"As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others" - Bill Gates
Though we use this term frequently amongst us, many people struggle or pause before answering it. And surprisingly each individual would have a different definition for it.
While some focus on the depth of knowledge the person has to call them a leader, some others would focus on the soft skills like empathy, humility, etc.
And mostly the definition of leadership changes as the leaders themselves change.
In my opinion, a leader is not someone who merely leads people but instead motivates, inspires, empowers, and makes a positive impact on the people around them.
Each leader has a unique style by which they showcase their leadership skills. And those skills/traits are developed based on the environment they have been brought up in.
Listening skills, strategic thinking, excellent communication, integrity, empathy, etc are a few of a plethora of qualities that a leader ought to have, the main responsibility being getting the task done with good quality and on time.
Though completion of the task is the primary objective, lately it's been noticed that the leadership style is shifting from task-oriented to people-oriented.
How is people-oriented leadership different from a task-oriented leadership style?
"A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” - Max Lucado
Focus for the people-oriented leadership is on empowering the team and its members to bring their whole self to the office/work; motivating and inspiring them to work with their full potential. They have the innate ability and talent to keep a group glued together. The team along with its leader collaborate selflessly and work in synergy towards pursuing a common and shared goal. The team feels so motivated that they inherently feel the urge to come to the office/work every day.
A people-oriented leader encourages all of the traits mentioned below:
Respect and Trust among their colleagues:
Exhibit interest in other’s perspectives, ideas, abilities, etc;
Listen patiently and attentively to the other person;
Transparent decision-making processes;
Seek input from the team so that they feel part of the decision.
Exhibit inclusiveness of every member
Provide genuine recognition and appreciation for the effort and talent.
Genuinely care and empathise with the colleagues - Emotionally intelligent and sometimes might have to do emotional babysitting for them :)
Unbiased feedback: Encourages unbiased feedback (to and fro including both positives and improvements) with compassion and helps each other to work on their improvements
Career growth: Understands the aspiration of their colleagues and try to find the proper fit based on their strength and passion
Ask for forgiveness than permission: Empowering the team to make decisions and work towards a common goal - delegating responsibility downward in the hierarchy, to those who are closer to the customer
Stand up for the team - Showing courage to stand up for the team when a situation arises. Instead of trying to run away from such a situation confront politely and speak up and voice one’s ideas
.... and many more where the focus is on the employees' well-being
Each organisation will have a different leadership model which works best for its success. Leaders need to identify and align to that model to serve the company and its employees better.
"A leader is best when people barely know he exists when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." - Lao Tzu
