Positive steps to avoiding assertive leadership pitfalls

Assertiveness may be viewed as a negative trait, and yet it’s a defining quality of many experienced leaders. Combining self-confidence and determination, assertive leaders can often hold forceful personalities that rub people the wrong way. 

While that can be the downfall of leaders who fail to recognise their faults, assertive leaders who are balanced and intuitive are highly worthwhile. At the other end of the scale, there are leaders who struggle with being assertive and their voice may be lost in the crowd. But by understanding how your assertiveness impacts others, you can perfect your leadership skills.

Why do assertive leaders stand out

• Research from Forbes shows that leaders who are perceived as being more assertive are also perceived to be more honest and have higher integrity
• An assertive leader often drives change and is recognised for their ability to stand up for themselves and others
• Assertiveness on its own isn’t a key to success for leaders, with self-confidence and good judgement also important

How to strengthen your assertiveness

1. Embrace decisiveness

Anyone with a sense of natural assertiveness has an innate ability to be decisive. They rarely second guess themselves and back in any decision. For indecisive people, the thought of making a decision without thinking it through countless times is scary.

But an assertive leader is decisive. This does not mean there’s no room for doubt or second-guessing, they just recognise when the time to act is and are ready for the outcomes. 

So even if you start small, begin making and implementing decisions that will have an impact. Even a simple conversation is the perfect starting point as it shows you’re comfortable and confident in talking about your ideas. 

2. Show good judgement 

There’s no need for leaders who have already embraced their assertiveness to be more decisive. Instead, you should always show good judgement when making decisions. This may involve slowing down to give yourself more time to research, analyse and plan any impactful decision. Your ability to accurately judge situations and expertly determine the best course of action will be respected, but only if you have a successful track record.

3. Take ownership of outcomes

Leaders influence organisational performance and even in the face of poor performance, ownership of bad outcomes shows accountability and reliability. So no matter the result, own up to it. Enjoy the highs with your team, celebrate every success, but also make sure you’re there for the lows.

Consider team morale following a busy day or week. How does your leadership style reflect on employees working under you? Is there a sense of achievement even if some key targets were missed or is the mood clearly low? Assertiveness should not border on aggression and unfairly shifting the blame often causes serious harm. 

4. Don’t confuse criticism with honesty

Honest feedback is always important in the workplace. Employees deserve to know what’s right or wrong. However, there’s no room for criticism when being honest, so if your feedback sounds harsh to yourself you must rephrase it. 

• Employees should not be on the receiving end of feedback that’s going to discourage them from working hard in the future
• To overcome this, be empathetic and supportive while focusing on individual needs 
• Foster an environment where you can both be decisive when chasing personal development and team goals

5. Communicate your needs

One of the most common faults of an assertive leader is poor communication. In the rush to make decisions and act, key details and insights are often missed. This is where the most friction can occur with employees who feel like they’re not included in decision-making. 

Avoid any complications by maintaining open communication with everyone. Be invested in connections and relationship building, give insights to those who ask and always offer updates. These simple steps always lead to good outcomes.