Published on September 3rd, 2022 | by Sunit Nandi

Good leadership is the key to a better workplace environment

A good leader must show up, demonstrate great values, and be a role model for the team. But there will be times when things won’t be easy, even for a leader. A leader will face many challenges along the way.

After all, being a leader is a very tough job. It’ll take a lot of courage and accountability for a person to be one.

For a leader, guiding the team to be united and efficient in their jobs is a tedious thing to do. The whole process will never happen with just one instruction or experience; it’ll take time, patience, and understanding.

Good Leadership In A Company Setting

Time and time again, being a good leader will help a business become successful in reaching its targets, goals, and aspirations.

A study in 2021 stated that 10% of company chiefs believe that leadership development has impacted their business quite clearly. That’s why it should be considered something crucial whenever teams decide whom they want to be their leader.

The characteristics employees should look for in a leader must follow high standards. And good leaders know how to appreciate their subordinates.

In a statistic in 2022, nearly 79% of employees are expected to quit from their positions due to a lack of appreciation from their bosses and leaders. The percentage of people leaving because of the lack thereof should be considered alarming and should be an indication that immediate action is needed. Remember that without well-engaged and happy workers, a business can’t function and provide goods and services to their clientele effectively.

That’s why a leader is responsible for guiding and taking care of their employees. Anyone would be more enthusiastic if the environment they’re working in has great camaraderie and a commendable system. This kind of workplace environment will help the employees boost their morale and as well as improve their mindset.

It’s also part of the leader’s job to make the workspace enjoyable, like offering remote team-building activities, get-togethers, team dinners, and the like. This kind of interaction with the team will be helpful in building incredible connections and understanding with one another. Other than that, they’ll likely be more open and comfortable with everyone.

How A Good Leader Can Manage Their Teams Effectively

Indeed, managing a team effectively will take a lot more than it seems. To help you out, below are some ways to do just that:

1. Build Good Rapport

Having a good rapport with the people you’re around with is important everywhere you go, wherever you are. It’s the thing that makes people connected with each other – forging good relationships and communication.

It‘s said that a large number of employees that participated in a particular study are satisfied whenever they have a great relationship with their co-workers. Being in a workplace, the tasks given are already hard to do, so making the environment where people are working should at least be where you can seek peace and comfort.

As a leader, having a good rapport with your team is much more important than you think. Planning, coming to terms with each other, and being able to express oneself can be a lot easier for the employees if their relationship with their leader is good. It’ll make them feel comfortable and at ease, hence, their ideas won’t be limited because of shyness or awkwardness.

Aside from that, employees tend to be more cheerful and optimistic whenever they have a healthy and friendly atmosphere in their workplace or office. This kind of workspace will be advantageous for the leader in managing their teams because there’s clarity and solidarity, which will lean towards a satisfactory result and more commitment.

2. Know And Understand The Profiles Of Team Members

It’s a basic necessity for a leader to know their employee’s profiles; it’s one of their roles and responsibilities as the team’s leader. Yet there’s a difference between just knowing with actually understanding. Aside from knowing their profiles, a leader must understand their team’s employees – who they are, what they’re doing before, whom they’re working so hard for, and the like.

It’s not about being emotionally attached to them; it’s about acknowledging the person’s identity, like what their strengths and weaknesses are. Through this, delegating tasks they’re best at will be more manageable, so managing the team will be more efficient and effective. Another thing is that this will help the team leader understand their expectations, interests, and their likes.

Small details about the employees might look insignificant, yet this knowledge will help the leader deal with future problems and avoid toxicity in the long run.

Remember that every team member has capabilities; they have unique characteristics that make them different from their co-employees. Understanding that diversity and differences will be helpful for the leader to make wise decisions and have a good team effort where every employee can maximize their skills and capabilities. Just like the old saying goes, a true leader knows their people.

3. Practice Active Listening

Listening is essential in a team; without it, miscommunication and misunderstanding might arise – leading to a messy and chaotic workplace. Through active listening, a leader will learn more about their subordinates, how they think and perceive things, and what values they’re incorporating into the tasks and activities they’re assigned.

Active listening lets both the speaker and the receiver have good communication. This will become a great help whenever both the leaders and employees are planning. They will have a more meaningful and engaging conversation. Aside from promoting productivity, this will also enhance their creative minds and teamwork.

Miscommunication should be one of the things that a great leader should avoid. Instead, they should know how to listen to their workers, regardless of their position. It’s because sometimes these employees have really creative ideas that can be considered industry game changers. They’re just often suppressed and silenced by some, which might be a loss to the team.

4. Learn When To Use Stern Authority And When Not To

There will always be some instances where some people love to overuse their power just to show dominance and power-trip. Unfortunately, this kind of management is everywhere; in fact, in an article, survey results show that 54 million workers, or 37% of the total, are experiencing mishandling by their own managers like yelling, disrupting their work, and denigrating them.

With this kind of treatment, the employees are less likely to stay. A survey conducted in showed that a large number of people in higher positions tend to discriminate against and bully their employees, and a sizeable percent of the bullied employees decided to quit because of this incivility.

Leading a team like they’re nothing but a bunch of people who are just working for you will never generate good results and performance. They’re more likely to retaliate and do their work unwillingly, significantly affecting their outputs.

But leaders who know when to use their authority and use it just enough will more likely receive respect and a grateful team. Everyone wants to have an approachable leader who knows how to listen and knows how to care for their employees. This will boost their enthusiasm to work better. It’s because they know they have a leader they can rely on when needed, not someone who will be aggressive with them whenever they have inquiries and opinions.

5. Offer Feedback And Positive Reinforcement

Notice how children become more passionate and improve a lot more with what they’re doing when they’re being appreciated and offered rewards? That’s the same when leaders know how to appreciate their workers’ efforts and output. Through positive reinforcement, the leader can acknowledge and, at the same time, encourage them more to continue the desired behavior they’re showing, like enthusiasm and growth in working.

On the other hand, providing feedback is just as essential as positive reinforcement. Feedback helps company personnel develop a sense of responsibility and the desire to do even better. Through feedback, the team will know that their work and efforts are being acknowledged and that they still have room to grow. This will lead to more productive team interaction and a sense of belonging.

Enforcing these two will not just let the leader manage their team more effectively but help everyone in the group grow and improve and become the best version of themselves as well. Having a capable and teachable team will bring the business to different places. Instead of letting them down through aggressiveness, help and make them flourish using the right words and proper guidance.

Conclusion

Managing a team will always be tough and rigid at the beginning. No one has the aptitude to lead people and be perfect in just one swoop. There will always be challenges that the team will stumble upon or things that the team might not agree upon talking with each other. These challenges will not just hone the employee’s capabilities but will also be the stepping stone for every leader to test their ability to lead and manage them. There’s no easy work; one must remember that great things are accomplished after much hard work and sacrifice.

Tags: better workplace, good leadership, key

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.