From Bad Boss to Rad Boss! Learning To Change as a Leader

Whether you found yourself in a position of leadership by mistake, or you are someone who is trying so hard to be a leader, you may think that being a leader is about having some natural charisma. But the fact is that being a great leader is so much more than that. If you are in charge of a group of people, and you find yourself frustrated, or your emotions come to the fore constantly, you’ve got to learn how to change. So what does it take to change as a leader?

Accept Your Setbacks

It’s nothing new, from mentors from Paul Ognibene to greats like Lincoln, learning to accept your failures and accept your responsibility is crucial to developing. We could take the Donald Trump approach and blame everybody else, but if you want to throw everybody under the bus, it makes you look like a tantrumming child. Instead, take the opportunities to accept when you’ve done something wrong. If you say you’re sorry and take responsibility for it completely, this will build trust, and it strengthens your working team. Setbacks are never good because they can throw you off track, and disrupt momentum. But remember, these lessons are the best ones to learn from. Making massive mistakes is never good, but you will guarantee that they will never be done again.

Keep Your Ego in Check

The big problem bad bosses have is that they slowly become consumed by the power. They start to think that their opinions are facts, and therefore start spouting off any gibberish in order to please the sycophants around them. But a great leader keeps their ego in check. But they also earn their leadership stripes by doing the right things. This means a very simple solution, putting others before yourself. Great leaders never worry about what people will think about them because they are in the spotlight, but it’s about making sure that others shine.

Let People Keep You Accountable

As a leader, it’s easy for you to keep people accountable because it’s your job. But it’s important for others to keep you accountable as well. Many people feel insecure about this because they may believe that others are gone in for their job. But the fact of the matter is that when you are in charge, you are in charge! Many people talk about The 48 Laws of Power. And that first rule, “never outshine the master,” comes to mind. If people really want to gun for your position, they will keep it close to their chest. Because you are the person in charge, you wield the power. And with great power comes great responsibility.
Changing your way is hard when you are used to a certain way of doing things. But you’ll find that if you are a bad boss, you can make significant changes that don’t just benefit you but help you look after everybody else. And when you finally start to change as a leader, you make the transition from a bad boss to a rad boss!