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Want to become a good team leader? Here are the tips

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A decisive and proactive team leader serves as a compass, guiding teams towards their goals by promoting clarity and confidence, regardless of the challenges they may be encountering

Having mid-level leaders called “Managers” is what helps a business to excel in the market. A manager’s job is simple: to lead and motivate the staffers and get the required tasks out of them, while acting as the communication channel between them and the apex leadership.

The above task is not so an easy one. In fact, it requires a broad range of abilities and characteristics like assurance, compassion, and fortitude, when it comes to leading the teams. The best way a manager can ensure top-notch market success for his/her organisation is by fostering a contented and productive team that can overcome obstacles, accomplish their objectives, and prosper across various challenging landscapes.

In this article, we will discuss some of the non-negotiable traits which a manager must possess.

Strong Communication Skills

A manager with excellent communication skills is an asset for any company, since he/she can clearly express the company’s goals to the team, instil confidence, and promote an atmosphere of candid discussion on the targets and projects. Poor communication leads to misconceptions, confusion, and division among team members, which is a big no-no in any corporate set-up.

While some managers come with gifted communication skills, some may not and that’s not an issue in the tech-dominated 21st century where specialised online courses are there to help someone’s communication capabilities. Upskilling can do wonders here, as all a company wants at the end of the day, is a transparent and constructive feedback culture.

Emotional Intelligence And Empathy

Empathy is the link that holds team members together, promoting a sense of understanding and belonging. Managers with high emotional intelligence can navigate complicated interpersonal dynamics, settle disputes, and foster collective trust.

A lack of empathy can lead to discontent, lack of trust, low morale, and high employee turnover, creating a negative atmosphere and harming the company. Active listening and engaging in empathy-building activities, such as team lunches and outings, should be prioritised to address these issues.

Promote empathy in the workplace by organising team-building activities, holding emotional intelligence-focused leadership courses, and engaging in frequent self-reflection activities to understand the perspectives of others.

Flexibility And Adaptability

Managers need to bear the burden of responsibility daily as they guide their teams through challenges with agility and resilience. Adaptability is a highly prized quality in these fast-paced work environments because it helps team leaders by allowing them to adjust to rapid work developments. This, in turn, fosters creativity and innovation among managers and their team members.

The fundamental rule is that every task brings its own unique set of challenges, which cannot be addressed with rigid, outdated practices. Managers should encourage a culture of experimentation and provide opportunities for skill development.

Be Decisive And Accountable

A decisive and proactive team leader serves as a compass, guiding teams towards their goals by promoting clarity and confidence, regardless of the challenges they may be encountering. These types of managers make timely, well-informed decisions that empower the staff to act with certainty and intention.

On the other hand, being unsure of oneself and the hesitancy to act can cause delays and lead to loss of trust among the team members on their managers. Even if a manager is not decisive to some extent, he/she can overcome the huddles by asking team members for their opinions on solving the challenges that come while executing the tasks.

The whole process will create an atmosphere that will value accountability, apart from improving the team leaders’ decision-making abilities. Making decisions after democratic discussions is also a good leadership skill at the end of the day.

Good managers promote clarity and confidence among their team members by making prompt, well-informed judgements. They accept responsibility for results, while holding others and themselves accountable, apart from proactively dealing with the problems.

Creating a decision-making framework that provides managers the freedom to take measured risks; apart from setting forth explicit guidelines for responsibility at all organisational levels is what makes a company a well-oiled profit-making machine.

Be Forward Thinking

What sets an excellent manager different from ordinary ones is his/her capability to energise the team by presenting a future vision. A team, united by a common objective and guided by crystal clear role clarities, can not only achieve its goals seamlessly, but also contribute massively to enhancing the company’s overall productivity.

Visionary leaders set a clear course of action, which encourages creativity, allowing team members the freedom to make significant contributions. Managers who lack a clear vision may find it difficult to motivate their staff and align their efforts to a common goal. Progress is hampered by a lack of direction due to disengagement and a lack of focus.

Managers should engage in vision-building, regularly seek feedback from their teams while implementing the roadmap, and consistently set an example by acting in line with the company’s values.

Stress Management And Resilience

A manager’s true test of resilience comes from facing difficulties head-on and instilling stability and confidence in their teams. An excellent manager will always encourage a culture of well-being by emphasising self-care for themselves and the team members, and providing examples of healthy strategies to cope with workplace stress. Giving in to stress leads to burnout and toxic team dynamics, which in turn hurts the company’s overall productivity.

Managers can help employees develop resilience by offering stress-reduction tools, encouraging work-life balance, and creating an atmosphere where everyone feels appreciated and supported.

Also, it is equally important that the manager remains stress-free. Otherwise, the person will behave erratically and make bad decisions, which will end up harming the team’s morale and performance.

Delegation And Empowerment

A successful team consists of empowered individuals and promotes a climate of independence, accountability, and creativity. Such teams are led by managers who practice effective task delegation while trusting their team members to take initiative and contribute significantly to the company’s cause.

When it comes to managing a team, can a leader practice micromanagement? While some may argue that this method helps the team complete its tasks seamlessly, the opposing view suggests that micromanagement undermines trust and stifles innovation, which is detrimental to both teamwork and personal development.

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