifted. Leaders must create a work environment that inspires employees to work towards a common goal.
Administratively Competent: A leader must have a clear vision, but they also need to have the administrative skills to bring that vision to life. Leaders who are administratively competent lead by example and set the tone for the team.
Approach to Managing Teams
Task-based Leadership: Task leaders focus on deadlines and drive their employees to achieve them. This approach is all about getting the task done.
Relationship-based Leadership: This approach focuses on the satisfaction, motivation, and well-being of team members. Relationship-based leaders look for ways to motivate their team to work towards achieving their goals. Both approaches can work, and a mix of both can be used based on the team and the goals to be achieved.
The Leadership Gap
According to a recent study, 77% of organizations report that they’re currently experiencing a leadership gap. Investing in leadership training sessions and short courses is important to fill this gap and create better leaders.
The SMART System for Leadership Goals
Science tells us that only 8% of people achieve their goals. The SMART system is a tool that can help you achieve your leadership and management goals. The five characteristics of a SMART goal are:
Specific: Clearly state your objective using numbers and dates.
Measurable: Set metrics or data targets.
Attainable: Make sure the goals are achievable and realistic.
Relevant/Realistic: Ensure that the goals are relevant to what you want to achieve.
Timely: Give yourself a set timeline to achieve the goal.
Let’s look at an example. A team leader wants to improve their presentation skills and reduce questions during team meetings by 30%. Using the SMART system, they set the following goal:
Specific: Develop presentation skills that lead to 30% fewer questions during team meetings.
Measurable: Reduce questions during meetings by 30%.
Attainable: Attend a workshop on presentation skills and join Toastmasters.
Relevant/Realistic: Develop presentation skills to improve the clarity of my message, thereby increasing comprehension by the team.
Conclusion
This article discusses the difference between management and leadership, the importance of having a growth mindset, and the skills necessary to become an effective leader. A manager focuses on organizing, planning, accepting responsibility, motivating, and minimizing risk. A leader focuses on innovating, being visionary, seeking responsibility, seeking followers, and calculating risk. A growth mindset is the belief that skills and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and persistence, whereas a fixed mindset is the belief that abilities and talents are set in stone. Microsoft is an example of a company that embodies a growth mindset. Adopting a growth mindset involves viewing challenges as opportunities, replacing the word “failing” with “learning”, valuing the process over the end result, and cultivating grit or perseverance.
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