There are several other tools that you can take to become a female leader. The following list may seem simple, but still vital for reaching your goals.
Ask for feedback
Feedback is a fundamental part of a leader’s skill set, as it forms a well-defined picture and increases transparency. It can create a healthy environment, enhance productivity and engagement which, consequently, accomplishes improved results.
Also, with the feedback you can form better relationships based on honesty, helps your team evade major mistakes, motivates people, and finally, it promotes personal and professional growth. You can ask for feedback following these steps to preserve a good relationship with your team and/or your co-founder and to have a rich feedback session:
- Ask for honesty, encourage the people around you that honest feedback is valued and is better than being nice.
- Learn to listen, you are listening to a perspective that could be different from yours, so make sure to keep an open mind and to listen carefully to what is being said.
- Ask questions, clarifying questions are essential to better understand the advice or feedback, asking questions that begin with “Why” or “How” are a great way to start.
- Take notes, Commit and follow up, take the notes as a promise to yourself for self-improvement, ask yourself which skills you want to develop and prepare the correct approach and questions to ask for feedback. By asking for feedback, you will be developing a culture of feedback within your company.
Practice personal development
Personal development allows you to be positive and to go out and make things happen, rather than waiting for things to happen to you. Having a personal development mindset includes several benefits, for example, self-awareness, a sense of direction, greater resilience, better relationships, and many more.
You can begin your personal development by developing a personal leadership development plan, which is made up of the following steps:
- Define what makes a great leader, and think of traits and abilities of a good leader, for example, honest, creative, etc…
- Next, identify your core values that will also be visible in your business such as loyalty, responsibility, friendship, and creativity.
- Moreover, identity current and lacking leadership skills such as personal, interpersonal, and technical skills.
- And finally, set goals, to work on yourself and to practice them.
Educate yourself
A good leader should constantly learn and develop their skills. It is essential to your personal and professional development because that helps you to get out of your comfort zone and adapt to new situations. You can educate, by having the willingness to learn, be eager to explore and research new ideas and information. You can also educate yourself by surrounding yourself with strong people that can challenge you and keep you liable, but also by reading books, or listening to podcasts or watching videos such as TEDx talks or doing online courses.
Work with a Mentor or a Coach
A Mentor or a Coach is important for guidance throughout your career, but they differ from one another. So, What is the difference between a Mentor and a Coach?
A Mentor is someone who offers their expertise, knowledge, and advice to people who are at the start of their business or career. So a Mentor guides you in the right direction with advice from their own experience and knowledge. They help mentees consider opportunities for career growth, gain confidence and improve certain skills.
A coach focuses on certain skills and development goals by simplifying them into certain tasks to be completed within a specific time-frame. Business coaches help and guide a business to clarify its growth vision. So a Coach usually follows more structured and formal procedures to resolve certain problems and manage parts of the job.
