Effective Leadership

For the duration of my career in a middle management role I have been seeking the answer to my question - what is effective leadership and how can I put it into practice?

Starting in a middle management role at a fairly young age and transitioning from colleague to team leader was difficult to navigate, even though I have known for a few years that leadership and a management role was my aim.

I have attended courses, completed academic qualifications and have always listened to advice from colleagues and senior colleagues to try and find the answers, however, I have come to realise that there is no rule book, there isn’t a list of ‘do’s and ‘do not’s and every situation where leadership is required may need a different approach. What I have learned is that good communication skills are essential to any effective leadership alongside an in depth understanding of the goals and objectives.

I have found that being part of the Future Leaders Programme with Housing LIN has helped me to communicate with other future leaders and share experiences. I was able to understand that others feel similar to the way I do when starting out in a leadership role, regardless of the service area.

I found the talks from different leaders within the housing sector very inspiring, motivating and uplifting, especially from those who started in a similar background to where I am at this point in my career.

It is easy to fall into just completing the task in hand, and although I have never lost motivation to do a good job, I have previously asked myself what direction I want to take in my future career and what the best approaches are for implementing change in an ever-changing and continually challenging public housing sector. The talks and stories told by the guest speakers almost reignited a passion for leadership and helped me to refocus on this as a long-term career goal.

I have picked up that communication is key and there are different styles of leadership with none of them being right or wrong but different styles applied for different services or different situations.

I have also learnt that in order to be a good leader, honesty, transparency, positivity and self-reflection are all equally important in order to learn from mistakes and grow in confidence. I am looking forward to using what I have learnt from the Future Leaders Programme in my role and in the future.

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Amy's blog is one of 9 from the 3rd cohort of the Housing LIN’s Future Leaders Programme, which is sponsored by Inspired Villages Group, that we are publishing in the lead up to our virtual Summit – A Festival of Ideas and the virtual session on Tuesday, 29 February 2024 (10:30am -pm - 12:00 pm). Register now for Cultivating Leadership: Inspiring the Next Wave of Talent and Future Leaders.

Find out more about Housing LIN’s Future Leaders Programme and read the other blogs once published.