What Is Expected Of You As A Leader

Eekkk! You got the call. You’ve been tasked with stepping up to a new role in your organization. They’re going to give you a new title. The title of a leader!

Let the celebration commence. You’ve taken a big step by moving into a leadership position. Congratulations.

The expectations of a leader

Photo by Val Vesa

But you probably have some butterflies in your stomach. They’re fluttering around and making you nervous. This is normal! Every leader stepping into a first-time leadership role has the butterflies. I’d be worried if you didn’t.

As you step into your leadership role, you probably have some questions. One of those is: What is expected out of me as a leader? I can’t answer what your organization will expect from you. Their expectations will vary based on the organization you work for.

What I can do, I can share the basics of what is expected out of a leader. I can help you prepare yourself for this amazing journey. And, for those of you who have been on this leadership journey for an extended period of time, there’s always something new to learn!

What Is Expected Of You As A Leader

1. Clarity:

Clarity is a major expectation of a leader. Your team needs you to be clear and concise on the mission and vision. They need to know you stand behind the vision you’ve cast and are not chasing squirrels.

2. Trustworthy:

The next thing expected of a leader is for them to be trustworthy. People need to be able to depend on the words you say and that you’re going to follow through with your commitments.

Breaking trust destroys teams. People become disloyal and figure if the leader isn’t trustworthy, why should they be?

3. Example:

Great leaders know people look up to them. They know others look to them as an example.

As a leader, you’re an example. Your team looks to you to know what to do next.

It is expected that you will set an example of what to do and how to do it. Make sure you’re setting the right example or your team might be following you to ruin.

4. Honesty:

I’ve mentioned a leader must be trustworthy already in this article. Honesty takes it to another level.

Leaders are expected to be honest. They will tell the truth, even when the truth hurts. They won’t candy-coat issues. Instead, they bring issues to the forefront and deal with them.

5. Respect:

Your team members are paid to be there. That’s a given. It’s also something many leaders take for granted.

They believe because their team members are paid, they can be treated any way they desire. They can be rude or harsh. Or they can take out their frustrations on their team.

Your team members aren’t expecting you to be perfect. However, they do expect you to treat them with a modicum of respect. They’re a person just like you.

6. Loyalty:

The people on your team are loyal to you. They look to you for guidance and direction. They see you as an example. And, because you’re the leader, they want to be loyal to you.

But are you loyal to your team?

Think about what you do when things are tough. Do you throw your team under the bus or do you stand in the gap for them?

Loyalty means you’ll deflect blame when it is uncalled for. Be a loyal leader.

Question: What other things are expected of a leader? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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