7 Tips To Lead Better

These ideas are from the past 6 months of being in the service as a leader who is also led. These are the things that I felt were not focused on enough or could have improved the big picture. This is to learn to lead myself and maybe give you a thought or two. Let's get to it!

• Get to know your subordinates:

It is a well-known idea that everyone's favourite word is their name. That is why, to be liked (as a person but also as a leader) it is an easy hack to learn the names of your subordinates. It is not a simple task, but being informed about people makes them feel seen.

• Learn to receive criticism:

Leading is not easy. That being said, getting fixated on a specific plan is easy. Your subordinates may have a better plan, thus keeping an open mind is important. It's all about life-long learning and accepting failure and mistakes as they come along.

• Give more responsibility to subordinates:

As said in the last point it is easy to get caught up in our mind. If people do not get responsibility they will not be involved in the project. Why would I show interest in working towards the leader's goal, if I have no part to play in it?

• Beauty is in the details:

When giving criticism, be detailed so that people know what went wrong and can improve directly. Even more important notice positive details! Compliments are a lot more meaningful if they are specific.

• Break down your decisions:

Explaining your final decision is important. It helps your subordinates understand that they were heard but the boss believes there are better solutions. Sometimes it is a "because I said so" situation, but avoid saying that. It digs a hole between you and your subordinates

• Be forgiving:

Veritasium made a video about Game Theory which I enjoyed. In the video, we are presented with different strategies to interact with people "to gain" from the interaction. Turns out the best-performing strategies are the ones that are forgiving but do not let being used either. For a better understanding, I suggest you check out the video!

• Down rep:

In the army, we have different types of reports. We give reports to the superiors which they will transfer even higher up. These are important for giving an understanding of what troops are doing to the higher-ups. That being said, it is just as important to do down reports, reports that explain what is going on higher up in the hierarchy and what other military units are up to. It is again, about involving your subordinates and giving them the tools to do their work.

To conclude, to lead it is important to involve your subordinates – give them responsibility and treat them with the respect they deserve. Trust what they have to say and try to see things from their perspective.

This Week's Suggestions:

🎶 "Rich Spirit" by Kendrick Lamar:

When Kendrick dropped "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers", the album where "Rich Spirit" is from I was not impressed. It did not hit at that moment at least. In retrospect, I have relistened to a few songs and I am starting to enjoy them more and more. This is my most recent find!

💡 "What Game Theory Reveals About Life, The Universe, and Everything":

This is the above-mentioned video, it is half an hour but worth the watch. Veritasium always breaks down these concepts for everyone to understand them!

P.S I have become active on Instagram again, you can follow my doings there from here.

Cheerio!