Some managers are able to inspire and motivate their teams, but many fail miserably to effectively engage their employees. Some do manage a highly effective team, yet the team members work in fear. Some, on the other hand, seem to be absolute disasters and an actual joke to other leaders. With so many books, DVDs, research papers, and various other solutions in the business world today, why can’t managers understand how to be more effective?
Here is an actual documented truth: people quit people, not jobs.
The best bosses became great by taking a genuine interest in each and every one of their team members. Not only do they want the organization to succeed, but they recognize the potential in every team member and help them, encourage them and support them so that they can fulfil that recognized potential. This approach is a win/win for everyone and produces motivated, engaged, productive and creative employees who also very happy in their jobs.
- Be an Effective Communicator
This is the most important skill! If one cannot speak with clarity and honesty to your team; articulating d the goals of the organization and collaboratively arriving at the goals for the team, it will be very difficult to achieve much as a team. One must be able to define what success means to both your team and to the organization. This discussion can occur daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or whatever suits your team and their task list. Weekly meetings keep employees tuned in and engaged on what should be accomplished each week. Apart from the team goals, offering training to help individuals upgrade current skills and add new ones is a great way to show that an organization cares about its people and wants to help them be the best they can be. It also can offer them the opportunity for advancement in the organization. There is nothing more valuable to employees than constructive feedback. Let them know they are doing a great job, acknowledge their contributions and guide them when they are having difficulties. If you handle mistakes in a supportive rather than finger-pointing and blaming manner, you will get much better results now and in the future. - Be an Effective Leader
Often, companies promote a top performer because of their previous successes, without ever determining or assessing if that person is actually capable or suited to manage a team. Effective leaders are able to earn trust, provide clear direction, and delegate responsibility appropriately. Just because an employee reached a sales goal of one million last quarter does not mean that he or she can manage or lead a team. A great boss will be a combination of a top performer with the appropriate skills and attributes to effectively lead a team toward high performance. - Be able to Demonstrate Passion
The ideal boss should be excited about the company mission, what they are trying to accomplish and be able to instill this in their team members. - Be a Relationship Builder
Effective managers spend a significant amount of time and effort building strong relationships with their team members. Doing this builds trust, respect, rapport, and loyalty with those team members as it makes them feel valued and appreciated. When employees feel valued and acknowledged for their contributions to the team they tend to work harder. It also does not hurt to occasionally offer a rewards programs, teach new skills, provide nutritious snacks or meals, and always treat everyone respectfully. - Be a Hard Worker
As the leader, you need to model the work ethic you want your team to follow. If you demonstrate that you work hard, organize your day well and accomplish all you set out to do on a regular basis, it will more likely that your team will follow suit. Really effective managers understand the flow of operations and will be willing to do just as much work as their team members to achieve the goals for the team. Do not ask them to do something you would not do, as this will earn you respect.
If you can demonstrate all five of these essential characteristics you will certainly be an effective leader and your team will likely be high performing.
