Top 10 Tips: Becoming A More Effective Leader
Free advice from ODLS Director Dana Henry
The difference a great leader can make within an organization is insurmountable. From inspiring employees to work hard and do their best to achieve business goals, attracting high-caliber talent and keeping them, to creating new opportunities for innovation and organizational change, effective leaders have a big influence on an organization’s success.
To help you learn how to become a more effective leader, here are 10 tips for you to take away and employ today within your organization:
- Be Self-Aware: Have a high degree of self-awareness when it comes to your strengths and potential personal de-railers.
- New Opportunities: Always be on the lookout for undiscovered opportunities in innovation to drive meaningful change within your organization.
- Be Empathetic: See opportunities for change by empathizing with others and understanding their concerns.
- Be Prepared: Build a solid business case for your change initiative by weighing the benefits versus the costs.
- Be Collaborative: Involve key stakeholders in developing a shared vision for the proposed change versus only providing your own vision.
- Be Communicative: Communicate your vision for change with key stakeholders to help garner true commitment within the organization, rather than compliance.
- Overcome Barriers: When it comes to change, there are two types of barriers at different levels within the organization you will typically encounter: organizational (obstacles) and individual (objections).
- Change Takes Time: Understand that each individual’s transition through change is unique and personal. Keep in mind that some may take longer to accept the change than others.
- Focus on the Benefits: Gain commitment for change within the organization by helping your others understand what is and is not ending while focusing on the benefits and positives of the change.
- Cultural Change: Long-term success of organizational change improves when it’s integrated into the organization's culture. As a leader, you must help to define and demonstrate new behavioral norms for the organization to support the change.
Please share your experience so we can learn collectively how to implement impactful leadership development programs. Reach out to Dana at dlhenry@donahue.umass.edu.
July 12, 2021
