What will we see in this post
If you have your own business and it is growing steadily, it is important to have capable people working by your side. In this context, leaders become key for the company to achieve its goals.
If you work in a company and it is easy for you to manage projects and people, you may be thinking about becoming a leader.
That’s when most people think about the existing leadership models.
Do I fit into any of them?
Are Leadership models actually real and should I only hire people who have those predefined characteristics they mention?
If you have any questions about this matter, this text is for you. We are going to clarify some recurring questions most people ask, whether they actually are leaders or not within companies.
The role of a leader
The first point you need to understand before even thinking about models of leadership is the actual role of the leader and what leadership entails.
The leaders have the mission to guide and contribute to the development of the team and make sure that the planned activities and projects are successful.
It is a complex mission and, trust me, people aren’t born leaders, they need to develop themselves so as to become proper leaders.
Among the main attributes of a good manager, we can single out:
- Receptivity to new ideas and alternative solutions;
- Emotional balance to deal with everyday adversities;
- Self-knowledge;
- Social tact, that is, to be able to establish a good dialogue with different people;
- Thirst for knowledge.
Now that you’ve seen some characteristics of a good leader, let’s talk the truths and misconceptions about the models of leadership.
MYTH: There is one ideal leadership profile
The first myth about leadership models that we need to put aside once and for all is to believe that there is only one ideal leadership profile.
When we believe this, our tendency is to only hire people with certain personal characteristics. But in fact, what you need to take into consideration is the professional path taken by that person and their abilities to work in a team, that is, on top of the needs for the specific context.
People are different, and the differences should be always preserved. Imagine a company with one kind of profile for leaders or employees? It would be unimaginable and even undesirable.
TRUTH: There are no natural born leaders
This means that no one who has inborn characteristics that will suddenly make them a leader.
People have to work hard to develop these abilities and to carry out the role of leaders well.
To make the decision to promote someone to a leadership position, it essential to be aware of others, that is, you must enjoy working with people and contributing to the team’s development.
If the person you choose has those characteristics, it is necessary that you, along with HR, work out which skills need to be developed for a given context.This should be done for different situations, leaders also have several different profiles and they may need to adapt to each context.
Keep in mind:
Although there is no single ideal leadership profile, there are behaviors which are desired and expected.
Such behaviors must be aligned to the essence, the pillars and virtues and, consequently, they should be directly linked to the company’s strategic planning and to its results.
TRUTH: HR works alongside those who want to become leaders
If you notice that there is a person who works at your company and wishes to become a leader, it is your role, as owner of the company, to share this information with the human resources department.
Alongside the HR team, you can contribute directly to the development of each employee who wants to have a managerial role and together, you’ll have important role to enhance the best skills that a person has to offer to the world and also to your business.
TRUTH: You need to be willing to develop yourself in order to become a leader
That is a fact that cannot be put aside. It’s very important to face and solve challenges and also issues that cannot be predicted, considering our current context of constant change and transformation.
In addition, a good leader needs to encourage the potential of others so that everyone wins: people and the company.
Therefore, they should always be ready to learn and go through new and unexpected situations.
MYTH: Leaders and the HR team are solely responsible for the employee’s career
It is essential that each person is aware of their goals and what they really want for their careers.
Of course, to help you on that path, the area of human resources and the leaders are indeed important. Your role is to support the development and growth of everyone who works with you.
But there is no point in encouraging someone to become a leader if the actual person does nothing to achieve that.
For this to work, the aspiring leader must always be the protagonist of their own career. That is, he must be willing to work hard and develop all the necessary skills to become an excellent leader.
TRUTH: It is essential to have a proper development plan
Every person, regardless of whether they want to be a leader or not, needs to create their own development plan to achieve personal and professional goals.To do this, there are four steps:
- Create a specific plan, with the competences (technical and behavioral) you need to develop;
- Create concrete actions and specific ones about what you need to develop;
- Set deadlines for the development of every action and make them effective;
- Evaluate and monitor along with your leader and the aid of human resources how the development is going.
Keep in mind: this development cycle is continuous and must always be monitored.
TRUTH: Hotmart believes that everyone has the potential to achieve whatever goals they set their minds to
In Hotmart, we don’t believe that people are “natural born” leaders.
For us, the skills of a leader may be developed considering the characteristics of each person and the needs of each scenario.
When someone is interested in becoming a leader, always encourage people to talk directly to their direct leadership and also to HR, to share that desire with them.
We believe every person has that potential. That is why we pride ourselves in keeping communication lines clear and letting everyone know we are open. Therefore, we seek the best way to maintain openness and clear communication channels.
Are you a leader?
As you’ve seen, there are no certain leadership models that must be followed at any cost.
Of course, some characteristics are essential for someone who wants to be a Manager. But, as you’ve seen here, if you have a development plan and you set a goal, you can work toward achieving whatever you’d like.
Don’t think for a minute that’s an easy path. Becoming a leader requires dedication and commitment.
If you are interested in this subject, whether to hire a leader for your business or to become one in the company you work for, a good tip is to constantly develop yourself by getting formal training and also learning from more experienced leaders.
Check out our post with 6 techniques to develop and train people for more information about developing leaders.
