Most companies nowadays operate in team-based environments. This is a great way to handle more work in a smarter way. However, in reality most companies do not reap these benefits. This usually comes down to one main factor; ineffective team leadership.
A team is only as good as their competent leader who will inspire them and boost their productivity. Sadly, the focus has shifted towards pursuing important metrics and performance. A lot of the subtle nuances are left out of the conversation and both team leaders and their teams start to burnout as they toil in disharmony on a day-to-day basis.
Luckily, your company can take a different turn and improve productivity with a new reimagined approach to leadership, which enables long-term sustainable success. Read on and find out how to achieve exactly that.
Uncover bottlenecks
Managing a team will come with a whole array of challenges and problems. However, underneath all of that abstract frustration there is always a very clear reason why something is not working the way it should be.
That is why uncovering and solving workflow bottlenecks is the precursor to any form of success within a team. In order to be able to uncover bottlenecks it is important to have an open channel of communication within a team, because oftentimes a blockade might exist because of some personal conflict that team members might have.
Good and effective team leaders encourage everyone within the organization to speak up and present their concerns. This is really important, because today’s concern might be tomorrow’s catastrophe for the whole team. Once these issues are solved, it is much easier to pay attention to any technical issues that might exist in a workplace.
Define your trajectory
Leading a team is not just about fixing things on-the-go. A lot of the issues can be prevented if there is a solid plan in place. This helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Not only that, but it also allows everyone to understand what is expected of them and why their work matters. This might seem obvious, but you would be surprised to hear that in reality most employees never actually understand what and how they should be doing something.
Team leaders are there to eliminate any confusion because they are able to see the bigger picture but also understand the details that are important in a project. The big picture thinking is used to make the work more meaningful. It helps to round up all of the individual assignments and tasks into one big cohesive story.
If the big picture is successfully conveyed to everybody on the team it is much easier to expect greater motivation and understanding. There is no true sustainable productivity that is devoid of an overarching context. On the other hand, successful leaders are also able to delegate tasks and explain the nuanced details, since they make up for the bulk of the work.
Mindset is key
The biggest thing that is going to make a difference when leading a team is having a good attitude. A good leader understands that psychological aspects are just as important for a well-functioning workplace.
This is best achieved through a careful application of empathy and general thoughtfulness, these traits are the foundational aspects of what a good leader looks like. For instance, being mindful of your colleagues’ needs and levels of motivation will allow you to make better decisions along the road and to delegate tasks better according to different people’s strengths and characteristics.
Maintain good balance
One of the common reasons why workplace balance gets distorted is because old managerial tactics were usually based on a lie, told in hopes of lighting fire under employees. This is a very potent but ineffective productivity hack. More often than not, it would lead to severe burnout, distrust and loss of motivation.
Managers would typically make a challenge appear much bigger than it actually is in order for everyone to double down on work and productivity. However, sooner or later this creates a point of no return, where the only thing that would float to the top was a big fat lie. That is why good modern leaders incentivize productivity in other, more positive and simplified ways.
Improve your decision making
One of the common pitfalls for many business leaders is that they crack under pressure especially when it comes to making important decisions. Luckily, there are ways to make decision making more evidence-based and stress-free. In order to lead a team, it is sometimes necessary to prove an important point and make a permanent change.
You can only achieve this if you supply raw data. During meetings it is a good idea to showcase important performance metrics, and highlight what is good and what needs some improvement.
Offer constructive feedback
Offering feedback is a big part of good leadership. This too, should be informed by actual data. That is why it is a good idea to point out positive metrics to individuals and to address negative performance indicators on the whole. This will make meetings feel more productive and less daunting.
In order to drive up productivity in a modern workplace, it is no longer viable to lead by force but also by example. Good leaders resolve conflicts and inspire others to do their best work.
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Brigitte Evans is a lifestyle blogger with a passion for design, culture, and health. She is a regular writer and contributor to numerous lifestyle blogs and online magazines. She also loves to travel and enjoy the great outdoors.
