There is a misconception in business that being a leader is authority and being direct. However, this approach may not necessarily be the most effective for many businesses. It can even stop some great potential leaders.
For the most part, leadership is often about balance—balancing the needs of the tasks of your business, your customers, or your team, including your virtual assistants.
Leadership can come in many forms, all of which rely heavily on balance. One approach is the idea of an “action-oriented leader.”
What is an action-oriented leader?
British theorist John Adair First coined the idea of an action-oriented leader. The idea was simple – strong leadership is a balance between the mission, the team and the individual.
In Adir’s opinion, a good leader is able to balance these three key elements:
- The ability to achieve the goals of the business or organization by effectively managing the task,
- Maintaining a cohesive and motivated team,
- Ensuring each team member is developed and allowed to bring their best qualities to the table.
Like a Venn diagram, this leadership style overlaps and works together to create success, but equally needs to be carefully managed to ensure a fair distribution of energy, time and resources.
What are the benefits of being an action-oriented leader?
The benefits of honing this type of leadership can be great for any business. One benefit is that mastering the action-focused leadership model can bring ultimate flexibility to any task, project, or team.
By adapting to changing circumstances and having the skills and knowledge to manage any task from all three angles (task, team, individual), an action-oriented leader can achieve better results, increase productivity and boost the morale of any team or organization.
It’s also incredibly hands-on, which can help foster a real sense of responsibility and ownership for the entire team.
The responsibility of being an action-oriented leader
Accomplish the mission
The main role of a leader is to achieve the task at hand. The actions of this role mean effectively utilizing your team and resources to join together for a common goal. It is imperative, as a leader, to identify and define for each team member the tasks, priorities and purpose of the team. Then, to take them, you must communicate them effectively and what is expected.
Refining the parameters of the overall mission, and creating plans, schedules, strategies and KPIs, are the framework that will help move things forward. Much like a journey, your role as an action-oriented leader is to create the map to success. From which team member does what when it needs to be done, setting expectations and timelines will ensure that the goal is achieved, or at least have an idea of what steps need to be taken to achieve it.
Team building
The second core role of an action-oriented leader is to help build, encourage and activate a motivated and performing team.
It’s not just about hiring people, but also about setting the standard for the group’s behavior and attitude.
A good leader will lead by example, and will be directly involved with the team – working with them, ensuring that everyone has the necessary skills and training to perform their tasks, and creating opportunities for collaboration among the entire team.
One of the really important ways to ensure the success of a team is to be aware of, and actively monitor, team dynamics. By knowing what the team’s strengths and weaknesses are it is easier to create an environment where everyone works at their best.
Develop people
Finally, the third core value of an action-oriented leader is the development of the people on the team itself.
Every person is different, and everyone in a team or organization has a different experience, strength, and skill set to bring to tasks. These can be obvious, while others can be young talents that a strong leader can help attract and encourage individual members to develop.
One course of action is by creating a development plan for each person on the team. Investing time and attention in the development of individual members can foster a sense of appreciation and investment. People who feel invested in them are more likely to work harder and be loyal to a business that cares about their career progress and development.
Steps you can take to become an action-oriented leader in business
- Learn about the action-oriented leader model from John Adair’s book
- Identify areas for improvement by analyzing your current leadership style
- Set clear goals for development and achievement both for yourself and for the team
- Develop advanced communication skills and ensure you are able to communicate effectively with your team
- Lead by example as team morale is often based on showing a positive attitude and talent
- Take steps to develop your team and find out more about their career goals and how these can align with business goals
- Monitoring team dynamics and handling conflicts and problems
- Be ready to adapt to changing circumstances because being flexible can help achieve better results
Ultimately, being an action-oriented leader is about balancing tasks, teams, and individuals. By being able to work them in harmony, giving the right care and attention at the right time, you can achieve amazing results and a wonderful team dynamic. If this is an approach you want to take with your team, you can get started today. You may find yourself surprised at the results you can achieve
