Leadership has become one of those qualities that are crucial to business. However, becoming a Leader is not an easy process in my time as Employer Branding Lead for Latin America there a few lessons I’ve learned, that have helped me be successful and set the foundation for bigger and better projects. It’s a tough journey, but it’s definitively worth making.

Believe it

While I’ve been in charge of smaller teams and projects, the idea of being at the helm of a whole region was very intimidating in the beginning. I tend to be a bit of an introvert that mostly keeps to himself. Having to constantly talk and coordinate a team of talented individuals was very out of my comfort zone. Thinking of myself as a leader, believing I could bring the best out in my teammates and make the pieces fall where they needed to be was a real challenge. However, once you start thinking of yourself as The Iron Man in your team of Avengers, things become a lot easier. Building your self-confidence, feeling comfortable in your own skin is the first step in the journey and once you know yourself and believe in yourself, you can start on your way.

Meet the team

A common piece of advice when it comes to leadership is to “Know your team”. Know their strengths and weaknesses, which parts of the job they excel at and which parts need a bit of work. That’s a fine piece of advice, but I do believe it’s not entirely complete. You need to know the skills of the people you work with, but you also need to know them on a Personal Level. If you are the intimidating boss that sits being an absurdly large desk, that’s just never going to happen. In terms of branding, if you are seen as “Cerberus the fierce and hellish keeper of content that disapproves everything” you’re not going to get anywhere. You need to know the people you work with on a personal level, be someone that’s kind and emphatic. That way when they have a question or a problem they are going to feel comfortable with coming to you. And you’ll make some new and great friends which always helps.

Bring up!

It’s a cliché of every sports movie in history. At some point the team is down and the coach has to give a very inspirational Pep Talk to have the underdog come from behind and win the big game. However it’s a good cliché, since that strategy works. Mistakes are part of the human condition, and sometimes things happen outside of the workplace that may cause your team to not be at their best. A pep talk, a joke, a small conversation go a long way.

Credit: Any Given Sunday - Warner Bros

When giving feedback saying “it’s good” or “it’s bad” can be pretty pointless. Say why things are great, so they can be replicated in the future. And when things need improvement, be specific about which areas need to be polished. And never forget a degree of kindness. Being respectful and nice to your team will always pay off.

To paraphrase Coach Tony D’Amato (played by Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday) becoming a leader is a game of inches, little by little you’ll start getting to your goal, and all that effort, all those inches add up and eventually lead you into the end zone.

About the Author: Manuel Angel is Oracle’s Branding Lead for Latin America. He’s been in HR for close to 5 years, loves social media and creating engaging content. You can follow his nerdy musings on twitter at @anarchcorp,