Perhaps the most intimidating aspect of leadership is knowing that, in addition to playing an important role in a team's success, leaders are held responsible for their team's failures. In order to obtain great results from their teams, leaders must be able to consistently motivate their team members.
To help you excel in your new position, here are five tips that will transform your new job from a daunting uphill battle into an exciting opportunity:
1. Focus On Communication
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Clear communication is an important part of any successful relationship, and the relationship between leader and team member is no different.
Express your ideas clearly, making sure employees understand what you're asking of them. Create a conversation-friendly environment, and give employees the freedom to express their thoughts and concerns. Team members are more willing to trust a leader with whom they are able to openly communicate.
Want to learn more about your communication style in the workplace? This free quiz will help you out.
2. Understand That Wrong Can Be Right
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Encourage creativity by allowing team members to be wrong.
Making mistakes is an inherent part of the creative process. If employees know they won't be punished for coming up with an atypical idea or solution, they will be inspired to think outside the box and take more chances, leading to the creation of better, more innovative ideas.
3. Look Into The Future
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Express your exceptional and positive vision for the future.
A leader with a plan is the easiest leader to follow. Once aware of the team's goal, each member will strive to do his/her part to aid in the completion of the objective, thus ensuring not only the motivation of each individual but the unification of your team as well.
4. Realize Passion Is Contagious
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Share your passion for your work with your team members.
If a leader is enthusiastic and believes in the work, while recognizing the hurdles that the team will encounter, employees will continue to do the same.
This is especially true in an environment rife with obstacles and results that aren't easily quantifiable, such as a school. As a principal, the constant reiteration of a strong belief in the school's role in impacting the lives of young people can both unite and inspire the school's faculty and staff, even when faced with challenges.
5. Know Yourself
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Identify your strengths and weaknesses.
One helpful approach to this is feedback analysis, as outlined by Peter Drucker in "Managing Oneself" in the Harvard Business Review. Feedback analysis consists of writing down your expectations after making an important decision and, after nine or 12 months have passed, comparing what actually happened with your expectations.
This helps leaders pinpoint exactly where they excelled and where they fell short, so they can improve upon their shortcomings in the future.
Devising an effective leadership strategy is an incredibly intimidating yet important part of being a new manager. By following these tips, you'll be able to stop obsessing over your efficacy as a leader and focus on the team's collective success.
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
