Life is not fair and if you expect it to be nice to you, prepare to be disappointed.
Things will be all the more difficult when you are the leader as you have to make personal sacrifices for the good of the organisation.
That is life, you have to make tough decisions and not all decisions yield the expected result.
A leader has to develop a balanced understanding between achieving results and building working relationships with your team.
An article in success.com lists out a few points to help in becoming a leader that people would follow.
One of the key qualities of a leader is to do the right thing even when it's hard, even when things are hard. But a great leader knows focusing on short-term gains which can result in long-term costs.
The team will stand behind such leaders who are willing to do the right thing and back up their words with action.
As a good leader you should consider the problems of your team as yours. When they fail, you fail. Work beside them to uncover difficult areas and work together to learn from those mistakes. Nobody wants a leader who talks down to them, constantly pointing out mistakes without offering tips for improvement.
A tough leader knows when and how to take control when things don't turn out as expected. They start adjusting before it is too late.
Good leaders can emapthise with others and make their team as the priority. Connecting with the team and building loyalty is something that you need to work everyday.
Communication with the team is a key role and an important role in the decision-making process.
Part of being tough is learning to take tough feedback. Not everyone will like you or agree with your decisions. Encourage them to come to you with comments, questions and concerns. Reflect on their feedback and adjust when necessary. A good leader knows he or she doesn’t have all of the answers.
Most important of all is to reward the team and treating them as equals. Each and every person working under you has a different story, a different background. Employees might have the same training and similar work experience, but their personalities and the way they bring value to your team are starkly different. And you need to treat them that way.
A good leader has to guide, lead, persuade and move people to achieve results.
