The old stereotypical role of the manager or team leader is extremely outdated. They are no longer there to keep everyone in line and crack the whip. Popular culture is filled with movies and TV shows about terrible bosses but that doesn’t have to be you.
A good leader can have a transformational impact on the people they work with as well as the success of the company they work for. Whether you’re new to leading or have been doing it for some time, here are some tips to raise your game.
Remember, being a good leader requires continuous learning and development, adapting to changes, and fostering a positive environment for your team to grow and succeed.
You’re probably busier than ever before. In today’s economy, we’re asked to do more with less. If you find that you’re distracted from your core role by necessary admin or operational tasks, then look for software or systems that can automate or streamline them for you. Look into the essential features of work schedule maker software for your team as well as project management tools and collaboration channels. For example, implementing a rotating shift schedule can help you optimise the use of your employees' time and skills, reducing overtime and labour costs. It can also improve employee satisfaction by allowing them to have more predictable work schedules and better work-life balance. Your team will work more productively, which is great for achieving targets and employee engagement.
You are constantly observing and evaluating the performance of your team. But have you ever stopped to evaluate yourself? Being a good leader isn’t about perfection, it’s about knowing what you’re good at and what you need to work on.
You can also ask for feedback from your team, peers and line managers to get a fuller picture of how people see you as a leader.
It’s important that once you get this feedback, you use it constructively. Don’t get defensive, angry or hold grudges. Put a plan in place to improve the areas you need to improve on and feel good about the positive feedback too.
Self-awareness is important in all areas of life.
Timely, fair and constructive feedback is vital to employees. But how and when you give feedback is very important. Don’t wait until people do something wrong before you comment. Always congratulate people for a job well done and unless there are extreme circumstances, you should also choose the time and place to give negative feedback too.
Companies often make the mistake of promoting people who have the best skills, rather than those who are better at leading. For example, say you have a team of software developers who are now in need of a team leader, and the company promotes the person who has the better skillset when it comes to programming. However, a team leader needs to be able to plan, delegate, motivate and all of the other responsibilities that go along with it. The person who is the best at their current job may not be the most obvious choice.
So when you’re hiring, you need to take all of the skills needed into account.
Doing things the same way day in, day out, for years is not good for business. It also means that your team will feel reluctant to come to you with their ideas on how to make things better. Keep an open mind and embrace positive change.
In both your personal and private life, learning is important. Keep up to date on skills that help you to do your job, read the latest thinking on leadership and management overall just keep your mind open.
Being good at your job involves developing a range of soft skills too. Emotional intelligence involves being aware of the feelings and emotions of others. In a leadership role, it can help you to build relationships and deal with team members with understanding and empathy.
Engaged employees are more productive, take less time off and are overall much happier than unengaged ones. Multiple studies have shown that engaged employees generate more revenue too. But the first step to finding out how engaged your employees are is to measure it. There are many platforms out there that use continuous listening, rather than relying on an annual survey. If your results are not what you expected, then you begin working on a strategy to start improving your company culture.
Good leaders can change the lives of the people they manage, just as a bad manager can make people miserable. If you are determined to be a good leader then you need to know that this is a continuous process that requires you to keep learning and developing so that you’re always in step with what’s happening in the wider world.
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