Leadership is an ingredient capable of making the potential of a group of people take a qualitative leap. It is not just a matter of coordinating and encouraging cooperation between the members of a group. It is also about motivating, setting an example, ensuring that the method of working does not lead to wasted effort, etc.

In this article we will look at several key ideas about how to create leadership in situations where this role is required.

How to create leadership in a group

Although leadership is a complex phenomenon, fortunately it is possible to learn to be a leader. In the following lines we will see the fundamental ideas from which we must start to adopt the leader’s role.

1. Do not appeal to authority

Justifying one’s own leadership based only on one’s supposed authority, in most cases, only detracts from the credibility of the one who does it .

This is because leadership is not something you have as you might have an object, but it is something you exercise; it is demonstrated by what you do and what you say. Moreover, in this way that authority is not seen as something imposed and artificial.

The only case in which it is necessary to appeal to the authority is when it is very clear that there is nothing to discuss and everyone can see very clearly that continuing to question a decision only serves to waste valuable time.

2. Perfect your communication skills

Communication is fundamental to being a leader . Misunderstandings and lack of transparency are dysfunctional for cooperation and collective work.

Thus, both verbal and non-verbal aspects of communication need to be polished. Which leads us to the following idea.

3. Don’t assume the other person knows what you know

Each person has his or her own skills and competencies, but also has his or her own blind spots in terms of knowledge. Therefore, it is important to think at all times about the information that other people have or do not have when communicating with them .

4. Don’t confuse leadership with pride

Many people, when they think of the concept of a leader, associate it with the idea of pride. However, this is a mistake for several reasons, and one of them is that leadership only makes sense in the context of the group , so it is necessary that several people participate in a group or team for there to be the possibility of having a leader. The latter needs the others, but not all groups need a leader.

5. Do not use the group as therapy

A leader is important for the group because he or she is closely linked to the common goals. Therefore, he or she cannot abuse the authority granted to him or her by others to relieve tension by creating conflict with dependents. This, besides being unethical, is very harmful for the whole .

6. Make sure there are always goals to achieve

All parts of an organization or group must move according to concrete objectives to be achieved. If this is not the case, stagnation will appear , and it is even very possible that parts of the group will leave due to a lack of motivation and incentives in general.

7. Practice assertiveness

When learning the steps of being a leader, it is essential to fully adopt an assertive style of communication. That is, to be able to respect others at all times, and at the same time defend the rightness of the decisions you have made yourself.

This is because some people, in order not to displease, do not communicate certain problems relating to the work done by a person or several members of the organization, so that these weaknesses become chronic. One should not avoid moments that are a little uncomfortable as long as everything is a torrent of continuous praise. If someone makes mistakes, they should communicate.

8. Explain the why of things

It is important that everyone understands the logic behind a leader’s decisions. This is because the appearance of arbitrariness in leadership greatly erodes the leader’s authority, even when technically what he does makes sense and is effective in moving toward a joint goal.

Bibliographic references:

  • Gutiérrez Valdebenito, O. (2015). Leadership studies of men and women. Revista Política y Estrategia N° 126, 13-35.
  • Trevisani, Daniele. (2016). Communication for Leadership: Coaching Leadership Skills (2 ed.). Ferrara: Medialab Research. p. 21.

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