You might fancy yourself a leader of men and women, and even have a position of authority, but simply having confidence and a title won’t always lead to your ideas getting traction with your team.

In order to get people to follow your lead, you need to exhibit the qualities of a leader. People crave communication, ingenuity and positivity, and effective leaders give that to them … and more!

Taking on the qualities of leadership can also do wonders for your call center career. It just takes practice, patience, time, desire and dedication to growing your budding abilities.

Engage Others with Ideas

You won’t become a leader sitting on the sidelines. Get in there and contribute whenever possible. Group meetings and team discussions are great times to interject your thought on a situation.

Make sure what you have to say is well-thought-out, and makes a positive contribution. Saying the first thing that pops into your mind or tearing down the ideas of others are two things good leaders try to avoid.

Don’t Feed into Gossip

It might be tempting to feed into office gossip. You might think it’s just a little harmless entertainment to make the day go by, or you might think it could help you to climb the corporate ladder.

However, engaging in gossip makes you look small and insecure. You’re also less effective as a leader if people around you suspect you are trashing them behind their back.

Find Something to be Genuinely Excited About

If you’re trying to become a leader, fake positivity is about as effective as real negativity. Rather than being a mindless cheerleader, try to connect with your work, maintain a positive outlook and spread that personalized enthusiasm to others.

Encourage Others

One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is making every situation about them. Recognize the contributions of others and be open to the possibility that you don’t always have all the answers. When you build team spirit and a sense of mutual appreciation in a call center, you’re already being a leader.

Be Solutions-Oriented, For Your Team

In trying to build up a team around you, you also need to be focused on solutions that address team issues. Look for opportunities to increase productivity, cut costs or boost morale. Avoid jumping on opportunities that make you look good but offer little benefit to others.

Reflect On Your Own Performance

Like Captain Ahab in Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick, bad leaders plow ahead with bad ideas to the detriment of those around them. Good leaders, on the other hand, are always questioning themselves, asking if they could be doing things better or if a decision they made was the right one.

At Cornerstone, we specialize in connecting business leaders with the best and the brightest, because we know even the most effective call center leaders need a good team around them. If you are looking for a custom talent acquisition solution, please contact us today.