Have you ever been told: take your place more! Express your leadership! Be a leader! If so, what do you think “Taking your place as a leader” means? How well do you really understand what is expected of your leadership?
This article presents 5 points that are reminded to my coachees by their immediate superior, when we are in a review meeting. So if you’re being told to express your leadership more and take your place, it could very well be related to these points.
(That said, there’s nothing better than asking your immediate supervisor directly. 😉 )
Here are 4 themes in which we can observe leadership qualities with typical situations and examples of what you could do to take more of your place.
1. Time and meeting management
It may seem trivial, but 95% of the time, the first examples that emerge in debriefing meetings are related to taking more (and better) your place in meetings as well as better managing priorities. Some bosses will express that the coachee needs to delegate more, but the issue behind it is the management of priorities!
In meetings
Acting according to your role
To take his place, one must act according to one’s role and the expectations of that role. Like what:
- If you’re a project manager, make sure you have the answers you need: ask questions!
- If you are a collaborator and there is something you do not understand or do not agree with: ask questions! If you have a management position, you are probably expected to participate, and ask questions!
- If you’re in a position to decide and you’re missing information: ask questions and decide.
It is true that the greatest leaders listen first.
Yes, and listening is not being passive!
You have to ask questions, listen and if necessary adjust what needs to be adjusted.
Listening is the greatest communication skill, I talked about it in this article.
Reframing what needs to be reframed
As the leader or facilitator of the meeting, you have the role of leading the meeting. Which means: managing discussions, bringing back to the agenda, making sure there is a summary/follow-up or a conclusion.
For example: Someone deflects the discussion to something that is important to them, but not necessarily to the group or related to the meeting agenda? Don’t “waste” the other participants’ time and offer to talk to that person at the end of the meeting where you will let the others go. “I see that this point is important for you, let’s keep some time at the end to talk about it and take advantage of the fact that we are all together to move forward on the group’s agenda.”
It’s not always comfortable to take his place.
Better adapt to your interlocutors
A leader never forgets who the meeting is for and adapts the presentation and content to his or her interlocutors.
What needs to be adapted: the level of detail, the relevance of the information, popularization. Think about what the other person wants to know, not what you want to tell them. There is a nuance.
For more meeting tips, you can check out this one-hour video training.
Time management
A leader who takes his place, is in the right place and does the right thing, at the right time! He knows how to prioritize. Often, managers take a lot on their shoulders. They were usually appointed because they had the ability to deliver the files and were key people in the team or in the organization. Simply, management expectations are different. Optimal time management will have a positive impact on your energy, stress and satisfaction!
2. With your employees
Preventing Loss of Engagement and Engagement
Your presence is required with your teams. Your employees need to see you, hear you, and understand what the goals, direction, and vision are. If you’re too much into operations, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to take your place as a leader… and maybe you leave too much to the expert!
Managing problematic situations at the right time
The leader who takes his place knows how to choose his battles and act at the right moment. He lets things go while acting at the right time. Conflicts are resolved in a reasonable time and performance problems are also resolved.
You are a leader, and you are also a mediator, and also a manager. The leader mobilizes and influences around a vision, the mediator develops the autonomy to solve problems and the manager deals with situations that are more complex and solves them.
Acting as a leader means being proactive in general. Do you see a situation coming? A conflict that will potentially degenerate? A situation that repeats itself? Act 😊
3. With colleagues
The higher you climb, the more time you’ll need to take to synchronize with your peers and understand what the impacts of your decisions and actions are on the entire organization.
Acting as a leader means acting not only with your “vertical” team, but also with your “horizontal” team. Most organizations suffer from silos, at the same time each leader can make an anti-silo impact by working more as a team with their colleagues.
If you find this “political,” tell yourself that political sense done right is good for you and for the organization. I talked about it in this article.
4. With your bosses
If you have been appointed to a management position, it is because you deserve it and have the potential. This does not mean that you have nothing to improve.
Work on continuous improvement
Generally, you have to be alert to the improvement of: your skills, the composition of your team and the processes. The more proactive and aligned you are with your boss, the smoother your relationship should be with them.
And to take your place as a leader, if you see something that doesn’t seem right, it’s time to propose something or raise the point. Be careful here, if you are the person who only raises points and does not act or propose a solution, you will be perceived more as someone who criticizes than someone who leads.
If you often receive the same improvement feedback, it may be time to take matters into your own hands!
Showing successes
Recognizing and naming your successes is essential if you want to assert your place. Managers are often alone, and because of this no one notices the successes and changes you make.
In order for them to be seen, they will have to be named. We will have to network. We will have to be seen and be present. We think of those we see and know 🤷♀️
In conclusion
Taking one’s place as a leader means meeting the expectations that the organization has of its leaders. Generally, organizations expect their leaders to be proactive on the processes to be reviewed, proactive on meeting management, proactive on human resources management (conflict, hiring, restructuring).
The organization expects you to take matters into your own hands and move them forward without someone telling you, and to do so in a cost-effective and harmonious manner.
Develop skills, ask and dare, because taking your place will increase your credibility and self-confidence!