I am a successful banking professional. I have a great stint in my career with accolades and a good salary. I am in this industry for the past 12 years and in the present organization for 10 years. As part of the senior level management, I handle a team of 25 members. Every year, our company holds an employee feedback session for revamping and upgrading policies.
My concern is on the feedback I got from my team that I am not a good leader. When I go through each one’s performance sheet, I find I have done my best to make them perform to get good increments and promotions. I am confused as I find this remark to be below par for further growth in my position. Please help me find a solution or suggestions to be a good leader.
Dear Displeased,
What you have experienced is what leaders across industries experience. A superior managing a 25-member team, you are never short of tasks. As you discharge each of them to the best of your ability, remember being counted as a good leader is a different ball game altogether.
You have been fair and very conscientious about promotions and increments for every member and have done everything in your control to help them attain them. Being a good leader involves several factors that directly or indirectly contribute to these.
Some essential qualities a leader has are empathy, charisma, good communication skills, apart from being inspiring and unbiased.
There are more like:
Equanimity: A good leader is unfazed by the downs and doesn’t get carried away by the ups. There are good days and bad days—both categories teach you a lesson.
Assertiveness: Be it in thoughts or actions—a good leader is clear and firm. Getting your point across or doing the right thing at the right time defines assertiveness.
Being inclusive: The team will have all kinds of performers. Some are motivated on their own, some need a little nudge, and some often need motivation. Adopting a different strategy for each is important to make it a level playing field.
Consistency: You can be bogged down by what is happening around you. You might not be able to be productive every day. But the trick here is to be consistent. However, you must do what you can to the best of your ability on all days. Follow a routine with team meetings and sessions—stick to it and show the team that you mean your efforts.
Leaders always stand apart in a team, though they also blend and extract the best possible work or talk in a language easy for every member to comprehend.
