Can you learn to be a great leader? Despite what some people think, leadership is a learned behaviour that people hone with time, experience and guidance.
Leadership and management roles are generally high-pressure and high responsibility, but they provide an incredibly rewarding and satisfying career option. If you’re interested in furthering your career in leadership and management, gaining specialised training is a key starting point.
At OPEC College, our Leadership and Management course (previously coded BSB42015) will give you training and guidance from someone who has extensive knowledge and experience. This kind of first-hand experience is priceless for emerging leaders or those who want to strengthen their skills.
Our BSB40520 Certificate IV in Leadership and Management (previously coded BSB42015) provides the perfect foundation for developing and emerging leaders and managers in a range of enterprise and industry contexts. You will gain an understanding of how to assume responsibility for your own performance as well as others. You’ll learn to apply solutions to a defined range of predictable and unpredictable problems, and analyse and evaluate information from a variety of sources.
Being a good leader or manager requires flexible and multifaceted skills. Successful leaders need to learn the mastery of analysing business patterns, finding opportunities in demanding situations, assisting the people they lead and overcoming business hardships.
There’s clearly a lot involved, but what’s actually involved in the day to day of being a successful leader or manager? We take a closer look at 6 things all good leaders and managers do every day.
6 things all good leaders & managers do everyday
Make decisions
Leaders and managers are the decision makers. Important decisions will fall to them and their focus should always be to make things happen. They’ll either help to empower their colleagues to reach a strategic conclusion or they will reach it themselves. Making confident and successful decisions in a business setting takes time and experience. Whether it’s a minor or substantial decision, it requires an understanding of different business impacts and being able to forecast outcomes.
Communicate expectations
Anyone who has had a manager or a team leader will attest to the importance of effective communication and conveying expectations. Providing clarity helps to better define roles and responsibilities, ensuring everyone is on the same page, and this in turn improves productivity. Good leaders and managers ensure that the vision is properly translated and actionable objectives are executed.
Lead by example
As a leader or manager, others will be looking to you for guidance. Leading by example is often preached, but it can be difficult for some leaders to practice. Successful leaders will be mindful of their actions and how they impact those around them. They will strive to lead their team by displaying the same qualities and work ethic that is expected of everyone.
Measure and reward performance
Managers need to have a strong understanding of how to measure performance, whether that’s for the business or the people within it. They’ll need to review the numbers and be able to measure performance ROI, so a sound business knowledge is essential. On top of measuring performance, a good leader or manager will know when to reward performance. Acknowledging hard work and effort (no matter the result) shows people that they are truly valued and helps to reinforce a positive workplace.
Many people in management positions use a system to measure performance, whether that’s goals based, project based, or even time tracking. Utilising digital platforms can increase business efficiency, so it’s important for managers to stay on top of digital innovations.
Problem solve
Leaders and managers can face a multitude of challenges everyday. Being able to adapt and problem solve a broad range of issues is key to effective management. Successful leaders will need to learn how to tackle issues head-on and not shy away from uncomfortable circumstances.
Properly allocate talent and resources
Good leaders and managers will understand their talent pool and know how to use it. Recognising everyone’s strengths and weaknesses allows for better allocation of talent, deploying someone’s special skills when the circumstances require it. Good leaders also know how to inspire great performance, so that everyone can reach their full potential.
Understanding the resources they have to work with and how to use them is also a key skill for a good leader and manager. This takes organisation, planning, and strategic utilisation.
This list is by no means exhaustive. There’s a lot that goes into being a successful leader and manager and much of it can be developed and strengthened with specialised training from industry experts.
If you’re interested in developing your career, our BSB40520 Certificate IV in Leadership and Management (with the previous course code BSB42015) is the perfect starting point. To find out more about this course or to enroll, take a look at the course page here. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
