The Five Practices of Effective Leadership
By Amanda Da Silva, B.Hkin, B.Ed, and M.Ed
5-minute read
It’s no secret that effective leadership is required for an organization to accomplish its mission and achieve its main goals.
While we’ve talked about must-have leadership skills and core competencies before, there is another aspect to leadership that is just as important -leadership practices. While qualities like empathy, healthy prioritization, empowerment, and emotional agility are essential for a leader to effectively guide their business into the future, daily actions and strategies also matter in terms of organizational improvement, growth, and expansion.
Granted, there are as many leadership styles and models as there are companies. That being said, there is a practical and comprehensive set of behaviors that transcends almost all industries.
On one hand, there are practices individual leaders believe they need to be successful. On the other hand, there are practices that those being led believe are essential for their leader to possess.
Our practical model falls at the intersection between the two. This concurrence is what incites action and what propels both teams and individuals to achieve extraordinary things within their organization. At a fundamental level, effective leadership should be able to nurture and inspire a group of people to reach their potential, spark their innovation and creativity, better themselves, and improve their performance.
Becoming a better leader means giving every person on the team the space to fully express their ideas, regardless of title or position.
If you examine the best teams across the most notable organizations, you will find that they share a common vision, one that unites them all.
While we all have our unique perspectives, motivations, and ambitions, effective leadership does not look to overcome those differences. It rather celebrates and employs them in a way that encourages innovative thinking and complementary problem-solving.
No.1: Pursuing challenging opportunities
Effective leadership thrives on adversity and challenging situations.
A great leader is able to take calculated risks that allow them to improve and innovate. They are not fazed by failure but rather see it as a chance to learn and grow. This practice means rising above the regularities of business to experiment and pursue challenging opportunities. As a result, this helps establish a culture in which individuals are not terrified of making mistakes.
Most importantly, a culture in which they can continue to learn and improve as well.
No.2: Inspiring a shared vision
Unlike the common belief that people are inherently driven either by fear or reward, effective leadership shows us that they are driven by a vision that captures their imagination and ignites their passion.
This means a great leader must have the ability to communicate that vision in a way that inspires their team and incites them to take it on board. The key to inspired leadership is energizing others with excitement, dedication, and enthusiasm for a common cause, a why. A great leader should also know how to convey the organization’s vision in a way that appeals to the team’s values and motivations.
No.3: Allowing others to shine
Team cohesion and engagement are one of the top challenges many leaders face.
To establish these elements in the company culture, an effective leader does not aspire to accomplish everything by themselves. Instead, they work on fostering an environment of trust, respect, and collaboration between leaders, teams, and team members. In order for these entities to shine, they need to feel supported and able to put their ideas into action.
Leadership is very much relationship-based, and an effective leader should strengthen their team members by making them feel heard and valued.
No.4: Setting a strong example
Effective leadership requires modeling the values and behaviors you want your team members to adopt.
This is mainly because individuals are more inclined to take in what their leaders consistently do than what they say. A great leader should demonstrate the qualities they aspire others to develop on a regular basis. Setting a strong example by behaving in a way that aligns with the company's core values and mission is the first step toward more effective leadership.
No.5: Celebrating individual and collective contributions
We all know that teams perform better when they are passionate about what they do.
As a leader, you can spark your team’s motivation and devotion to improvement by sharing your own. You can also do that by recognizing their contributions to each project as well as celebrating their accomplishments in memorable and engaging ways. Showing gratitude and appreciation will not only raise morale but will encourage team building along the way as well.
Conclusion
When defining what makes effective leadership, one must look not only at leadership skills, core competencies, and qualities, but at practices as well. Through coaching and feedback, you can make the transition from a good to an outstanding leader. The practices in this article can help you improve your capabilities and enable your organization to expand and achieve the goals it strives to.
↡↡↡
Discover Your Purpose Course
To help you identify your core values and create an action plan to find meaning and congruence, I designed a values-based, content-rich, course. I can’t wait to guide you through an exciting journey towards a better, more emotionally resilient you! 💞
Get a FREE Motivational Growth Newsletter Every Monday
More Great Articles
for Personal Growth
Hi! I’m Amanda Da Silva.
I’m a mother of two boys, a wife, daughter, teacher, entrepreneur, former CEO, and life-long learner. I’m all about personal growth, community 💕, and being of service. (Find out more about me here.) In addition to being passionate about personal development, I’m an educator and coach with 20-years experience teaching and leading in the BC school system. I have a B.Hkin, B.Ed, and M.Ed, specializing in leadership and administration. Creating community and leading thriving teams are two of my favourite things to do. I also love helping people live empowered and growth-oriented lives.
I hope you’ll join me as we build our success together! 🙌
