As a leader, your primary goal is to inspire your team to work well together. This usually involves finding ways to build a stronger bond within the team to ensure efficiency and productivity will be maximized. You may also want to make a lasting mark on your team. While not every leader will leave a positive impression with the members of their team, here are things you can do to impress a positive legacy upon the people you lead.
Stay True to Your Character
Many leaders act out of character because they’re more focused on building up a great reputation for themselves. This is a counterintuitive approach that often ends up backfiring. Instead, you should focus on staying true to your character and your own personal traits. Using your character to connect with others and to lead your team will help you build a reputation that’s based upon honesty and transparency.
Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes
It’s not uncommon for a leader to be put in a position in which they have to make unpopular and hard decisions. In fact, this is why you have been placed in the leadership role. While you may be nervous about making the wrong decision, failing to act will be even worse. People will remember you in a positive light if you make hard decisions based on your personal philosophy. Even if it seems as though you made the wrong decision, owning that decision and learning from the experience is going to contribute to your ability to leave a strong legacy.
Act With Integrity
Your team should know what you expect of them, and they should know what to expect from you. This means you will have to be honest and consistent in your interactions with them. While you may not always make the popular calls, your team will gain respect for you. Doing what you can to engender their trust will not always be easy, but it will produce long-lasting positive results.
In addition to keeping these tips in mind, you can look for more ways to ensure you’ll leave a positive legacy behind. This will primarily involve building a stronger connection between you and your team, but that doesn’t mean you can’t also be creative. Looking for new ways to build trust with your team will help you build up a reputation that won’t soon be forgotten.