Have you ever thought about your career? Certainly. Since the middle of the last century, women are increasingly involved in the professional life of the society, which is why an increasing number of women leaders are appearing. However, unfortunately, for many different reasons, such a boss is not always taken seriously by surrounding people. And if you do not want to join the number of unfortunate female leaders, then read our article very carefully.

Image of the leader: what is it?

This word came into our language not so long ago, andliterally its meaning is reduced to the concept of "image" - the idea of ​​a particular object, phenomenon or person. He is very complex and multifaceted: he is influenced by many factors, and he himself also imperceptibly influences our consciousness. Do you want to communicate with a person or not? It seems that everything in him is normal, but still somehow the soul does not reach him. As a rule, the whole thing in the image, or - in the reputation of a particular person. It happens that the image is created almost from scratch, that is, the personality is one, and its image in the minds of other people is completely different. However, as a rule, it is a reflection of the aspirations and deep features of a person, which, incidentally, he is not always aware of. For example, a girl is constantly noisy and loudly expressing herself, subconsciously wanting to draw attention to herself, but this, on the contrary, is repulsive. In a negative image, a person's shortcomings increase, and in positive - dignity. We all value each other, and these assessments affect our relationships. In this regard, the image of the female leader should be immaculate and positive, since we are already being given more demands than to the man (we must also prove that you are working no worse than the strong half of humanity). Although some bosses deliberately create a negative image, for example, that they are not pestered with petty requests or to be in sight at all.

What is the image of a successful leader?

Since the identity of the leader isdetermining role in business, then very often it is for her that the whole company is given an assessment. Accordingly, it is important to understand what is included in the image of the modern leader, and be able to work with it. The following important points can be singled out:

• Individual characteristics: appearance, psycho-physiological characteristics, personality type, character, individual style of activity, etc. ... This is all that is connected with the personality and individuality of man.
• Social characteristics. The most important of them is the social status. Of course, it is directly related to the position held by the person, but it is not exhausted - the status is also influenced by the origin and personal status. The status depends on how a person will behave in society and, accordingly, with business partners.
• Values ​​are basic internal settings andthe principles on which a person relies in making decisions. They have a very powerful influence on the entire organizational culture of the company. Surely you have met with cases when the liberal leader of employees drink tea and go to jeans, and the hard - everyone walks on the string.
• Personal mission. It sounds somewhat pompous, but it is, in fact, a strategic vision of the company's development manager. It determines where the boss is now and where he wants to be in the future. The goals of the whole company and the head depend on it. It is on his personal mission that the personal mission of the entire organization is based.

The image of the leader can be external andinternal. The external image is how the first person of the company is perceived by the society as a whole and by groups of people whose interests, one way or another, intersect with the interests of the organization. It is directly related to how much the company trusts and wants to cooperate with it, because our brain identifies the whole organization with its leader (and it turns out to be not far from the truth!) The internal image is based on the relationship between the boss and his subordinates or, in other words, how the staff perceives the manager. It may seem that it is not as important as external, but it is not so, and it also needs to be given time. In small companies, the image of a leader can be formed on the basis of direct contacts with subordinates. In larger organizations this can be difficult, since the manager mainly contacts middle and senior managers. To avoid distortion of information at this stage, the first person of the company should periodically communicate directly with the people: record video messages, issue booklets, come to lunch or to a smoking room. The internal image of the boss is often different from the outside, because not everything is known outside the company. It seems to be deeper and more versatile, and you can contact it only by looking at everything from within. At the same time, the internal image of the head of the organization greatly affects the external, because employees in any case broadcast their performances on Wednesday outside the company. What is included in the successful image of the modern leader?

• Purposefulness and dedication to their work;
• Expressed leadership qualities;
• Willingness to take risks and courage in decision-making;
• Ability to take responsibility;
• Ability to take into account many factors in solving a professional problem;
• Ability to delegate authority and allocate responsibilities;
• Aiming at a positive result;
• High efficiency.

Management Styles

Looking at the image of the modernleader, you can not help but touch on the problem of management styles. We have already explained the importance of how employees see their boss, and it is the style of his leadership that directly affects this performance. Psychologists distinguish three options: authoritarian, democratic and conniving. The manager, who adheres to the authoritarian style of management, as a rule, in a businesslike and abrupt tone, delivers laconic orders. He does not seem to be an affable person. Its scope and prohibitions are tough, and it does not make exceptions for anyone. At the same time, he can praise and scold an employee, but all this turns out to be very subjective. This leader, as it were, is above the collective, having the decisive right to vote on all issues. All matters are always discussed in advance and planned in full. Usually he develops only immediate goals, but nobody thinks about long-term ones. Democratic style (or collegial) is based on the principle of participativeness, or, in simple terms, on the participation of the collective in making managerial decisions. Orders as such are absent in the speech of the chief - there are proposals, spoken in a comradely tone. This manager correctly gives feedback: when he praises or decries a subordinate, he necessarily gives a recommendation about his problem areas. His ban is ready to discuss with the staff and subject to adjustment if necessary. All business moments are discussed together with the team, and everyone is responsible for the realization of professional tasks. Thus, it is obvious that the position of this leader is within the group. And the last, conniving style of leadership, is based on finding the leader away from the whole team. He does not give any instructions, there is no feedback - rather, he stands aside and watches the course of events. Cases in the organization go by themselves and develop due to the interests and activity of individual participants in the work collective. It is believed that the democratic style of leadership is most effective, but it looks like the average temperature in the hospital. Organizations are different, and for some models the authoritarian leader will be effective (for bureaucratic ones, for example), and for others - conniving (most likely, these are creative collectives, such as advertising agencies).

How can a leader form the right image?

So we came to the main question: what should be the proper formation of the image of the head? After all, it never develops by itself - it always builds up thanks to the long and painstaking work of the manager and his team. So, the formation of the image of the leader is based on the following very important points:

The image of the manager can not be created once andforever - it must be constantly reinforced with real deeds, otherwise it grows dull and ceases to have a positive force. That is why it is so important that the boss, who requires employees to observe labor discipline, himself appears at work every day at standard hours. He needs to keep abreast of current affairs and processes in the company and be ready to deal with emerging problem situations.

Important role of secretary If the head of the companyis his face, then he, in turn, is a personal assistant. And that's why the secretary needs to be organized and collected, possess high stress resistance, be able to take responsibility and quickly think in difficult situations. If there are problems with someone from the business partners, then the secretary should be able to quickly "raze" everything - at least until the arrival of the head.

Appearance It's no secret that we"Meet on clothes, and see off on the mind." It is believed that if a person looks business-like, then the same order and sequence reigns in his head. Although sometimes it happens on the contrary: top managers live in a very tight schedule, and besides business dinners, they have informal meetings, which in a suit it is better not to come. And here the question arises of an adequate external situation. If it is a woman-leader, then she has much more freedom in terms of her appearance. Many successful ladies prefer clothes of bright colors, which emphasizes their charisma and ambition, for example, an ideal blue-figure trouser suit or a dress-case of bright red. So do not think that the image of the leader is boredom and rigor. First of all, your appearance should express self-confidence and professionalism.

Be responsible and always keep your word,given by you As you know, the leader should be an example for his subordinates. Confidence that the boss will do what he promised is the reason for their compulsion. A leader who forgets about his words or treats them with ease, runs the risk of gaining a bad reputation among colleagues and business partners, which, you know, is by no means the best addition to his image.

Balance of hardness and softness It is believed thata good leader should be tough, but that's not entirely correct. Indeed, when you are in charge of the whole company, you need to maintain self-confidence and be able to insist on your own, but this should not extend to the sphere of communication with people. You should be tough in your business decisions, but do not forget about the human attitude to partners and subordinates, as well as the ability to listen and hear them. There is a sharp deterioration in the image of the head, if he abuses categorical judgment and categorical. And interest in other people, in turn, is a curtsey to them, which mysteriously gives you a psychological advantage. Do not fail to use it!

Do not abuse friendly connections Of course,the presence of a broad network of contacts with people is a huge plus to the reputation that no one will argue with. But we are not that much. So it was in our country that very many business relations are based on relatives: love, friends and relatives. And it is natural that having friends in an environment or in submission can somewhat compromise you. This does not mean that it is worthwhile to drive out of the company all those who are connected with you. But you can not employ someone just because he is your close relative or friend. In addition, the presence of friendly relations with subordinates can add to your laxity, and this is not good.

Developed communication skills Naturally, thatthe leader has to communicate very much with people, and with very different: with subordinates, with colleagues, business partners and higher-ups. It goes without saying that he must be able to do it with brilliance. As leaders, you need to have a brilliant memory and easily remember all names, surnames and faces (or at least hire an assistant who can easily cope with it).

It is very important for the image of the manager how to youbelong to the people around you. And this attitude will be positive if you manage to get them to yourself. The most simple reception is a compliment. Especially it concerns subordinates (there is even such a saying: "Do not praise - you will not go"). They will work much better if you give them positive feedback (for example, emphasize what they are doing well, before pointing out drawbacks). Individual approach also works very well. Agree, it's very nice when you are asked about your life - why not use this principle when communicating with people? After all, as Dale Carnegie said: "The person most like to talk about himself." Then they will think of you as a good and sensitive leader. As you already understood, the image of a successful leader includes many components, each of which plays a very important role. At the same time everything is in your hands: nothing is impossible in the question of forming the right image. If you want to be considered strong and confident, you can achieve this (as well as the reverse effect). The main thing is to understand what you want and go to the goal. We advise you to read:

Comments

comments