Leaders have heavy responsibilities. They have multiple roles and manage a lot of people. The reason why they have these responsibilities is that they possess certain qualities. Some leaders were born with it. Others gain them through training and workshops. But one thing is for sure, there are common principles great leaders follow.
What are these principles? We found 12 that you, as a leader of your school club, should emulate.
The 12 Principles Great Leaders Follow:
Leaders Set an Example
Leaders lead by setting an example the others can emulate. Your teammates might have the talent and desire but they might not take a step forward until you show them how. They might be waiting for you to take the initiative and show them what they have to do. The key principle is to stay in the front-lines instead of commanding the team from the back.
Show Passion for Your Work
How can your teammates show compassion and enthusiasm for the task at hand when you, the person they look up to, shows none at all?
Leaders follow the principle of loving their work and this encourages the rest of the team to do so as well. The job can get tiring and repetitive but with passion, it becomes more of a joy and less of a chore.
Gaining passion for your work also lets the time working pass by quicker. It won’t feel like work, for you and your team, if you’re having fun with it.
Always Keep People Informed
Being a leader means you’re likely the first person to gain news and updates. Changes to the task or requirements could occur at any given moment.
As a leader, it is your responsibility to keep your teammates always informed. If something goes wrong, they have to be aware of it before it is too late to make amendments.
This is where a lot of leaders falter – some choose to keep their teammates in the dark. It could be out of shame or nervousness to break the bad or embarrassing news. Avoid this trap and do your best to keep the team updated.
Maintain Communication
Keeping the team informed is one thing. Maintaining consistent communication is a different beast entirely. You don’t want your teammates confused with their tasks.
You don’t want them to misunderstand you everytime you correct them for making mistakes. Keeping good communication means maintaining transparency within the group, never allowing secrets to boil and cause trouble.
Have a Sense of Accountability
When you make a mistake you should not place the blame on your teammates. As a leader, you are the one with the most responsibilities resting on your shoulders. Even if the mistake was someone else’s, you have to take full accountability for it. It was your job as a leader to correct them and to guide them.
Be Proficient In Your Job
You’re not required to be the best in your field but you should showcase proficiency with your tasks. People will not follow a leader if that leader is incapable of performing the tasks he or she asks the team.
Get familiar with the job and know its ins and outs before you ask others to follow in your footstep. Show the team that you know what you’re doing. This guarantees that when they are not sure or when they hit a snag they can always count on you to help them.
Know Your Weaknesses
No leader is perfect. You and your teammates need to understand this. One good way of tackling this issue is to understand your weaknesses so you can address them.
Knowing your weak points will also help to focus on another principle: knowing your team’s strengths. Once you know where you’re weak, you can distribute the workload to strengthen those areas.
Heed Advice But Make Your Own Decisions
Even leaders need someone to look up to. Leaders need to take seminars and ask for advice from those who came before them. While it is important to listen to what they have to say, you shouldn’t let their words affect your decision-making.
At the end of the day, you should have the strength to make your own decisions. Sometimes you have to go with your gut feelings despite what others might say. Sometimes you have to go with what you feel is right even when nobody supports that idea.
Strive for Excellence
One principle all leaders should maintain is to strive for excellence. No matter what it is you’re doing, you have to keep excellent output as your main objective. Never settle for anything below that mark.
Ask your teammates to do their best instead of settling for mediocre quality work. While the team might not always achieve that goal, they’ll at least do the best they can. No one can blame each other because the whole team did what they could.
Train Your Team as a Team
People expect leaders to dedicate time and effort to train their team. You’re responsible for teaching them the ropes and distributing the workload. Do not simply treat each member as an individual with their own segregated goals.
Remember that the achievements and failures of one team member will affect the overall quality of the team’s work. Work on each person’s strengths but never forget to train the team together. Build their relationship and use on team-building activities.
Adaptability is a Must
Sometimes you might have a good plan but halfway through it might not be working out as you wanted. It’s possible that you have a good idea but the teammates working under you might not have the experience or skills to enact that plan.
You’ll need to adjust on the fly. Being able to quickly adapt is a principle all good leaders must follow. Learn to change things up and adjust while still aiming for the same goal. Never forget that there are more ways than one to succeed.
Know Your Team’s Strengths
One very important principle is to understand your team’s strengths. Instead of forcing them to do something they’re not good at, you should let them focus on where they excel. This will not only make it fun and be engaging for them but also guarantees they’ll succeed with the goals set for them.
