Entrepreneurial leadership involves organizing and motivating a group of people to achieve a common objective through innovation, risk optimization, taking advantage of opportunities, and managing the dynamic organizational environment. Leadership traits are essential qualities that make effective leaders in the workplace. Whether you are managing a team, a department or an entire company, these traits allow you to guide people and projects to success. It may seem like some people are just gifted with these skills, but the truth is most leadership traits can be learned and sharpened with time and practice. Commit to building these skills, and don’t despair if you stub your toe now and then. Consider some of the following tips for how to become a better leader and think about ways that you can implement these in your style of leadership:
- Develop optimism: Quality leaders use positivity to motivate their team to achieve goals, do their best work and exceed expectations. To be an effective leader, you should exhibit positivity during difficult situations such as overcoming obstacles or delivering constructive criticism. Keep the end goal in mind, and don’t dwell on past issues.
- Increase your risk-taking abilities: To become a master at navigating risk, start by learning how to assess situations and compare pros and cons. Strive to make decisive judgments so that your team can readily accept and act upon your decisions. Try creating a flowchart with steps so you can evaluate situations and make decisions confidently.
- Create an atmosphere conducive to growth: With a deep understanding of the importance of other people’s contribution to organizational success, the entrepreneurial leader creates an atmosphere that encourages everyone to share ideas, grow, and thrive. They actively seek other’s opinions, and encourage them to come up with solutions to the problems that they face. The entrepreneurial leader also provides positive feedback when employees come forward with an opinion.
- Understand your leadership style: When we lead for the first time, we might adopt a style of leadership that we’ve experienced from someone else, or that we’ve heard or read about. If it seems to work, we’ll likely stick with it – in effect, it becomes “our” style. But there are ways to find your own style of leadership and polish it further. There are many tools available online that let you determine your style.
- Foster creativity: To improve your creativity, develop habits that support the creative system. Think about what makes you feel creative, such as music, meeting people, reading or some other activity. Dedicate a specific part of your day to find inspiration for new solutions. During this part of the day, start by doing what inspires you, and then let your mind flow. You can make a list of ideas and select some to pursue.
- Be passionate about what you do: Great leaders must have a genuine passion and enthusiasm for the projects they work on. When you’re truly engaged with your work, others will be more likely to follow you.
- Work on your communication skills: Communicate your vision to your team members via effective communication. You should also understand how to process feedback and suggestions to ensure an objective approach to problem-solving that emphasizes improvement.
