10 Tips For a Good Leader

Becoming a manager doesn't automatically mean you are also a leader. A true leader is made over time, and it means gaining skills that you maybe don't have at first at all. For most people, it doesn't come naturally, but there are several things to consider learning if you want to be a truly good leader.

1. Spreading positivity around the office

You can't expect your team to feel motivated and happy if you, too, don't show a positive attitude. It is even more important to stay positive when you face challenges and hard times—that's the time to show your team that challenges can be overcome, and that with a positive attitude a lot can be solved and achieved. People need a relaxed and happy atmosphere at work, and it all starts with a cheerful leader.

The positive atmosphere also means creating cheerful moments from time to time, and without any apparent reason, like bringing cupcakes or sweets at the end of working week. Workers who feel they are appreciated, and who work in a relaxed atmosphere created by their leader will be more likely to work hard, or even work overtime when it's needed. Even when the morale is low, a great leader will find a solution, and find a way to keep everybody positive and hopeful.

2. Be a source of inspiration to your team.

As a leader, if you are willing to help the members of your team to develop their skills, and learn new ones, it will not only boost the morale, but it will also help you gain the respect and trust of your team. Pay attention to your team, and try to recognize the skills worth improving as early as possible—inspiring them to work on those skills will speed up and improve working performance, too. People are one of the best assets of a company.

3. Own your mistakes and take responsibility.

Great leaders are not afraid to take responsibility for things that went wrong inside the company or their team. You need to be a role model to your team—how could you expect for your team members to accept their share of responsibility for failure if you won't do the same thing? Don't try to make excuses—take the blame, and get on with fixing the problem immediately. This is where you will show your integrity, and just how trustworthy you are. Be transparent about what you have done wrong, and how you can do it better next time—show everybody that mistakes are made so that you all can learn from them.

4. Listen, but for real, and give constructive feedback.

Advice "listen to your employees" may sound ridiculous or simple, but it's not, at all. It is far more complex than it seems. It means having good communication skills, which is something that most people need to learn. Firstly, you need to be able to distance yourself from what your team member is telling you—don't take things too personally. Secondly, try hard to interpret your employees properly, give them your full attention when you listen to them.

Regarding your reaction to their words and actions, you need to realize that sometimes words and feedback that are in your head may not seem so clear to those who they were intended for. Make sure your feedback consists of both the positive and negative sides, and give helpful advice at the end. It's not about making people feeling bad about their work, it's about helping them improve, and showing them that good work is recognized and appreciated.

5. Create a cozy working environment

The workplace will be as relaxing and cozy as you make it, together with your team. The first thing to do as a leader is to provide your team with enough natural light in the office. Create airy space, by getting rid of the things that are not necessary, and that are making the space too crowded. You can look for professional help to deal with the unnecessary stuff. Companies like Kyle Bay removals and storage are much faster in emptying space, and removing the extra stuff (at least for the time being). On the other hand, the office should be decorated with inspirational and funny posters, personal photos by the team members, and mutual memories from team building. Make the team feel at home, and their efficiency will be far better.

6. Humor is a natural remedy

Any leader should have a sense of humor. It brings them closer to the rest of the team, and it is also a great trait when things eventually go wrong. In everyday situations, humor makes the work seem easier, and it smooths the working atmosphere. When things go south, a leader needs to be able to laugh things off—it helps the staff morale. Encourage humor in the workplace—people need it on daily basis. It will make things a bit easier when a meltdown happens.

7. Let your confidence be visible.

As a leader, you need to show your team you’re confident about what all of you are doing, and where you’re headed. In times when things don’t go exactly your way, you need to keep your head up, and show your employees you believe in them. It lifts your team’s spirit when they see you calm and confident—that gives them the motivation to move on and persist. Don’t think that high confidence is the same as arrogance. The latter means you’re unaware of the real problems, while confidence means you believe you are capable of dealing with problems successfully. If your employees see that you don’t panic, their productivity will remain at a high level.

8. Delegate at the right time in the right way.

It doesn’t matter how capable you are—you just can’t manage to deal with everything by yourself. Plus, it wouldn’t even look good if you were trying to get everything done even if you have a team. A good leader knows when the time to delegate certain tasks is. Having less to worry about, and reducing your stress levels is definitely an advantage, but delegating is much more than that. By delegating something to a team member, you are actually showing them you believe in their competence. It raises their morale, and makes them feel appreciated. If they feel you trust them, they will be more loyal to you—it’s that simple.

9. Use your lessons learned.

No business can go without hardships from time to time. At some point, you are also bound to make some mistakes. This isn’t something to be furious about—you should rather learn from your mistakes, and move on. Every now and then, some current situation will be similar to something you have experienced in the past. It is the moment when you need to show you understood your previous mistake, and you drew a lesson from it. And it’s that lesson that will help you make the right call this time, and do it quickly. A good leader sees mistakes as lessons useful for future challenges. Nobody is flawless—the difference is what we do with the experience we gained.

10. Clarity at every point

In case you have an idea or you want to introduce a problem that should be solved, break it into simplest parts so that everyone in your team can understand it. This doesn’t mean explaining it to your team like they are 10-year old, but to make it accessible to everyone involved. That way, more people will be able to develop the idea further, or get on to the problem from the right aspect. Stick with this strategy—if you can’t introduce the issue in 30 seconds, then you probably didn’t grasp it completely.

All in all

In essence, a good leader is someone who inspires others, who is ready to help, and to nudge their employees in the right direction. It is somebody who understands that developing interpersonal skills, and honest and relaxing relationships brings good results.