Share Your Challenges
Have you ever worked for a really effective leader? If you have, it can seem like this person possesses some quality that maybe you never could. Of course, most of us leaders know all too well how much failure and missteps actually paved the road that got us where we are. Short-term and long-term success can seem more attainable to our teams if they know that we aren’t so much the cream of the crop as we are consistent hard workers who strove and persevered. Some leaders hesitate to share their journey with their team for fear it may undermine their authority or erode their respect. For most employees, the opposite is true. When we see humility in our leaders, when we see them as people, it only heightens our respect, admiration and loyalty.
Lead By Example
You want your team to come in on time then you must come in on time. You want your team to put in some extra hours to complete an important project? Then you must be prepared to do the same. Do you want your team to do only their best work? Then lead by example by doing yours. It’s no different than with your children, your actions say way more than your words. Don’t let burnout or busy get n the way of making sure your actions match your words. Of course, as a leader, you cannot be available every time, manage every crisis, or operate at 120% all the time. Still, if you operate on the very same directives you ask of your people, they’ll see it. And when that happens they’ll work harder for you and be more likely to make your goals their goals.
Expect Mistakes
All too often, even the best leaders among us forget how much our mistakes contributed to the knowledge we have accumulated. We weren’t just born business savants leaving only good decisions and perfect strategies in our wake. Understand that like you, your team is going to make mistakes along the way, even your best people. When mistakes happen, and they will, treat them as the learning experience they are. Likewise, take a look in the mirror. Were you perhaps unclear about your expectations? If so, use the situation as an opportunity to clarify what it is you need from your team and make sure they understand too.
Encourage Problem-Solving Over Solving Problems
As doers, it can be all too tempting (and ego inflating) to step in and fix problems. Sure you know just what to do, but do you really want to be the one to do it all the time? And do you want to create unconfident employees who rely solely on your good sense and judgment to keep the train on the tracks? When an employee comes to you with a problem or you just see one developing, resist the impulse to fix it and rather, ask your employee how they think it might be resolved. Use your experience to guide them to the fix rather than just give it to them. Not only will you help develop their problem solving skills, you will get more buy in on the solutions that come from them.
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