WANT TO BECOME A BETTER LEADER? HERE’S HOW:

Whether you’re about to become a leader of a start-up, or you’re 20 years deep into leading a company, you should always be improving your leadership skills.

A leader can be empowering, inspiring, beneficial. They can also be demotivating, negative, and destructive.

Leaders are at the bedrock of every business. People, culture, success and turnover are impacted by leaders – good or bad. In fact:

• 79% of employees will quit due to lack of appreciation
• 58% of employees say they trust strangers more than their own boss
• Only 35% of employees feel inspired by their boss

(Forbes & Zippia )

This may seem unrealistic for you and your employees, but the stats are too high to ignore. It may seem by these stats that all these employees have tyrannical bosses, but unfortunately many are the bosses that mean well but just don’t understand how to lead.

UNDERSTAND YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE

No one will lead exactly the same, which is good – but don’t get too comfortable.

Every leadership style has it’s own perks, but it also has it’s own flaws. It’s crucial to recognise which category you fall in so you can maximise your strengths and work on your weaknesses.

Psychologist Kurt Lewin distinguished 3 different leadership styles, and although recent studies have identified even more – these 3 styles have been a bedrock for the business world. Give them a read and see which category you most likely fall into (Very Well Mind ):

AUTHORITARIAN LEADERSHIP (AUTOCRATIC):

• Extremely independent leaders, taking little to no input from the rest of the group
• Usually viewed as controlling, bossy, and dictatorial
• Discourages creativity, leading to followers feeling uninspired

DELEGATIVE LEADERSHIP (LAISSEZ-FAIRE)

• Offer little to no guidance to group members – leaving decision making to the group
• Provides members with lack of personal responsibility and teamwork
• Leads to poorly defined roles and lack of motivation

PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP (DEMOCRATIC)

• Offer guidance to group members but allow members to offer guidance too
• Encourage creativity and input but retain the final say
• Leads to followers feeling important and committed to the group

BE A ROLE MODEL

You may have noticed that in all these, the behaviour of the leader impacted the behaviour of the followers.

Be what you want to see in your employees. Have a character that is:

• Inspiring
• Encouraging
• Supportive
• Open to new ideas

In other words, walk the walk.

Leaders are supposed to be passionate about their work right? Surely we’d want our employees to hold that same passion and make a big impact?

Fear, dull work environments, and control creates nothing but unproductive, uncreative, and disloyal employees. Don’t believe me? Read my blog about the benefits of a happy and engaging work environment.

ENCOURAGE CONTRIBUTIONS

It’s your business, it’s your department, it’s your team – we get it. But have you ever thought that one brain isn’t enough?

The ‘Authoritarian’ stifles their employees from thinking outside the box, but do you know what the sad thing is? They end up stifling their goals as a result.

Employees aren’t just workers. They’re team members, they’re creative minds, and when treasured right, they’re truly committed to seeing your goals come to life. Create an environment where employees feel comfortable to express their ideas, get their creative juices flowing, and feel truly passionate about your company.

Giving people freedom to contribute doesn’t mean letting go of your title as a leader. In fact, it makes you a more respected and valued leader.

CARE ABOUT THE WELLEBEING OF YOUR TEAM

Leaders aren’t meant to be scary, immortal beings that are untouchable and far away from the day to day lives of their employees – they’re meant to be human.

Be an active, caring member of your team. Whether that’s through 1-1 sessions, taking them out to lunch to get to know them, or just being there. Be in conversations, have a laugh, let them know you’re approachable and that you actually want them to be happy.

It goes a long way.

- Written by Oliver Howson