Leadership is the action of leading a group of people or an organization. It is an art of streaming a balance between different personalities and increasing the efficiency in finishing the job.
Leadership is a skill that is natural in some and can be developed over time. Leadership development can happen in a lot of ways and what matters the most is not how a person becomes a leader, but how good a leader is.
In today’s organizational setup, there are a lot of challenges a leader faces when it comes to being an efficient leader.
There are so many complications and hurdles that one must clear to lead a team to success. These complications include deadlines, technical issues and, more importantly, people issues.
One of the important aspects of being a leader is to be able to understand that every team member is different. They have their own sets of strengths and weaknesses, and as a leader, it is one’s responsibility to identify this in their team.
One of the most important things when it comes to leadership other than efficiency is simplicity. Overcomplicating leadership seldom leads to a destination. It most often confuses everyone in the team and does not fetch the necessary result.
Signs that you are overcomplicating tasks are- team confused about the goals, team members having a lack of clarity about their roles and responsibility, lack of communication, etc.
Below are 5 Tips to Stop Over Complicating Leadership
Stop Procrastinating
Although it might be very tempting to put things on hold that seek necessary actions at the moment or to postpone things to the last minute, procrastination creates a complication for everyone. This not just complicates your thoughts and your clarity but also your team’s plan. Delegate the work at the right time with enough grace period for emergencies. This will offer you peace of mind than any last-minute stress.
Own Your Decisions
Very often, a lot of leaders find it difficult to make decisions because they hear too many opinions. Some decisions have to be made with the right representation. A leader needs to simplify the decision-making process by keeping the team’s perspective as a priority. Involving too many people in decision making slows down the process and complicates it. When it comes to big decisions related to a task, a leader must take charge and own the decision he/she makes instead of relying on the team to make the decision based on what is best for the team.
Avoid Creating Too Many Choices
Contrary to the popular belief that having too many options is good, creating too many options for the team makes it difficult for decision making as a team. It is also applicable when you are working on a task for a client. Give only limited options. This will only delay the decision-making process for them and cause further delay to complete the task. Instead, create limited options and own up your work and work on selling it to them.
Stop Micromanaging
Micromanaging is an action where a leader feels like he needs to be in control of every little task that happens in the team. Many micromanagers are not aware of their behavior and its impacts. Micromanaging takes away space for the employees to think for themselves. This makes them rely on the leader for everything and will eventually delay the task. Delegate the responsibilities to people in your team. Apart from the important decisions, give your team the right to make decisions for smaller tasks.
Be a Team Player
One of the main aspects of leadership development is to be a team player. When leading a team, it is important to not merge with the teammates and force one’s opinion on them. Even though a leader might be better at a task, it is important to take a step back and let the team figure it out on their own.
If you feel like you are overcomplicating leadership, you can answer the following question to gain a sense of clarity.
● What is the shortest route to task completion?
● What do I need to achieve the task in half time?
● What is the goal we are trying to achieve as a team?
● What are the most relevant ideas to consider?
Simplifying leadership as much as possible, gives clarity to everyone involved. Although it might not be easy to keep it simplified, working towards simplicity in work and business helps your team to learn and understand the customers and business.
