You cannot overlook certain responsibilities if you want to improve as a leader and build a high-performing organization. Being a leader involves more than just helping your team members succeed. You also have to take care of things like team morale, development, dispute resolution, and workplace culture.
It is therefore evident that developing into a great, successful leader requires a lot of time, discipline, and practice. However, by mastering the seven traits listed below, you’ll be positioning yourself and your team for the greatest success possible:
1.Evaluate and track team climate
In terms of the attitudes that define a group, climate refers to the common views and perceptions of the group members. The environment within an organization is the duty of front-line leaders.
Culture and climate are not the same. The shared presumptions, attitudes, and beliefs that guide employees’ behavior inside a company characterize its culture. The concept of culture is top-down, and senior executives are accountable for it. The culture of an organization can only evolve gradually over time.
Climate and culture both depend on morale. The team’s morale affects its confidence, readiness, and discipline to succeed, particularly while dealing with difficulties and adversity. An excellent company culture might have a poor team atmosphere if front-line leaders are not performing their duties. Of course, the reverse is also possible. In a bad culture, it is certainly feasible to have a good team dynamic.
2.Gain and share trust
A positive environment is influenced by leaders who gain the confidence of their followers. People are skeptics of their leaders by nature. Gaining the trust of their followers takes time.
People are more open to allowing their leaders’ influence when they trust them. People are more likely to trust leaders who demonstrate trust.
When a leader is willing to be vulnerable and real, trust is earned. Being open and sincere are key components of authenticity. Being authentic involves being willing to connect with people as you are and showing your actual self. Genuine leaders are open to having frank conversations with their followers and value their varied perspectives and experiences. Being vulnerable is being open to new things, ideas, changes, and uncertainties. Leaders must be willing to take a chance by being vulnerable with their team and exposing their flaws and mistakes. Being genuine exposes one to vulnerability. Being open to being hurt is a strength that requires courage.
3.Maintain a polite atmosphere at work and treat everyone with respect
Respect is the regard that people have for one other’s opinions and for what they value highly.
People are more engaged and productive when they feel valued at work. Respect is a subjective concept.
People are treated with respect by leaders who value their thoughts and encourage them to “open up.” Respect is seen as a crucial element of collaboration by leaders that employ active listening in their communication. Active listening entails paying close attention to what someone is saying without jumping to conclusions and using thoughtful questions to elicit the most understanding possible.
Leaders that embrace diversity and are inclusive treat people with respect. Diversity is the appreciation of and respect for the unique contributions that each employee may make as well as their distinct differences and similarities. By being inclusive, one can guarantee that everyone has an equal chance to participate and be empowered. The goal of inclusivity is to promote diverse viewpoints and creative solutions in the workplace.
People must be treated fairly and consistently to earn their respect. Leaders respect people by praising them for their efforts.
4.Uphold justice and accountability
A place of work where there is no responsibility is disorderly and chaotic. Leaders must be just and consistent when enforcing accountability.
Leaders need to be explicit about their expectations for behavior, performance, and learning in the workplace. Holding non-performers accountable is a duty of leaders to those who are doing things right. Of course, leaders are also accountable to themselves for upholding established norms. Leaders provide an example for accountability by exemplifying “what right looks like” for their followers.
People can be held accountable without necessarily being punished. Enforcing accountability typically entails changing behavior. It entails making certain that individuals adhere to predetermined standards and learn from their errors.
5.Encourage staff to enjoy their jobs.
We devote more time to our jobs than to our families. The enjoyment shouldn’t always revolve around celebration, and jobs shouldn’t be dreary.
People can unwind and take a mental break from their problems by having fun. Humor is frequently used by individuals as a stress-reduction technique, and laughing helps ease fear and anxiety. Having fun encourages communication and strengthens team unity.
An approach to connect with people facing similar issues is to share a sense of humor with them. Humor is a strong tool, especially when used by leaders.
6.Exhibit admirable character
A leader’s reputation will be made or broken by their character. People won’t give their all to leaders who lack moral character. By gaining the team’s respect and trust, a leader can develop their character. People become more resilient when leaders exhibit the following qualities to their teams:
Moral bravery is the ability to behave morally despite danger
Honesty: Displaying sincere beliefs, goals, and deeds
Having a modest opinion of oneself or a modest estimate of its importance
Empathy: The capacity to share another person’s feelings, thoughts, or views
Building trust requires being morally courageous and truthful. Being humble and empathetic is a sign of respect.
7.Control and communicate expectations
Expectations are presumptions, convictions, and concepts about behaviors and outcomes. Managing expectations helps people mentally get ready for difficulties and challenges so they can deal with stress. Plans rarely turn out as intended, so leaders must be aware of the risks involved and support their teams as they work through difficulties.
The following types of questions are good for leaders to pose to themselves and their teams:
- What is the absolute worst that could happen?
- How can we get ready for that and adjust?
- What else could possibly fail?
- What is our backup plan?
Keeping the team informed, keeping them focused on their goals, and building a more cohesive and resilient company are all benefits of managing expectations of potential challenges.
Source: Entrepreneur
To get to know who are the industry key players, visit our Interview of the Week page.
To stay updated, visit our Franchise News section.
To learn more, visit our Franchising Tips section
0 comments