How to be a great leader at any level

Zara Bates, head of consulting and training at Strengthscope, shares her five top tips for how to be a great business leader at all levels.

1. BE YOU

Build around your own skills, strengths and passions, rather than just playing the role you think is expected of leaders.

2. HONE YOUR STRENGTHS

Find the things that make you positively different and master those so that you can be authentic in the way you interact with and lead people.

3. LISTEN DEEPLY

This can help you to challenge your own perspectives and open your thinking to diverse solutions. If done properly, listening also builds respect and trust. Give genuine time and space for others to be heard.
 

4. SHOW HUMILITY

Acknowledge that you don’t know all the answers, you might be wrong, you’re not wedded to your own ideas and you have weaknesses. Lean on the wisdom of the group; find those people who have strengths in areas you don’t. Develop and nurture them as individuals.

5. BUILD YOUR TRIBE

Make diversity central to your team. Research consistently shows that diverse teams with a range of perspectives derived from dissimilar experiences outperform homogeneous teams. When everyone is an outsider it drives curiosity as a team to build inclusivity through diversity. Are you valuing and recruiting similar people, or are you building a truly diverse tribe?

Read Dare to Lead by sociologist Brené Brown; it explores how to develop brave leaders and courageous culture. For more book recommendations on talent and team building, check out our Workspace Book Corner where we round up the best reads for business success. 

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