How to Become a GOOD Leader? -- Meetup Summary
On Oct 28th, 2021, Gonzalo Vazquez gave us an informative and fun lecture about how to become a good leader. Here is the summary of the event. I hope it will be useful for you to build up your leadership.
Different Types of Leaders
Being a good leader doesn't mean that you have to model yourself to a certain prototype. Instead, you should elevate your strengths and form your own leading style. What type of person are you? What you are good at? Things like these really affect the way you lead. Here are some common types of leaders, find out which one describes you the best!
| Types of Leader | Description |
| The Strategist | Good at dealing with development in the organizational environment. Provide vision and strategic direction. Also an outside-the-box thinker. |
| The Change-Catalyst | Love messy situations. Master at re-engineering and creating new organizational "blueprint". |
| The Transactor | Great deal maker. Thrive on negotiations. |
| The Builder | Dream of creating something and has the talent to make it come true. |
| The Innovator | Focus on the new. Has the capacity of solving extremely hard problems. |
| The Processor | Love to run the organization smoothly. Good at effectively setting up the structures and systems to support the organization's goals. |
| The Coach | Know how to get the best out of people. |
| The Communicator | Great influencer and has a considerable impact on their surroundings. |
How to Interview & Hire?
Now you see there are various traits of a good leader, another important aspect of being a good leader is that you can recruit people that fit your team/organization. Gonzalo shared two criteria that he uses in his everyday life.
1. Hiring Bias
Hiring bias is when different, unfair standards are applied when evaluating people to hire/promote within a company or organization.
Possible mediation:
- Seek to understand.
- Standardized interviews
- Set diversity goals.
2. Culture Fit
It's about having employees whose beliefs, values, and behaviours are in alignment with those of the employer.
Possible implications:
- Can lead to a homologous work environment.
- Focus on the individuals and understand your biases.
How much emphasis do you put on technical questions versus behaviour questions?
This is an interesting question we discuss in the meetup. There is no right or wrong answer here, but as an interviewer, you need to make sure that the people you bring in, not only have solid technical skills but also have good interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with other team members.
Healthy Conflict
A healthy conflict is one that is based on mutual respect and trust.
A healthy conflict allows employees to debate ideas, practice problem solving, and learn how their colleague express their ideas and oppositions. Note that in a healthy disagreement, the goal is not to win the other person or change his/her mind. The goal should be to understand the other person's viewpoint and find the common ground between you and him/her so that both of you can move forward.
Gonzalo gave us an effective method, ALOHA(S), to help us better communicate. So What is ALOHA(S)?
"ALOHA" means "hello" in Hawaii's language. In this case, it's an acronym for several words you should keep in your mind while communicating.
A -- Appreciation
L -- Listening
O -- Open
H -- Humble
A -- Accepting
S -- Self-Control
I believe that anyone who practises these six traits can turn any debate into a health conflict.
Mentorship
Mentorship is a great way to upskill yourself. Teaching other people is a second chance for you to learn! If your company doesn't have this program, then go make one! You will be benefited from learning how mentors and mentees interact.
The End
Here you came to the end of the summary of our meetup. I hope you grab something useful for your career. If you want to participate in meetups just like this, feel free to join Toronto Channel! I will see you at our next meetup! :)
About the Speaker
Gonzalo Vazquez is a Toronto-based Software Architect. With over 10 years of experience in software development, he has worked at banking, telecommunications, startups and insurance companies. If you have further questions about leadership, you can find him here.