At the end of the day, leadership isn’t about spectacular crowning deeds. It’s all about keeping your team focused on a common goal and motivated to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences are significant. It’s all about creating the foundation for others’ success before stepping back and allowing them shine. What qualities distinguish a great leader?
It’s not about pursuing individual achievement in order to make oneself appear good. Instead, good leadership is about developing the people around you: trusting them, empowering them, and allowing them to share their knowledge so that the team may become more than the sum of its parts.
Improve your collaboration skills
Context, transparency, and accountability should all be considered while working together. You can keep collaboration at the heart of all you do by increasing visibility and improving communication.
The significance of collaboration and leadership
So, what are the benefits of teamwork and leadership? They create clarity for your team and have a direct impact on the company’s vision when used together.
What does that mean in practice, though? What steps can you do on a daily basis to aid your team’s success?
Here are five suggestions for improving your team’s performance.
1. Encourage open and honest dialogue.
Create an environment that values honesty and transparency in all aspects of communication. Invite folks to express their perspectives and discuss the roadblocks they face. Request — and pay attention to — input. Most importantly, make sure your team members can get to your door easily if they need to.
2. Set collaborative objectives
Goals should be clearly stated and defined from the start. It may take a little additional time and planning to get things perfect at the outset, but it pays off big time. The team must buy into the goals (so plan them collectively), everyone involved must agree on what success looks like (so define clear KPIs straight away), and leaders must acknowledge and support the team throughout the process for the greatest results (so check in frequently and offer guidance where needed).
3. Rejoice in their accomplishments
Excellent work, team! Never forget to applaud brilliant ideas or achievement of goals. Share your team’s accomplishments with the rest of the organization and promote them to leadership positions. You can even schedule a lunch or supper to celebrate huge achievements so that everyone on the team can celebrate together. Regardless of how you want to commemorate the occasion, do so together.
4. Allow team members to work together to solve problems
Encourage team members to brainstorm and come up with their own ideas rather than enforcing answers. You can empower your team to think creatively, create confidence, and foster a feeling of ownership by providing them space to find the correct answer and submit their ideas.
5. Make sure you have enough resources and training
A excellent leader does more than simply assist his or her team members in performing their current tasks. They assist them in identifying opportunities for advancement so that they can improve their abilities and advance their careers. Give your team the resources they need to succeed and advance to the next level.
6. Be accountable to oneself
Things will not always go well during your tenure as a leader. You may even make a few mistakes. (After all, you are only human.) When things go wrong — when a project deviates, when the scope shifts, when the unexpected occurs — you must confront the situation head-on. Assume responsibility and collaborate with your team to resolve the problems and get back on track.
7. Don’t lose sight of the overall picture
You must strike a balance as a leader between zooming in on the details and zooming out to see the broad picture. In other words, you must guarantee that your team completes day-to-day duties without losing sight of the larger goals to which you are working and how you are contributing. It’s a delicate balancing act, but one that any great leader must master.
8. Exhibit empathy
Empathy is “the most vital instrument in a leader’s toolkit,” according to inspirational leadership author Simon Sinek. “Is everything OK?” is a simple question that shows you care about the team member and helps you create relationships.
9. Develop strong one-on-one connections
One-on-one meetings are an excellent technique for a team leader to form bonds with his or her subordinates. They also give each team member the opportunity to make a case for personal improvement or to bring up difficulties that are preventing them from doing better. Pay attention to what your teammates have to say and do everything you can to help them.
10. Foster a sense of deference
Great leaders show respect for their team members in a variety of ways, including being involved with and working with them. They don’t mind admitting mistakes or taking chances. Respect is acquired via empathy, compassion, and trust, they realize.
