Leaders in the world of business are generally perceived as displaying a sense of authority and power. It has been traditionally acceptable for people sitting in senior positions to display autocratic tendencies, advancing their careers and growing their businesses by commanding fear, instead of respect.
But the growth of the startup culture in the past decade has debunked these styles of leadership and opened the doors for a completely new form of management.
Definition Of Good Leader
Being a good boss goes hand-in-hand with being an effective leader. Eve Poole, who is an associate lecturer at a business school, a consultant, speaker and an author on effective leadership, gives many insights into what makes a good leader in her latest book Leadersmithing.
The results may surprise you. Gone are the days when it was acceptable to be aggressive and unyielding to get the job done. In order to be a good manager, it is more important to practice at good manners.
Good manners aren’t just a necessity at social gatherings. With networking and social media, among other things playing such a crucial role, it is also a necessary tool in the growth of any business.
Key Strengths Of A Leader
Good leadership is about effectively guiding people towards your vision, bringing about change and growth by bringing out the best in people, and not by bullying them. It isn’t always just important to be right, but even more so to being respected. Charm can also work wonders.
How To Acquire Good Manners
Good manners are not merely an innate personality trait. Poole believes that with adequate practice, anyone can become well-mannered. She gives the example of how a pearl can be seen as a metaphor for corporate leadership. It is created to combat the harshness of grit with something smooth and beautiful. Although it occurs naturally, it can also be cultivated, as can good manners. It is a kind of shortcut to good leadership in times of adversity.
A few easy techniques include thanking people for doing a good job, narrating facts in story form rather than as lectures, making eye contact, and most importantly, learning to listen to other people’s viewpoints, regardless of hierarchy.
Being a good manager isn’t just about managing people, it’s more important to motivate them. That’s the key to getting the maximum productivity from the people you work with.