Obtaining strong leadership skills and refining them regularly is crucial. In fact, these abilities, knowledge, and traits are the key to every role. So, you should adopt them even before you reach a leadership position. Wondering how to become a successful team leader? Well, the good news is that it’s not hopeless. On the contrary! You can grow your skillset and soak in the effective team leader characteristics. All you need is a bit of patience & the right guide. So get ready! Let’s take action and set a course for accomplishment.
Traits & duties: What makes a successful team leader?
The ultimate aim comes down to leading a crew of skilled and dedicated people properly and getting them to show their full potential. By doing so, the whole company will see some amazing results. Now, the basic responsibilities of each person in charge of running a squad within a firm include:
- Uniting all members and helping them gain a clear understanding of their roles and tasks,
- Making plans and schedules, and setting clear and realistic goals and milestones,
- Monitoring progress and striving to communicate clearly regarding all updates and project status,
- Offering feedback, constructive criticism, and encouragement to each employee.
Fulfilling these duties fully and smoothly is what makes a superb leader. Also, good leaders must inspire employee development – personal and professional. They’ll applaud forward-thinking and proactive approaches. And finally, they’ll never compromise on their work ethic and best principles. How to do all of this? Well, a few qualities are needed to get it all done correctly.
Key points: What are 5 qualities that make an effective leader?
There are more than a few qualities of a successful team leader. But these five are the absolute must-haves:
- Confidence and self-awareness with a constant desire for personal development,
- Fairness and objectivity, along with the ability to spot and eliminate biases (from the hiring processes to the workplace in general),
- Uplifting attitude and capability to stir up the spirits and motivate every person,
- Flexibility and adaptability, plus the capacity to help others adjust to changes,
- The power and readiness to take the assignment or delegate it in such a way to provide the most efficiency, best results, and the necessary encouragement to teammates.
Acquiring and amplifying these essential traits should be on everyone’s list. So, regardless of your job and duties, make sure to take on these skills.
Learn how to be a successful team leader in 5 steps
Every good leader’s goal is to motivate and empower their teams. And they all must have a few tricks up their sleeve. So, it’s best to create a few smart strategies that will outline the road toward these favored outcomes. Especially since some setbacks and unexpected problems are likely to pop up somewhere along the way. And these challenging times are precisely what can shape a great leader’s persona. So be sure to stick with the steps we’ll describe and follow the tested pieces of advice below.
Be a full team member
You can’t truly lead and inspire without showing commitment. So, you’ll have to become an equal member of the team if you want to reach out and spark productivity. Let’s imagine that there’s a tedious task you’d absolutely hate to finalize. But the deadline won’t push itself, and someone will have to take charge. Now, here’s a thing – it’s pretty much the agony everyone will gladly skip. But if you always delegate boring and exhausting duties, you won’t become a true leader. Instead, take one for the team every once in a while.
Lead by example and promote a healthy workplace culture
Your attitude has to match the image of an ideal employee. So, show that you have the right mindset and demonstrate behavior that every member should embrace. Because that’s the only way to promote a positive work culture. Now, there are several leadership styles. Be sure to find the right one. It should be in line with your personality and your team’s sensibility. Are you more of a coach or a full-on bureaucrat who’s just obsessed with duties and hierarchy? Or, would you come off as democratic and supportive, or rather go for a firm leadership style that matches someone who’s completely result-driven? Assess your goals and personality traits. And go for it.
Build trust and establish reasonable sets of rules
Warning: lots of buzzwords ahead! You know, we have to mention the most popular phrase these days. Work-life balance. Ta-da! So, in order to reach this workplace utopia, there’s a matter of setting clear rules (that do absolutely no harm) and following them. All employees have to understand these principles and be fully aware of why they should accept & comply. And their successful team leader will truly believe that these people will act upon the guidelines. So, the bottom line is that leadership requires mutual respect and trust. Communicate politely, be accessible, and be accountable. Finally, encourage people to speak their minds and impact the organization.
Use recognition as your most powerful tool
According to the surveys conducted across the US businesses a year ago, 79% of people quit their job because of a lack of appreciation. The stats seem shocking. But the truly astonishing fact is that leaders and managers can turn the situation around very quickly. In fact, there are countless (effortless) ways to show recognition. For example, leaders could send weekly emails to the whole crew, notifying them about their progress and the awesome work they’ve recently done. Regular check-ins and 1:1 also do the trick. The choice is all yours. Just think about what can boost your team’s motivation the most and try it out.
Talk about the core values
Once again, communication is the key to successful team leadership. And in this case, it’s all about the core values. First, leaders should spot them and define them carefully. Then, they should spread the word. And finally, it’s paramount that all team members embrace them. So, being honest, devoted, and persuasive is imperative. But leaders should not be the only participants when it comes to setting values. So, one of the tasks is to pick the people who’ll take part in establishing them. Of course, the whole squad should have a say. And performing a few meetings to discuss this topic is in order. But some will just have a more massive impact and better ideas. Here, short-term and long-term goals also play a major role. And innovation & collaboration will help all pieces fall into place.
Successful team leadership: 3 bonus tips for new leaders
If you’re a wholehearted noob searching for some tested pieces of advice on how to become a successful team leader, here are a few key points for you to nail down:
- Get to know your team. Feel their pulse. Because if you can’t comprehend their needs and aspirations, you won’t be able to… well, lead. Don’t just take a deep dive into innovation + delegation from day one. Give yourself some time to get familiar with everyone. Spot the gaps and issues. Emphasize the strengths and fresh ideas. And learn to give a few extra moments to really lead.
- Don’t panic – just learn from the bad! The old proverb says that slips happen. Or something less PG13. Still, you mustn’t unleash the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Reward all good work, strong efforts, and favored results. React timely when something’s off too. Be objective and think about the ways to prevent similar situations and problems in the future. And finally, always keep those unpleasant convos in private. Praise publicly and use one-on-ones to criticize.
- Be decisive. And, as tempting as it is, avoid procrastination at all costs – even when there’s a massive decision to make or challenge to overcome. And if taking one giant leap feels like it’s too much, do your best to turn it into smaller, manageable pieces of action. Go one step at a time and keep your eyes on the prize.
Leadership is often difficult. But it’s always gratifying. You’ll bring the right people and processes together and create stunning results. Be sure to follow these simple and proven guidelines, and you will be able to promote success, employee engagement and satisfaction, and personal growth.
Becoming a successful team leader requires delegation
Once again – trust is what matters the most. The team’s bound to do their job right, and leaders must believe in it. It’s crucial to be perfectly clear regarding expectations, goals, and deadlines. Then, it’s all up to the people who were assigned the responsibility. Now, here are a few effective tips to delegate tasks smoothly:
- Specify the expected result,
- Consider who should take charge of the delegated duty,
- Define important milestones and time frames,
- Overview progress and offer regular feedback,
- Seek ideas and input from the team members,
- Learn from the whole process and collect valuable data.
Finally, leaders should identify and share what should be improved. It’s up to them to suggest changes and give straightforward tips, create manageable strategies, and secure better outcomes in the future.
Follow this guide & learn how to become a successful team leader easily
Poor management and inadequate leadership are at the very top of the list of reasons for job dissatisfaction. In fact, studies show that 70% of leaders and managers feel uncomfortable speaking to employees. So, this is the first challenge to nail. Break these barriers by being open and honest with your crew. Keep on adopting and promoting the skills and traits that make a successful team leader. And be sure to listen to your team’s needs and feedback.
