The 3 leadership magic solutions

In my experience as a coach, I often have to guide project managers who want to “improve” their leadership. What a complex issue! What is leadership? How can leadership be improved? Is there a magic solution? Why is it that some people seem to tap into the magic solution at a young age while others struggle to find it?

In my research on leadership, one sentence caught my attention:

“The goal is not to become a leader. The goal is to become yourself and make full use of your skills, talent and energy to truly become what you want to become.”

So, you can’t just become a leader? There’s no magic recipe? If it were really that simple, we wouldn’t still be looking for the same thing that we were searching for in Plato’s era.

For me, leadership is the result of knowing yourself, your strengths and your weaknesses.

Here are three “magic solutions” that do wonders to improve leadership:

1.      Be passionate about what you do. Has the flame gone out? It’s time to get out of your rut and go back to doing what you love. Don’t ignore it. Routine can kill passion. You are the only person who can decide when you’re ready to embrace your passion. When you’re passionate about something, it energizes the people around you. Have you ever spoken to someone who was really passionate about something and noticed how their zeal was contagious? Enthusiasm can draw you into a topic and get the conversation rolling.

2.      Be confident about your strengths and know your weaknesses. Find others who can compensate for your weaknesses. In concrete terms, it’s important to know how to get the support you need, to recognize that other people have the skills you’re lacking and to work together. There’s an old adage that says if you walk into a room and discover that you’re the smartest person there, leave immediately!

3.      Focus on others rather than yourself. Change your perspective. Instead of looking at yourself, try to understand why others act the way they do. Find solutions for them. Push them to find their passion. Help them uncover their talents. Showcase the successes of different team members. Don’t be a one man/woman show.

If you apply these three magic solutions, people will see you differently. Life gives us plenty of opportunities where, if you add some passion and lend an ear, you’ll gain confidence in your abilities and leadership skills. Are you ready to reconnect with your passion and become a better leader?