Subuhi Zia

I've landed almost every job I have ever interviewed at. Here's some common themes that works for me. - Show that you care. Not just about yourself. But about the people you're going to work with. Talk about team development, trainings, seminars, 1on1s coaching, etc. It will go a long way to prove you care. - Ask the right questions. Ask your interviewer what they look for in their leadership. What qualities are important to them? - Have a strong sense of leadership style and showcase it in your conversation and work. - Talk about your vision for the company as well as the steps you're going to take to get there. - Be humble. Prove to them that you'll lead from the front!

The number of times I have seen a problem snowballing just because of miscommunication is higher than I would like to admit. Here's a quick way to fix the problem as a leader - Mediate - Listen - Resolve In these situations, the best thing a leader can do to be honest is to Just Listen To Both Sides carefully. Chances are both parties have just misunderstood one another and now both of them are feeling unheard. Giving them space to talk and air out their frustrations in a controlled and professional environment helps cool everyone down. And once people have cooled down, they're going to be more amenable to any solutions or resolutions you may have to offer. Often times, they will come up with one on their own!

I have worked with a team in the past where there were just men. Same ethnic background. Same age demographic. They went to the same clubs, watched the same sports and had the same social circle. They were great together as a team. But I also worked with a team which was a lot more diverse. Different age groups. Diverse ethnic backgrounds. Even their work experience and academic backgrounds were widely different from one another. Guess what team was just better? You guessed it, the 2nd. When different mindsets come together on one table. Everybody learns new things. Everybody grows. There's an exchange of ideas and information and perspectives that simply is not possible in the first team I mentioned.

I cannot say this enough. Good managers follow protocols. GREAT LEADERS embrace risk! Embracing risk is all about stepping out of your comfort zone and thinking outside the box. You're never going to build a team that is brave enough to try new things and challenge ideas and norms if you, yourself aren't comfortable with breaking the status quo. Innovation and growth starts with the willingness to take that first initial step to do something differently. And whenever there's something new involved, be it an idea, a system, a tool, an approach. It all starts with assuming risk.

Every once in a while, you're going to have a great employee who is going to fail. When that happens, their confidence takes a hit. As a leader it will be your responsibility to help them realize they are more than that one mistake. If you shoot them down further when their down, you're never going to build a team that is resilient. But if you manage to help them back up, you're going to not only get an employee who's motivated to do better, but also build a team that is loyal to you.

In my experience, acknowledging failure is not the same as promoting a culture of missed deadlines and just general failure. It is actually holding the space for people to make mistakes and then to grow from them. At the end of the day human beings will always make mistakes. It is how you help your team learn from those mistakes is what counts.