Whenever you are in conflict with someone, it is your attitude that makes the difference between damaging the mutual relationship or making it a deeper bond. According to the management-issues.com website, authentic leaders are masters of change in the way they influence and alter how their staff think about themselves and their jobs.
Your number 1 priority: Relationships
True leadership is all about relationships. There are correlations between boss-employee relationships and production of the organisation as a whole. Good relationships bring more benefits: psychological freedom and comfort, greater energy for work and more ethical behaviour are just a few of them.
Leadership can shift attitudes
True leadership can influence the views of employees, including their perception of the organisation as a whole. Development is not always about learning new tasks or acquiring new skills; personal development is also about changing one's perspectives. Many bad employees and bad managers can recite by heart the procedures they need in their work. Yes, they know how to do the job. But doing the job is actually only the first step. The ultimate goal is to be doing the job with the right frame of mind.
How to achieve this? First, your behaviour must be authentic and natural. Authentic leaders openly acknowledge that they are only human beings with some degree of organisational authority thanks to their position in the company. They want their subordinates to feel a sense of confidence, hope and optimism. Happy employees are productive and reliable employees.
You don’t have to be an extrovert
Be well aware of how your behaviour is perceived by others. Every single decision, move and word is scrutinised by your colleagues, who will recognise anything in conflict with company culture. The behaviour of leaders is organisational culture in the flesh. Leaders don't need to be extrovert, charismatic types. Introvert leaders can be great members of small teams through their ability to nurture strong one-on-one relationships.
-jk-