Strengthen Your Leadership Skills
March 10, 2022
No matter what professional sector you are in, every leader faces challenges and growing pains while trying to achieve in a constantly changing environment. There was no way to prepare for the many trials and turns that the pandemic has brought on professionals’ daily lives. These challenges are even more difficult for those in leadership positions because they are looked to by others for guidance in times when no one knows what the future holds or what actions to take when the unexpected occurs. Even though leaders in organizations and professional industries of all types are going through changes, there are still foundational leadership practices that still prove to be effective in the workplace.
The Leadership Development Institute is here to help and encourage you to review this list of leadership practices to better your habits at work:
- Communicate team goals publicly.
An important leadership practice is ensuring that the team members know what it is expected of them to achieve goals. Being as clear as possible when communicating establishes a proper sense of direction for everyone when performing tasks. Making goals known creates accountability for your employees, team, and peers and allows them to understand the purpose of their hard work. - Trust your team to achieve established goals.
After communicating the goals to the team, as a leader, one should trust the team to execute the tasks of their individual roles. The group having the trust of the leader empowers them to step into their roles with confidence, and gaining trust in their team and peers also benefits the leaders. Being transparent and delegating duties to the appropriate team member takes stress from leaders and allows them to effectively handle larger tasks. Like a strong relationship, trust is something that is built over time. It is earned by employees, team members, and peers based on their abilities to perform in their roles, the responsibilities they take on, and more. - Create a positive work environment.
Own the values and standards that were publicly set from the beginning, and lead by example. Leaders should promote relationship building among team members to ensure that working throughout the entire organization is enjoyable and comfortable. This will create a sense of belonging and community. It is also important to remember to champion diversity and inclusion when encouraging connections in an open working environment. Innovative and forward-thinking organizations are the product of diverse people who bring different knowledge and experiences to the table. - Show genuine compassion and empathy for your team as individual persons.
Displaying empathy is a critical leadership disposition because everyone wants to be understood, especially by those they look to for guidance. Being able to feel someone else’s struggle and take action to help them better manage their situation is an invaluable and unforgettable gift. The impact of allowing grace for individual team members makes for trustworthy relationships, open and transparent work environments, and all-around positive performance. - Acknowledge individual contributions and accomplishments.
Leaders taking the time to thank their peers and team members for their individual efforts and success is both impactful and empowering. When delegating tasks to the team, it is important to remember to be appreciative to those who are helping you make goals realities. Public peer recognition is one the simplest ways to boost a person’s confidence.
About Our Services
LDI offers cutting-edge, customized, evidence-based leadership development preparation, interventions, and coaching tailored to individuals, boards, communities, and organizations in the education, youth advancement, government, non-profit, and human services sector. Business and industry have known for decades that leadership development affects organizational effectiveness. Employers that deliberately focus on building leadership capacity in their workforce outperform peers by up to 13 times in key bottom line outcomes (Boatman et al, 2012). Applying these same strategies to target "the people who develop people" is critical to increasing retention, building morale, and achieving goals.