Did you know that nearly 80% of employees will quit their job if they don’t feel appreciated enough by their managers? The quality of management in an organization has a huge impact on employee satisfaction, worker productivity, and the business’s bottom line.
However, very few business leaders receive any management training before taking on their positions. If you’re here, it means you want to know how to become a better leader.
Keep reading for four ways to cultivate your leadership skills to the benefit of you, your employees, and your company.
1. Prioritize Relationships
The best leaders are not those who get the best work results or make their company the most money, but those who spent the most time fostering relationships with their direct reports. Get to know your teammates as people, not just as workers.
Offer the emotional support that you can in addition to technical support. Encourage your team to develop positive professional relationships with each other to boost your productivity and minimize interpersonal conflict.
2. Develop Direct Communication
Nothing is more frustrating than a team leader who can’t seem to communicate what they want from their team. Team meetings take longer than they need to, nothing gets decided, and everyone leaves feeling more confused than when they walked into the room.
From the leader’s perspective, though, it can be tough to say exactly what you want and need. Especially if you’re now leading people who used to be your peers, it may feel wrong to “tell people what to do.”
Start by working on being clear and direct with your communication. You’re the person in charge of strategy now. It’s your job to let the team know what your collective priority is and what you need to do to make it happen.
This certainly doesn’t mean that you have to be bossy or micromanage your teammates. It does mean, though, that you should know how to sound professional and have the answers to their questions and provide clarity and guidance where you can to ensure that the team is all working toward the same goal.
3. Invest in Your Training
Chances are, you were promoted because you were good at your job. However, being good at doing something is very different than leading other people through doing that same thing.
Leadership, like any other skill, must be learned and cultivated. It’s now part of your job to invest in your professional development through leadership training.
Read books, watch videos online, and listen to podcasts. Attend local meetups for professionals at your level to build your network and gain peer support. Sign up for workshops, retreats, and team coaching for personalized leadership training.
4. Provide Mentorship
Once upon a time, someone saw a spark in you. They recognized your leadership potential and helped you cultivate it to prepare you for your current role.
Now, it’s your turn to invest that same energy in someone else. As you’re working with your team, identify the people who go above and beyond. Look for the individuals who ask a lot of questions, demonstrate an interest in the process as well as execution, and seem eager to learn about roles outside their own.
Share your experience and guidance with them. Nurture these burgeoning leadership qualities in them. Provide them with opportunities to build new skills so that when the time comes, they’re ready to take on the role that you did.
How to Become a Better Leader: Start Now
Managing employees is difficult but rewarding work. Follow these four steps on how to become a better leader, and with time, you’ll develop your leadership qualities and be that much better at running a business.
Want more tips on leadership? Look through the other articles in the Business section of our site now!
