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 a leader and a 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. Practice active listening, provide regular feedback, and tailor your communication style to fit the needs of different personalities on your team. Strong leadership communication skills help prevent misunderstandings and foster stronger collaboration.
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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. Cultivating a psychologically safe environment helps your team embrace challenges and see failure as a stepping stone to growth. 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.
Great leaders reward effort and curiosity, not just outcomes.
3. Look Into The Future
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Strategic thinking is a critical leadership skill that keeps your team focused, adaptable, and driven. Express your exceptional and positive vision for the future. Inspire others by setting ambitious but achievable goals and consistently aligning short-term actions with long-term results.
A leader with a plan is the easiest leader to follow. Once aware of the team's goal, each member will strive to do their 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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In any industry, authentic enthusiasm creates emotional buy-in, boosts morale, and helps employees find deeper meaning in their work. 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.
Ultimately, your energy sets the tone for the team’s culture.
5. Know Yourself
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Self-awareness is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence—a key leadership trait. When you understand how you operate, you’re better equipped to build complementary teams, manage stress, and make confident decisions under pressure.
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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