The art of being a good leader in the workplace is something that is very different for different people. It is also a fundamentally different role depending on the type of industry you are working within and the type and numbers of people you are the manager of. One thing that is often overlooked when discussing good leadership qualities is that of being able to praise individuals and promote a workplace that is based around honest work and a hard work ethic at all times.
In the past traditional leadership was more focused on strength, discipline, and guiding employees through having a thick skin and working longer hours than anyone else. It doesn’t matter what industry you are working in, a good leader doesn’t have to be a person that forgoes a healthy work and life balance, just to inspire employees to work harder or more productively. There is another route that can be taken, and with the right approach and training you could soon show leadership qualities that are based more in kindness than stern words.
The first thing to say is that it really does benefit everyone, including you as a manager or leader of people, to remain calm and positive at all times. Think about some of the places that you have worked at in your life. How many of those places have felt like a horrible place to work because the manager or boss is in a bad mood? The better a mood of a room the more likely it is to be productive. If a leader is grumpy and expects silence at all times, and disciplines employees for every tiny error, it is likely that the workplace will be an unhappy one, with lower productivity levels, and lower employee retention rates as a result. Stay focused and positives, create an upbeat workplace, and you’ll soon see that employees are inspired to work harder naturally.
Be flexible in your approach, willing to speak to different members of the team in different ways that suit each individual. Always be decisive in your actions, but show a willingness to be flexible and open to change. This could be over any number of actions, from how a team is to work through an upcoming project, to the amount of time allocated for lunch or work from home options. Flexibility and a willingness to bend to the needs of your employees will make you a much more successful leader, though be careful as you must remain decisive within this approach to garner respect from your team.
With all of this, a good leader is only capable of achieving good things if there is a clear line of communication open to employees. Always have an open door policy to any employee that has an issue that they would like to address with you. Offer discretion and a quick response to any problems, and make sure that staff members know how and when to communicate with you about both work and personal issues.
Comments are closed.