A leader capable of developing high-performing teams must have the capacity to bring out the best in themselves and others.
According to a Deloitte report, organizations are transitioning from hierarchies to team-based organizational structures to be more agile and efficient. 53% of organizations experiencing such transformations report a considerable performance gain.
In line with this trend, the need for managers and leaders who creates cross-functional cooperation inside their company and help colleagues through complicated business issues is expanding.
If you want your employees to realize their full potential and contribute to your firm’s success, here are 14 ideas to improve your team’s performance.
Top 14 leadership skills for Improving team performance
Many managers and leaders need to be educated or comprehend how to use leadership tactics that enhance their power to influence actions and improve team performance. Others only need a gentle reminder to rekindle your usage of these vital leadership methods.
1. Defining and communicating the vision
Your vision is a clear, aspirational leadership plan that shows your organization’s future. It is long-term and quantifiable. Hopefully, you and your business have a vision that motivates you daily. But do you express your vision and generate results?
Without a vision, a team works hard but struggles to achieve its goals. Negative findings are obtained. Your vision unites the group under a single objective so that you are working and performing toward something. Something enormous and thrilling!
Your vision answers the question “Where are we heading?”
Clearly define your destination, even if you need to learn how to get there. This leadership method lets you and your team know where you are in the vision and if you’re getting closer or further from your goal.
2. Promote recognition
Employees like to feel valued, and they wish to be appreciated. It fosters a sense of participation and dedication in them. It is also an answer to the critical question of how to retain your top talent.
When people and teams go above and beyond to accomplish exceptional outcomes, celebration and acknowledgment inspire sustained dedication to the organization’s vision, purpose, and objectives. In this way, quality is maintained even during high production volume and stress, and how it is fostered over time.
What is rewarded tends to be repeated
This adage has become a corporate axiom, but managers continue to ignore the benefits of this basic yet powerful leadership style. There are several benefits of a reward system for employees.
Studies demonstrate that just 60% of workplace employees feel that personal acknowledgment helps them stay motivated. It indicates that 40% of respondents believe they are sufficiently self-motivated to do this effectively without acknowledgment. Despite this, 96% of the same sample reported that receiving personal praise inspires and drives them to perform the further effort. While your staff needn’t require recognition, it does motivate more and better action.
When you develop a culture of thankfulness and recognition within your team, they’ll acknowledge each other individually. It provides a sense of community and togetherness that drives everyone to perform well.
3. Speak with sincerity
Do you communicate about your company from the heart or the budget?
Many individuals erroneously assume that leadership is a quality that some are born with and others aren’t. Leadership is, in reality, a decision. Leadership is a decision you make; it can’t be given or compelled.
When you interact with your team, they tell if you are passionate about being the leader by how you talk about your company’s vision, purpose, and goals. They need to tell from your everyday encounters whether your dedication to their development and growth is comparable to your own.
4. Delegate and facilitate
Every manager must assign successfully. Entrusting significant tasks and duties to your team members increases their engagement and value.
Play to your workers’ strengths when delegating and ensuring they have the necessary information and tools to execute the assignment. Be willing to allow them to fail as well. Failure to complete a project or program serves as a valuable learning opportunity that encourages continuous growth and development.
5. Make choices together
Involving team members in decision-making leads to new ideas you have not thought of.
Team decision-making fosters constructive confrontation, according to Management Essentials. Individuals bring diverse perspectives to the table and question the group’s previous beliefs.
Boost problem-solving and decision-making by promoting debate and considering multiple viewpoints.
6. Avoid micromanagement
One of the most common errors between new and seasoned managers is focusing excessively on minute details and micromanaging personnel.
According to research, micromanagement is one of the most critical reasons of employee turnover, and it fuels:
- Low morale
- Rapid turnover
- Decreased efficiency
To prevent micromanagement, relinquish your perfectionism and encourage your team members to experiment with their methods for accomplishing projects. Doing so helps free up more time to concentrate on more significant corporate goals and infuse your staff with a profound feeling of trust.
7. Communicate skillfully
Communication is crucial for team effectiveness. According to research by the Economist Intelligence Unit, ineffective communication results in a variety of undesirable effects, such as:
- A failure or delay in completing initiatives
- Greater stress levels
- Lost sales
Be sensitive and listen actively to your employees’ views and concerns while interacting with them. This method fosters a more open and collaborative work environment and enhances your emotional intelligence.
8. Request and provide feedback
Effective feedback delivery is a fundamental managerial ability. Instead of waiting for yearly review periods, make it a priority to frequently provide constructive feedback to your staff to create a stronger working connection with your team.
Avoid using generic phrases such as great work while doing these informal appraisals. Your feedback needs to be actionable and specific.
Remember to request feedback as well. The observations of your team members help you find growth areas to include in your leadership development plan.
9. Have an objective
For a good reason, leveraging the power of mission is a top focus for many businesses. According to a survey by EY and the Harvard Business Review, 89% of CEOs believe that a shared sense of purpose increases employee happiness, and 81% say that purpose-driven companies provide superior quality goods and services.
Ingrain a sense of pursuit in your team by presenting specific examples of how your workers’ actions contribute to the firm’s broader mission and larger organizational goals that positively influence society.
10. Be genuine
Authenticity is a precious leadership quality. According to a recent study, employees’ impression of genuine leadership is the most noteworthy predictor of job satisfaction and increases work-related attitudes and happiness.
Among the essential attributes of a genuine leader is the capacity to instil confidence in others. Whether supervising an organizational transformation program or presiding over a crucial meeting, be open and honest with your staff. Use the company’s mission to increase their enthusiasm and promote alignment.
11. Pursue specific, attainable objectives
Setting achievable objectives is essential for personal and professional development. It is also a crucial phase in critical management processes such as strategy execution.
Google research demonstrates that an effective manager has a clear team vision and plan. When creating team goals, construct a roadmap of more minor, doable activities to attain them.
Incentivize and better prepare your personnel for success by dividing the process into deliverables.
12. Encourage professional growth
Your team and company benefit from motivating your staff to pursue more education and enhance their skill sets. According to a recent LinkedIn research, 69% of talent development professionals utilize managers and leaders to support training and career development, and 75% of employees enrol in a course recommended by their boss.
As an alternative to programs delivered in a typical classroom environment, online courses allow your staff to expand their knowledge while handling the responsibilities of a full-time job.
Focus also on your growth. A management training course provides you with the knowledge and expertise necessary to advance in your profession.
13. Set a good example
According to research, managers are responsible for 70% of the variation in employee engagement, underlining the crucial role you play in shaping the tone and culture of your company.
Be an example for your staff by maintaining composure in business crises. Consider the tactics of some of history’s most outstanding brave leaders, such as arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, environmental campaigner Rachel Carson, and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, for navigating adversity.
By exhibiting bravery and setting a positive example for your colleagues, you foster resilience in yourself and your team.
14. Invest in ongoing education
Leadership is a journey with no definitive endpoint. Great leaders are committed to their continuing development and improvement through internal and external networking and continued education. You never stop developing as a leader.
It involves imparting your expertise and experience to others. It is said that you never learn better than when you are teaching, and as leaders, we are most fulfilled when we are in the roles of coach and mentor. Commit to improving your team’s leadership abilities as much as your own, and you discover appreciation and fulfillment and build the groundwork for a strong leadership pipeline.
How to lead your team to success?
Leadership is essential for team effectiveness. By building a trust-based team dynamic, advocating for your colleagues, and setting an example in the workplace, improve your abilities to manage others and empower your staff to deliver consistently and effectively.
Do you wish to improve your leadership and management skills? Online courses and other management and leadership studies help you understand how to accelerate your career and take responsibility for your professional growth.
