5 Actions Effective Leaders Do Consistently

Being a boss and being a leader are two different things. While both entail a position of some form of authority, one is in a better position to truly inspire and get the best performance out of people.

To be a leader is to set yourself apart from the rest - performing at a high level while galvanizing your staff to bring their best in everything that they do.

If you're looking to advance through the ranks and become an effective leader, you need to consistently practice the following actions.

Communicating clearly

Effective leaders are able to clearly say what they need to say. No more, no less. This applies in every aspect of the job, from setting expectations with colleagues to giving feedback.

When relaying messages from upper management or setting the overall tone for the team, you must be confident in your words and avoid giving a sense of being unsure.

Challenging others

As a leader, it's your job to inspire everyone to do their best and expand their thinking. There are a number of ways to do this, but it's helpful to view yourself as both mentor and coach.

You can orchestrate or sponsor the facilitation of workshops on subjects that relevant to the job. These formal settings can help people sharpen their skills and gain new insights.

On the other hand, informal approaches are also possible. The usual water cooler conversations are always an opportunity to get to know how colleagues' interests and world view. From there, you can think of interesting ways for them to stretch themselves and reach their full potential.

Exercising accountability

Great leaders own up to their mistakes and hold themselves accountable to overall team outcomes. This signals to the rest of your colleagues that you are not shielded from the consequences of failure or being wrong.

The more accountable you are to your team and to the organization, the more your colleagues will respect the decisions that you make.

Problem solving

Effective leaders objectively view a particular issue and hear out all sides of the story. Decisions aren't made until all the information has been reviewed thoroughly or carefully considered. However, this doesn't mean that you can take all the time you want.

You need to come to decisive actions rapidly and avoid wasting any time. While it may be uncomfortable (emotionally or otherwise) for others to deal with such matters, great leaders will rise above it.

Seeking help and counsel

With the example of problem solving above, it may be the case that a leader is too involved with a specific issue or problem. In such cases, effective leaders will seek out the counsel of others for more unbiased perspectives.

You should be comfortable with not having all the answers or solutions readily available.

However, more than anything, truly effective leaders are always learning from others or from new resources that are available. They are never satisfied with knowing how to do one thing for the rest of their careers.

As a leader you need to be constantly evolving and developing new skills.

Leading for the right reasons

If you're interested in becoming a leader, it's always good to re-examine the reasons behind your goals. If it's just for the sake of gaining more power and authority over others, you might need to re-evaluate. You should genuinely enjoy making a meaningful impact on your colleagues and organization in order to thrive in any leadership position.