We always debate the differences between being just a boss and being a leader. And in these conversations, we make clear the importance of exercising good, fair, and responsible leadership, but it may be that despite your efforts, the desired results are not being achieved. So I ask: more than a good leader, are you being the leader your company needs?
When a person is promoted and takes on a leadership role, it is normal to feel a bit lost at first, as if they are unsure of which path to follow or what the best decision to make is. After all, many pieces of information start arriving at the same time, and it is necessary to deal with issues that were not previously within that scope, in addition to the concern for the employees.
However, what will truly make a difference in your professional life as a manager, beyond others' perception of you as a good leader or not, is your own perception of your work and consequently the understanding of whether you are being a leader who can meet the organization's needs at that moment. And believe me, doing this is not easy at all and may take some time.
What are the company's pain points? What are the errors that are occurring? Where can improvements be made? What are the short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals? How can the team evolve? Your company will constantly ask you these questions, and you – in the leadership position – need these answers to be able to move forward and do what is being asked effectively and assertively.
In this sense, it is essential that you understand the organization's processes and how they operate, so that it is possible to identify any potential problems when they arise. Having a 360-degree view will allow you to understand the entire business, making it possible to know its details and prioritize what is most important, directing your attention, focus, and efforts accordingly.
And to do this effectively, the leader can apply OKRs – Objectives and Key Results – in the strategy execution plan and thus count on the team to get their hands dirty, as each member will know exactly their role, which will make it much easier for the manager to delegate tasks and believe that they will be done as agreed.
The truth is that it's not overnight that you'll be able to put these actions into practice, but a constant daily effort is necessary so that mastery and control are replaced by partnership and trust. A leadership focused more on the company and its employees will certainly be able to identify problems and bring improvements to the organization as a whole.
Achieving results is not an individual task, neither for the leader nor for the employee, but a team effort, and for that, it is essential to bring everyone together around what is most important: the results that need to be achieved. This is the leader's fundamental job: to engage and equip the team with what is necessary in terms of tools and processes, and OKRs are the piece that connects strategy with engagement.
Be the leader your company needs
