By Dakshmitha G
“One of the most important leadership lessons is realizing you're not the most important or the most intelligent one in the room at all times.” - Mario Batali
In this competitive world, to succeed one must not just be excellent but also unique.Leadership is a core skill that makes one excel in many ways. While many of us aspire to be a good leader, not all of us understand that leadership is much more than leading. It involves trust, empathy, delegation, listening and much more.
One of the things I've noticed is that when people talk about leadership, most of the time it's about taking the best decision for your team and being a role model and knowing what is the right path. What I feel isn't stressed enough is that a good leader is also a listener and a team player.
When dishing out ideas and brainstorming as a group, a leader should also pause a moment to listen and to give room to other opinions and ideas. This is something that most miss out on. While we'd feel like our ideas are the best, there's always a possibility that there might be another perspective, another idea that might be more feasible. Hence a good leader should always keep an ear out for such ideas and acknowledge, encourage and support such ideas.
While on the talk of giving room, another important prospect of being a good leader is knowing when to step down. A leader should be able to look past that "I" and focus on the greater "we" to make the best out of a team. If one feels that another person could be a better fit for the role of a leader in a particular situation, then they should be able to step down and give that opportunity to the other person so that the team can bring out the most productive work efficiently.
Such qualities to a leader is like the cherry on top. It makes them more effective and better.
Lastly, a leader should always grow as a person. There’s always room for improvement and as a person, there’s always more to learn. A leader should understand and try to inculcate that in their activities and life.
By Dakshmitha G