You're part of a team, but you're not sure how to develop your leadership skills. What's the first step?

To develop some leadership skills, you have to be in learning mode and at the same time inspire others to believe in their abilities by being open-minded. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses gives you a better choice to handle your team.

Being a leader always demands to consistently lead by example and one can always do so by having a close watch on his or her strengths and weaknesses Remember being disciplined and determined to live in the present and evaluation of honest feedback is the key to establish authority and effectiveness!

Il y a plusieurs profils de leaders. La première étape sera donc de déterminer son propre profil à travers l’identification de nos forces et de nos faiblesses. Il est à noter d’une faiblesse peut être à tort perçue comme telle. Par exemple, je suis introverti et pour beaucoup c’est une faiblesse. Pourtant, j’en tire ma plus grande force aujourd’hui. Les termes de forces et faiblesses peuvent être remplacés par des « capacités » et des « incapacités ». Il faut en faire la liste de la manière la plus objective possible.

Being a leader always demands to consistently lead by example and one can always do so by having a close watch on his or her strengths and weaknesses Remember being disciplined and determined to live in the present and evaluation of honest feedback is the key to establish authority and effectiveness!

Developing self-awareness is the crucial first step to becoming an effective leader. Getting feedback is important, but bear in mind people with whom you have an existing relationship – subordinates, investors, peers, loved ones – may hesitate to point out your shortcomings. An independent perspective can be invaluable to build a comprehensive understanding of your strengths and areas for development.

Use self-reflection to identify areas for growth. Brain studies show that self-awareness practices can change neural pathways, leading to behavioral changes.

A first step towards leadership is to think about what makes a good leader. How do they behave, speak, deal with conflict? When I ask emerging leaders these questions, people instinctively know what good and bad leadership looks like. The lens then turns inward as part of a self-assessment process, looking at strengths and weaknesses and this is where reference to various leadership models can provide useful data points for someone just starting their journey. You can then think about gaps in your current skill sets and identify blind spots you can start to work on through learning interventions like coaching where you can set an outcome to work on and the put that in to practice and then reflect at the next coaching session.

Before improving any skills, it is important to be aware where you strength and weaknesses currently are. What skills do you possess, what can you improve? One way to assess this is the 16 personalities test, but another way is to think about situations in the past where you had to be a leader and how you handled those situations. Be radically honest with yourself and keep a growth mindset!

La méthode SMART est incontournable dans toute démarche objective car c’est elle qui permet de passer du stade, d’idée ou de rêve à quelque chose de concret. Elle permet de rendre les progrès mesurables. Voici la formulation d’un objectif par exemple : Lire 5 livres sur le management participatif d’ici le 30 avril 2024.

Which exact leadership skills do you want to develop, when do you want to develop them and why? Having this clear for yourself helps you define your SMART goals along the way and know what you need to do to create a clear action plan and timeline!

Modelling excellence is an effective approach to understanding leadership. However, modelling without reference points (models, frameworks, self-refection) can lead to copying poor leadership behaviours, as you do not know any different. Seek different leadership models, collate the best aspects of each and work out how congruent they are with how you might lead. Try different approaches and see what works and what does not. This will give you development points to work on as you start on your journey.

On apprend beaucoup en capitalisant sur ses propres erreurs mais surtout en observant et en étudiant celles commises par les autres. Avoir recours au mentorat et au coaching est une excellente alternative quand on s’immerge dans un domaine. Cela permet de bénéficier de conseils personnalisés et de recul de la part du coach ou mentor.

Seek mentors and role models. Mirror neurons in our brain help us learn by observing others, which can be pivotal in acquiring new skills.

What do you look for in a leader? What makes a good leader according to you? There are many ways to learn from others, but also, keep in mind that everyone has a different personality and journey, so that you might not be able to be exactly the same leader as someone you admire.

S’engager dans une association est une excellente démarche. Pour ma part, j’ai découvert en tant que dirigeant d’association une importante facette du management. Le constat est simple : Il n’y a pas vraiment de lien de subordination et les gens donnent de leur temps sur la base du volontariat. Comment susciter l’adhésion et surtout les garder mobilisés autours des projets associatifs ? C’est une expérience plus qu’enrichissante.

Put theory into practice. Engaging in real-world tasks helps consolidate learning and adapt it to different contexts, a concept known as transfer learning.

Practice makes perfect. You can study as much theory as you wish, but without putting it into practice, it will be difficult to apply and test what you learned. Adopt a growth mindset, and aim to be a better leader every day!

Il y a un hack ultime en matière d’amélioration permanente. Se refaire le film des événements importants afin d’étudier d’autres angles d’attaque possible. Cela élargit le champ des possibles et crée de nouvelles connexions neuronales. C’est comme ce que font la plupart des joueurs d’échec. Ce n’est pas anodins si certaines stratégies ont des noms propres à eux comme « La Défense sicilienne » ou le « gambit du roi ». C’est tout bonnement de la visualisation créatrice et ça change la vie.

Reflect on different situations where you had to be a leader - how did it go? What could have gone better? Do not be afraid to ask for feedback to those around you, and keep a record of your reflections to see your journey and improvements.

Regularly evaluate your progress. Reflection is linked to deeper learning and the ability to apply knowledge in varied situations.

Balance confidence with humility. Neuroscience suggests that a balance between knowing your capabilities and being open to new information can lead to effective decision-making.

Les neurosciences ont constitué un apport conséquent en terme d’intelligence collective et de compréhension de l’autre dans sa particularité. Désormais, le management est devenu une question de leadership et de coaching. Un manager qui n’a malheureusement pas ces qualités aura du mal à atteindre les objectifs de son équipe contrairement à un autre qui en aura cerné la subtilité et surtout l’opportunité de se positionner dans ce sens.