Being a great leader is about more than hitting profit targets or winning contracts. It’s about building trust, welcoming new ideas and sharing a positive outlook with your team. If you want to be a good leader with a successful team, a healthy leadership style is essential.
Healthy leadership involves fostering a positive work environment where employees are satisfied, engaged, and ultimately, more productive. Not only is a healthy leadership style better for team members, but it is also more sustainable for leaders, helping them to manage stress and make sound decisions.
This article looks at the five leadership qualities every good people manager should have. We also look at why it is important to define your leadership style and give you tips on how you can improve your performance to get the most out of your team.
Why is Having a Leadership Style Important?
Effective leaders can define their leadership style. Whether they practice transformational leadership, where everyone is working toward a shared vision, or they adopt servant leadership to empower team members, having a consistent approach provides clarity and allows for better decision making and self-awareness.
Your leadership style helps others understand your approach and can help you build trust within your organisation. Defining your leadership style can also help you become more adaptable so that you can make intentional changes as situations change.
Here are some examples of healthy leadership styles.
- Transformational leaders inspire and motivate others through vision. Their leadership skills often include creativity and high emotional intelligence.
- Coaching leaders develop their team for future success. Their leadership qualities include mentoring and active listening.
- Democratic leaders are all about collaborative decision-making. Effective communication and delegation are important skills for this type of leadership style.
- Servant leaders put the needs of others first. Effective leaders of this style need to be empathetic and strong advocates for the team’s needs.
Principles for Developing Effective Leadership
1. Lead with Self-Awareness
Great leaders know both their strengths and their weaknesses.
Most leaders have strong emotional intelligence that allows them to reflect on their actions and seek feedback to understand the impact of their approach. By understanding themselves, their values, beliefs and triggers, they are more authentic and can make decisions that align with the company’s vision rather than acting in an ego-driven way.
Some tools that can help you develop self-awareness include leadership assessments and 360-degree feedback from a range of sources.
2. Communicate with Clarity and Empathy
Successful leaders are always great listeners.
Being able to convey your message clearly and empathetically improves collaboration. As team members feel supported and valued, you build trust that inspires those around you and helps your team succeed.
To build rapport with your team, fine-tune your communication skills by practising active listening and asking open-ended questions.
3. Set Boundaries and Model Work-Life Balance
Successful leaders demonstrate how best to rest.
Work-life balance is increasingly recognised as a key leadership trait because prioritising well-being has a significant impact on productivity. Great leadership involves modelling sustainable performance so that it becomes entrenched in company culture. With less burnout, leaders and their teams feel more creative and engaged.
Support flexibility, encourage personal development and prioritise outcomes, not hours, and you will soon see the positive impact it can have on output.
4. Be Consistent and Accountable
Good leadership comes down to trust.
Consistently acting with honesty and integrity will help you earn respect and build strong relationships with your team. Accountability means putting self-interest aside and admitting when you have made mistakes, so do not be afraid to do so because this also helps to communicate your expectations.
The best leaders always do what they say they will and report the outcome to their team members. This helps build respect and shows they can be depended upon.
5. Foster Growth and Recognition
The best leaders develop others.
Supporting your team’s professional and personal development can help create a culture of excellence and innovation. By acknowledging the progress and achievements of those around you, you are boosting morale and motivation, and you are more likely to see more of the behaviours that you value.
Encourage your team to build their skills and set goals, and celebrate their efforts, not just their achievements.
Building a Compelling Vision for Your Team
Setting a clear vision for your team helps connect their work to something meaningful. An inspiring common goal helps motivate, provides overall direction and gives purpose to the work.
A crucial component of setting a clear direction for your team involves effective communication because involving everyone in the process will make it a more powerful tool for informed decision-making.
A good vision should align with company goals, be achievable yet realistic, and it should be short and simple. Once you have your vision, you should link it to goals and behaviours and reinforce it often.
Remember, Leadership Is a Practice, Not a Position
The best leaders aren’t always the top-level executives. They come from diverse backgrounds and educational levels, they are humble, and they are reflective. They work hard to build trust with their teams, they listen, and they do not blame others for their mistakes.
By following the tips above, anyone can build a healthy leadership style that helps them achieve their goals and the vision of their team.
For more great tips on building your confidence as a leader, contact Priority Management. Our online and in-person leadership training courses can provide you with the essential leadership skills you need to take your career to the next level. Visit our website for more information.