Reflections on Leadership: Top ten tips for new and experienced senior leaders.

As senior leaders in high-pressure, busy environments, making time for reflection and learning in your leadership is crucial. Focusing inwardly on your goals, setting high expectations, and expecting others to follow blindly is easy. However, it's often difficult to make the time to reflect on your leadership style, stay updated with the latest insights, or consider team members as individuals with unique needs and aspirations. This mindset can stem from immaturity, a lack of proper training, or insufficient support from your own leader. But I genuinely believe that getting it right is a personal responsibility, regardless of your level.

Our personal development, leadership style, and approach are ours to own and believe me when I say I learned this the hard way. These fundamental elements should be deeply rooted in our core values, guiding every decision and action.

For those stepping into senior leadership roles or those re-evaluating their leadership style, here are my top ten tips to help you hit the ground running:

1. Know Your Values:

Understand and live your values inside. Know what they stand for and how they align with your role and organisational and personal goals. Recognise where you're willing to compromise for the greater good and where you need to stand firm. Your values should be your moral compass. Mine are written on my wall as a reminder for when things get tough.

2. Reflect Consistently:

Set aside weekly time to reflect deeply on your performance, goals, and leadership style. Think about what's working and what isn't. How do your actions align with your values? Continuously dig deeper and set one or two actions for the following week. Thinking can be challenging; one way I found helpful was to build a set of questions to help me reflect deeply and challenge myself to create a change.

3. Embrace Vulnerability:

Great leaders are fearless in showing their human side. Being open about challenges, uncertainties, and mistakes strengthens the connection with your team. It creates a culture where seeking support and continuous learning is valued, and psychological safety is a priority. However, consistency in approach is critical and using your team as a personal crutch to offload your problems does not strengthen connections or build trust.

4. Invest in Your Growth:

Leadership is a journey of constant learning and adaptation. As you evolve, so too must your approach. Observe others, learn from their successes and mistakes, and continuously refine your leadership style. Embrace your unique learning style, and remember, as a leader, 'thinking is doing.' We often think that we will wake up an experienced leader when we get that great promotion. I'm sorry to say that isn't how it works. I found a fantastic coach who helped me through my first year as an executive, and having someone to challenge, support and guide me was invaluable.

5. Prioritise Your People:

Invest time in getting to know your team and key stakeholders early in your leadership. Listen, learn, and build trust. These are the people who will be pivotal in your success. Prioritise the right relationships, avoid distractions from those driven by ego, and focus on building a strong, supportive team; this approach will pay dividends in the long run.

6. Lead with Honesty, Steadiness, and Kindness:

To effectively challenge without being perceived as a bully, you must lead with kindness, trustworthiness, honesty, and consistency. No one respects a leader who is unpredictable or only focuses on criticism. Striking the right balance between being kind and challenging takes time, but it's key to lasting respect and influence. As a leader you will often be told to challenge more, and whilst this is easy for some, it is more complicated for others, so remember your values, practice and ask for feedback from those you trust.

7. Celebrate success:

Never underestimate the power of praise. Acknowledge what's going well, celebrate successes, and be curious. Praise brings joy and pride to your team. It builds the trust and rapport needed for honest, challenging conversations when necessary. It's the foundation of a strong, supportive team culture. It's also one of the easiest things you can do as a leader and costs nothing. The return on investment is high.

8. Build your Adaptability and Resilience:

Adaptability and resilience are key to leadership success in today's fast-paced world. Be open to change, and help your team navigate uncertainty with confidence. Resilience in the face of setbacks will strengthen your leadership and inspire your team to persevere. Being resilient doesn't mean you should accept poor behaviour or tolerate bullies or toxic work environments. Sometimes, walking away from a situation, role, or company is the most resilient outcome.

9. Communicate a Clear Vision:

As a leader, having a clear vision is crucial, but it's equally important to communicate that vision effectively. Your team should understand where you're heading and feel inspired by it. A compelling vision can unite and motivate your team, driving collective success. If you struggle to articulate your vision, you could consider getting the team involved by doing a fun exercise and building a team vision together. Even if you have a vision, getting the team involved in it, is rewarding and fun, and most importantly builds a collective spirit and trust.

10. Uphold Ethical Leadership:

In senior leadership, the stakes are high, and ethical decision-making is non-negotiable. Leading with integrity ensures you maintain trust and respect within your team and the broader organisation. Your actions should reflect your values and the ethical standards expected of a leader, and you should feel confident to call out behaviours and decisions that make you or anyone else feel uncomfortable.

As an experienced coach and mentor, I understand the challenges of new and experienced leaders, which is why I set up my business. I help individuals and organisations thrive. If you're ready to elevate your leadership and create a culture of growth, contact me to learn how I can support your journey.