TPC Blog

Becoming a greater leader in your workplace and within your professional life overall begins by taking actionable, purposeful steps towards that end. Keep in mind, if you put a rotting peach in the same bowl as a fresh bunch you will soon spoil the bunch. The same principle applies to leadership within a workplace. No organization can withstand toxic leadership as it will eventually rot the entire bunch. Therefore, it’s vitally important to implement these tips on how to become an effective leader and ensure that the bunch is lead properly and not spoiled:

1. Be Empathetic

Empathy has been identified as the singular most important leadership skill of them all. Unfortunately, empathy is an attribute that is largely missing from many leadership roles. Therefore, one way to ensure that you are a better leader than average is to exude an attitude of empathy towards your employees. This doesn’t mean that you excuse poor performance. It just means you are genuine, and you truly care about the experiences of your employees.

2. Stay Accountable

Another important aspect of good leadership is transparency. While you don’t have to share every aspect of your personal life with your team, make sure they do understand the "why" behind what you do. Also, allow them to keep you accountable. For example, if you demand they request vacation days at least a week in advance, you do the same.

3. Invest in Your Followers

Put some effort into building relationships with your employees. Also, be their advocate when it comes to getting them what they need to do their jobs well. If they need new uniforms, additional tools, items or developmental opportunities to perform their jobs more effectively, make sure they have those things at no additional cost to them.

4. Set an Example of Embracing Change

Change is hard for everyone but you can build your reputation as a good leader by being willing to embrace any change. This doesn’t mean you have to lie and say you like every change. However, letting employees know that you too don’t care for the change but know you need to embrace it can create a sense of comradery between you and your employees, forming a team feeling of you all being in things together.

5. Promote a Shared Vision

Your vision for your role as a manager and your employees’ role should not be similar. Take time to have your employees give you their goals so you both are in alignment for moving the organization forward while minimizing duplication. While your roles might include different responsibilities, you both want your company to succeed, this is your shared vision. Try to promote this as much as possible but don’t be disingenuous. If an employee is going above and beyond, make sure to point that out to your superiors and to not blame them when things don’t go as planned. Promote and create an environment of success for all involved.

6. Admit Failure

Even if you are extremely careful and have the best intentions, there will be times when you still mess up. If you find yourself in this situation, make sure you admit failure. This isn’t a sign of weakness but of strength. Your team will respect you that much more when you admit that you handled something wrong or misjudged someone. No one’s perfect and no one expects perfection from you, though they do expect and deserve honesty.

7. Communicate Clear Expectations

There is nothing more frustrating as an employee than being reprimanded for not doing something that you didn’t realize you were supposed to do. Make sure your expectations for success are clearly and painstakingly obvious. Never make your employees guess how to please you or wonder how to succeed in your company.

Commit to Being a Good Leader

Admittedly, becoming a good leader takes time. However, with hard work, dedication, and the strategic planning that comes from implementing the above tips, you can lead your team to the best of your abilities.