15 Ways to Improve Your Leadership Skills at Work

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Every team needs a leader to help them grow and push them to be the best they can. For those starting a new business- this is vital.

Being a leader in your company means everything from keeping your employees happy, to making sure everyone is doing their part, to sometimes having to deal with difficult staff situations. Instant offices have listed their 15 top tips on becoming an effective business leader:

1. Have a Clear Vision

Your job as a leader is to outline the goals and vision for your company and to communicate that vision with your team. Providing them with a clear path to follow makes working together for a common goal all that much easier. If you all have the same vision, you will all work hard to see that vision come to life.

2. Show You’re Passionate

Show you care and your employees will care too. Having a genuine passion for the projects that you work on will not only get your employees motivated, but your excitement will rub off on others.

3. Walk the Walk

The best leaders lead by example. Want your employees to follow process? Start by following it yourself. Your team will admire someone who works by example and will likely emulate your behavior. Show the qualities that you would like to see in your employees.

4. Make Concrete Plans

Companies need direction, without a clear goal it’s difficult for anyone to get there. Make concrete plans for the future and map out how your team can help you get there with realistic timelines.

5. Remember That It’s Not About You

Being a leader is not about being in charge, looking the best or being right. It’s about building up your team and motivating them to work to the best of their ability for the sake of your company. Remember that you are all on the same team and that you are playing a role in that team.

6. Stay Positive

This may be difficult when everything seems to be going wrong, but a negative leader only spells disaster for the rest of the office. Showing negativity will only lead your employees to feeling the same way. By keeping positive about situations, you are reassuring your team while keeping them motivated to push through. People are also naturally attracted to positive attitudes.

7. Improve Your Communication Skills

One thing to remember is that communication is a two-way stream. While being able to communicate your vision and goal is important, be sure to also pick up on any queues that others may be giving off. Listen to your employees when they have complaints, opinions or ideas and you will go far. Strive to continuously improve your communication skills.

8. Admit Your Weaknesses

The best leader isn’t someone who has all the answers, nor is it someone who never makes mistakes. A good leader is someone who identifies his or her weaknesses and utilises the team around them to learn and grow. Be humble and don’t presume that your opinion is always the right opinion. Trust others and watch your company blossom.

9. Keep on Learning

The professional world changes constantly. Never remain complacent. Keep pushing yourself to improve and learn more about your industry to become a better leader. Stay open to everyone’s ways of thinking. Someone may have a better way of doing things than you do.

10. Think Critically

Being a critical thinker is key to being a good leader. While staying open to everyone’s ideas helps your company to innovate and grow, being able to spot a good idea from a bad one is even more important. Look at projects critically, identify any potential problems that may lie ahead and find a way around them. Ask as many questions as possible to ensure that your idea is airtight.

11. Handle Conflicts with Grace

As a leader, you are going to run into difficult people and will be forced to deal with conflicts. Learn how to do this in a way that is authentically compassionate and your employees will respect you for it. Get straight to the point though. If someone is bringing a negative attitude into work, or isn’t performing the way they should, as a leader you need to step in and address them in private. Letting conflicts simmer will only lead to unhappy employees who will probably end up jumping ship. Always remember to listen to both sides of the story before jumping to conclusions though.

12. Learn How to Delegate

If you want something done right, do it yourself. Right? Nope. The best boss is someone who knows how to select a team that he can rely on to get the job done. You can’t do everything yourself. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. Learn how to delegate work to the best people for the job and try avoid micro-managing. You hired your employees because you believed in them. Now give them the space to prove you right. It will empower your team and free up your time, allowing you to concentrate on other things.

13. Encourage Creativity and Contributions

Your team needs to be encouraged to flex their creative skills. Make sure that you have an office culture that fosters ideas and promotes contributions from everyone. If people are too intimidated or scared to share their ideas, your company’s innovation will become stifled. Set time aside to brainstorm and share your creativity and offer new challenges to your team. While you retain final say over ideas, encouraging team members to have an active role makes them more confident and fosters loyalty.

14. Give Rewards and Recognition

Great leaders understand the importance of offering recognition and rewards to their employees. It is one of the best ways to help your team feel appreciated. Don’t just assume that because your team are doing their jobs well that they’re happy. A little recognition goes a long way. Offering help, removing barriers to success and rewarding your employees’ efforts are all ways to improve their working lives. Put your appreciation in writing or thank people in public. It goes far.

15. Discover Your Leadership Style

At the end of the day there’s no one leadership style that suits everyone. Find a way that works for both you and your employees. Evaluate what your leadership style is like at the moment and identify areas that are working really well as well as areas that may need improvement.