The first misstep many new managers make is they believe their new title gives them the ability to lead. They feel that because they are the manager, they are a leader that others should follow – sometimes without question. While the title does give the manager authority, it doesn’t guarantee that people will follow. In some cases, a good leader can demonstrate leadership characteristics long before they are given an official leadership position. So, what distinguishes someone who just holds a title from a great leader?

For starters, you are not a leader just because you are an expert. Let’s use a basketball team as an example. On any basketball team, there will always be one or two players that stand out as top performers. They are experts in their position and what they do for the team. Does this make them a leader? No. There are some players that take time away from their own practice to help mentor and coach other team members. They might not be experts or the best players on the team, but they provide leadership. They concern themselves more with the success of the entire team. Do these types of players have any special titles? No, but they are in fact leaders by virtue of their behavior.

You can take this concept and apply it to any leadership position. You don’t have to be the best programmer in the room to become a great leader for a software engineering team. I will be the first to admit I have met many developers that are better programmers than myself. However, I have a solid set of fundamentals and behave according to what is expected from a leader. Team members recognize people who carry themselves with integrity and who have respect for their coworkers. People will naturally gravitate towards and want to work alongside these types of people.

Lead without forcing anyone to follow. Yes, you might be their boss, and by default you can make them do as you wish. However, that will only get you so far and they will definitely never be loyal. You have to find a way to get them to do what you need them to do because they want to. This sounds difficult, but it actually isn’t. The very first step is to listen to everyone’s ideas carefully and with full consideration. Make sure they understand you are interested in hearing what they have to say and their input is a critical part of the process. Next, articulate back what they said to make sure you understand. The final step is to provide your opinion on how the team should move forward. If you provide a logical decision and explain how you came to that conclusion, most of the team will gladly follow your wishes. The real key is to make sure they understand they have an opportunity to provide input and their opinions are highly regarded.  

Be completely transparent and allow the team to understand your motivations. Some bosses think they should only provide certain pieces of information to the team. For sensitive topics this can certainly be the case, but I tend to shy away from keeping secrets. It’s important the team understands the business motivations that influence your decisions. If they are kept in the dark, your decisions may seem ridiculous. Also, by revealing some sensitive information, you are able to show you trust and value them as an employee. This can go a long way in creating a loyal bond. Everyone wants to be on the inside and this is very effective at building a relationship.

Make sure to protect your employees and coworkers. When someone fails, you should not reprimand them if they had good intentions. You need to make sure people are comfortable taking risks and willing to go above and beyond their normal responsibilities. If there is an environment of fear, then all innovation will die. When people feel free to take risks and try new things, it spawns a team that can produce innovative solutions. Anything will seem possible and no single person is afraid to attempt something groundbreaking. Any team member that encourages others to test the limits of possibilities and any leader of a team without fear of failure will be very highly regarded by their team.

These are some really fundamental ways to prove to people you are someone they want as a leader. You don’t have to wait until you get the title you want to implement these behaviors. In my case, I practiced these behaviors and interactions first and the leadership position came later. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you have to have a specific title to act like a leader, and definitely don’t make the mistake of thinking you are a leader simply because you were given a title.