All businesses have a leader, the founder, owner, or CEO hired to run operations. Down the hierarchy, there are people in leadership positions responsible for workers and production, and these folks are usually worth their weight in gold.
Are you a good steward of the business you are the head of? Even if the company is successful, you can still strive to be a better manager and executive. For those looking to advance their personal and professional worth, here are six ways to improve as a leader in business.
1. Be Disciplined
A disciplined leader can work and behave controlled while following standards and rules. How you conduct yourself will demonstrate what you expect from your workforce, so developing discipline is key to being an effective leader.
Ways you can show discipline include:
- Meeting deadlines
- Identify and communicate your expectations
- Dress professionally
- Perform at a high level
- Follow a strict cadence with annual, quarterly, monthly and weekly meetings
Personal discipline is also vital as it creates structure in your life that spills over into your profession. Getting up early and exercising regularly are just a few routines that you can commit to.
2. Continue Learning
You are in a leadership position because of your skills and training, but this shouldn’t stop with your current title. To improve as a leader, you should strive to learn new things and take on challenges as they present themselves. This will keep your mind sharp and hone your skills for the next challenge because it always does.
You can study other leaders and adopt some of their qualities and methods into your style. Advanced learning is also great, and this can be done through executive coaching and leadership development with peer advisory groups that give advice and support. Look for ways to deepen your knowledge so it will make an impact in your leadership position. For example, you can take leadership development programs at TEC Canada.
3. Master Communication
To lead effectively, you need to be a good communicator. You interact with your team members, partners and clients daily and must relay information and get your message across.
To upgrade your communication skills, learn to:
- Be direct
- Listen more
- Be prepared
- Know your audience
- Encourage input
- Absorb feedback
- Involve others
- Ask the right questions
You can influence people more easily and motivate them to get on board with your initiatives as you connect with them through charm, precision and passion.
4. Empower Your Team Members
A leader is usually an individual that excels in several different areas of a business. Often a person in a management role will get their hands in everything because they are capable and want to get things done right. The problem is you can quickly alienate your team and stifle their growth. These people are hired to do specific jobs, so it is better to let them do it and see who shines.
When you delegate tasks to people, it frees you up to do more important things and empowers your staff. You will then see who excels in their position and those who struggle. A good leader recognizes when to shuffle the deck and place the right people in key positions.
5. Think Critically
A high-profile job requires a person who can foresee problems before they become issues and quickly prevent or resolve them. Conversely, you need to recognize and grab hold of potential opportunities to benefit your team and the company. This is what a critical thinker does.
Improving your critical thinking will make you:
- Open-minded
- Skeptical
- Analytica
- Observant
- Reasonable
- Creative
- Curious
With the ability to look at different points of view and change positions when prudent, you will be a better leader.
6. Resolve Conflicts
Part of your role as a leader is to deal with conflict in your working environment. There are always difficult people to deal with, and this could be from your team, clients or even vendors. How you handle it shows the effectiveness of your management role.
A leader confronts this head-on and doesn’t let problems fester. By taking a direct approach, you eliminate the problem fast and show your staff that they matter. You need to be brave and talk with all those involved to get to the bottom of any issues to resolve them quickly. Honesty and straightforwardness is your best path to diffuse tension and negotiate resolve.
Improving as a leader in business will step you out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself, but it is how to thrive in your current position and beyond. Take the challenge of improvement by following these six methods and see your leadership abilities optimize.