What are the qualities of a good leader? If you had to make a list right now of what you want to see in a boss, you would probably include adjectives like: inspirational, driven, honest, kind, collaborative, and positive. Are you instilling these characteristics in your employees, and better yet, are you displaying these qualities yourself? Employees mirror the qualities of good leadership.
1. Communication
The most important quality in a leader is the ability to communicate effectively with their subordinates. If there is a lack of communication amongst the team then productivity levels and engagement will fall, employees will become frustrated, and clients won’t understand why their work is not getting completed. Practice good communication skills, which include: active listening, encouraging conversation, good written communication, and follow-up.
2. Coaching
Every good leader has a coach or role model that has encouraged them throughout their career and helped get them to the position they are in now. Are you, as the leader, being a mentor to your employees and providing them with the resources to be the best they can be? Knowing how to do something and teaching someone how to do it are very different. Being a leader and a mentor means building quality relationships with your employees, creating a portal of open communication, and passing on your knowledge to equip them for success!
3. Collaboration
Delegate, delegate, delegate. As a leader, you have definitely heard that word before. You can’t do it all, so make sure you recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each of your employees and build a team based upon those. People will succeed and be more productive when they are working on something they like, and they are good at. Creating a team environment that encourages members from every department to work together is an atmosphere set up for success.
4. Goal Setting
Learn how to set goals for your team that are challenging, but attainable. If a task is too easy, employees get bored because they are not being challenged. If a task is too hard, they will struggle and give up because they feel that they are not capable. The goal is to find the sweet spot that motivates them to research, learn, and work towards completing their task to keep moving forward.
5. Personal Development
Encourage your employees to invest in themselves. You will never be finished learning, even if you have the highest degree and all of the accolades in your industry. New innovations and technology develop every day in this fast-paced society, so it is important to take the time to expand your knowledge. You can choose to watch training videos online, read articles about new technologies, attend seminars and workshops, or just learn from the people in your community. A leader in the industry should be actively seeking out ways to improve efficiency, learn from others, and stay up-to-date on the latest innovations.
As your company grows, your current employees will move to leadership positions for new team members. You need to start equipping them with the tools for success now, so they are prepared to move into those higher-level roles. Take the time to invest in your employees and watch the benefits multiply. At Charleston Payroll, we strive to provide you with the resources to make the most of your business and make it soar.