Fostering Leadership Qualities in Your Team
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
Building leadership in a business can be a complex task, especially with
today’s highly cut-throat marketing scenario. Assets get misplaced, there are
breakdowns, and equipment might stop functioning, and more. Such situations can
easily create panic and cause your team to fall out of balance. To ensure that
your team does not crumble under dire circumstances, it is important to foster
leadership qualities in them.
This is what will help you build a dynamic workforce wherein everyone is
responsible for what they do and take accountability for it.
So, here are some top tips to foster such qualities within your team –
1.
Be a Strong Example
They say it right that your team may not hear what you say but they will
surely imitate what they see you do. Just like children imitate their parents,
your team members will also look up to you whenever they face situations of
panic and fear. If you set a bad example by losing your calm and creating chaos,
your team members will naturally pick those up.
On the contrary, if you set the tone of a calm and composed leader
wherein you handle each situation with patience, your team members will
naturally pick up the same. Perhaps, the fastest way for you to foster
leadership qualities in your team members is to be a good example yourself.
2.
Build a Partnership and Let Your Employees Feel Involved
Now, always remember the old adage that says there’s no ‘I’ when it
comes to a team, even business, always ‘we.’ Your employees need to feel that
they are also a valuable part of the team and that their contribution matters.
To make this happen, always ensure that you involve their opinions in case of
making important decisions. Give them work autonomy and do not micromanage
their work as this discourages free thinking.
Once you do this, your employees will have a sense of ownership for
their work. Your organization’s culture will be such that it will promote a
culture of ownership wherein everyone enjoys the work they do and take
necessary measures to ensure that work is not disrupted. Each employee, having
an overall vision for the organization will then be able to be transparent with
the company and its operations.
3.
Be a Mentor, and a Good One
A good leader always realizes that there is always room to grow and
improve. As a result, it is important that you encourage your employees to
learn. This means the company’s management ought to assume the role of
facilitators, coaches, and catalysts pushing employees towards career
development.
Some of the ways in which you can encourage your employees to continue
learning is to encourage them to continue education, teach them the importance
of networking, allow your employees to struggle and figure things out for
themselves all the while giving the gentle guidance, encourage disengaged
employees to look for other roles that may suit their profile better, and more.
This way, your team will always be on their toes, thriving and looking forward
to each new day at work.
4.
Offer Consistent Feedback, Gentle Ones
Part of being a leader and fostering the same qualities in your team
includes being able to identify (diplomatically) areas of improvement within
your team and then creating solutions for the same. So, every month, you should
be regularly setting aside time in order to discuss about team performance,
both strengths and weaknesses.
Start out by talking about the key strengths. This will be more
encouraging, and once done, you can gently start speaking about the key
weakness areas. This way, you will come across as a valued mentor for your team
whose feedback will be much welcomed. During this process, don’t forget to ask
your team members for their feedback as well, and implement the same to see
desired results within the organization.
Conclusion
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