How Should You Evolve as You Progress in Leadership at Work?

The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to call for a shift in leadership at work. Learning effective ways to communicate with your team, manage expectations, and build trust are critical for those in senior management roles.??

By Brandi Fowler

The Great Reshuffle and quiet quitting are still parts of work culture, so it pays for senior managers to shift to meet their team’s needs.?

“It’s a very difficult time to be a leader, and I think the qualities that are defining good leaders are really being redefined as we are emerging from the pandemic,” said The Rahbar Group founder and workplace issues expert Peter Rahbar .?

“The number one quality [defining good leaders in 2022] is being able to establish trust with the people who work for you. And then, flowing out of that is being able to motivate. That is a real challenge that a lot of people are having right now. Whether it is getting people motivated to come into the office, to just do their jobs or to do above and beyond. It is a huge challenge.”

Determining how to evolve as a leader starts with understanding good leadership qualities.

“Leadership skills are some of the most in-demand skills that hiring managers look for in applicants,” LinkedIn News reported.?

The ability to both manage and lead are two skills that effective leaders possess, said leadership strategist, speaker, and author Sara Canaday .?

“Being able to manage a workload, understand the strengths of the people on their team, and how to parcel out the work in a way that makes the most sense but also plays to the strengths of the talent on the team [is beneficial],” Canaday said. “[Also, communicate] well and draw a thread between what it is that their team is doing, and how it impacts their group [and] some higher purpose goals of the organization.”

Pay Attention to the Mental Health of Your Co-Workers?

Consider the climate at work to find ways to lead your team better. That includes keeping in mind issues outside of work (i.e.the pandemic, national tragedies, social justice and political issues, etc.) that might affect them.?

“Leadership [development should entail caring] more about the individual and their well-being,” Canaday said. “Some of that is the responsibility of the individual, but I also think as leadership evolves, it is becoming more and more incumbent upon leaders to be much more involved and engaged in the people that they lead.?

“Know not only what they enjoy doing and what their strengths are, but also how to help them navigate the uncertainty, how to help them negotiate internal politics, and be able to help them evolve professionally. Link them to people, adaptation programs, or opportunities to shadow other people. It is incumbent upon leaders now to help them grow other leaders and grow the people that report to them.”

Trust and motivation are top skills effective leaders have, Rahbar said. To help build trust and boost motivation, he suggested working on becoming a better listener, communicating better, being honest and transparent, and setting clear expectations.?

Learn How to Delegate When You Progress in Leadership at Work

Senior positions come with more responsibility, and it is important to know how to assign work to your team to increase productivity for yourself and them.?

“Prioritization becomes critical because everything seems to be on fire,” Canaday said. “Be able to suss out a lot of data and know how to separate the signal from the noise. Make predictions or take risks that would combat the ever-evolving changes.”

Also, understand how your team members work best and focus on their strengths as you delegate. Keep an open mind about differing perspectives from team members.

“Be able to suss out talent,” Canaday said. “You are going to want people on your team that may be more of naysayers, have fringe thinking. You have to get better at appreciating and promoting the people who don't fit a traditional mold if you really want to be innovative and competitive moving forward.”

Communicate With Your Team to Enhance Your Leadership Skills

Continuing to find effective ways to communicate with your team is a major way to grow as a leader. According to Go Remotely , 79% of employees quit their jobs due to a lack of appreciation from leaders.

“Any senior manager really needs to make communication with their employees a top priority with their team,” Rahbar said. “If you are looking at the balance of under-communicating or over-communicating, I think these days you have to over-communicate.

“You have to understand and acknowledge that employees are talking to each other constantly. If you know there is a dialogue going on between your team, your employees, why aren't you part of that dialogue? It is important to be involved in these conversations with your employees, which means it is important to be honest and transparent about everything. Even things that are difficult. Because again, this is about trust.”

Learn to Accept Changes and Pivot When You Are Advancing in Leadership at Work

Embracing change is critical, as is learning how to adjust to change. One of the best ways to do that is to reassess yourself every time you progress in an organization, Rahbar said.?

“Whatever the skill set was in the role you had before you were promoted, it is probably not going to be the same skill set you need for the new role [so self-assessment is important],” Rahbar said.?

“If you were a great account executive and you did a great job selling and closing deals with clients, that is a very different skill set than managing a team of people and motivating them to go make those sales. You need to assess yourself and you need to assess your team.”

As your career progresses, shift your leadership strategy to manage your team best. Communicate with your team, consider their needs, build their trust, and learn their strengths so you can delegate to them effectively.

Top Takeaways

• Do a self-assessment every time you progress in an organization.?
• Learn to embrace work culture changes and pivot accordingly.
• Communicate with your team and pay attention to their mental health needs.?
• Understand the strengths of your team members and delegate accordingly to increase productivity.?