By Ryann Dowdy, CEO/founder of Uncensored Consulting: Be in the Room, sales coach, business strategist and best-selling author.
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A great leader doesn’t have to be an extrovert or the life of the party—they just need to know how to motivate and inspire others, which can bring business success along with it. Great leaders aren’t born; they are made. Here are the key things every good leader must do to achieve fantastic results from their team.
Inspiration
A great leader knows how to find the right people and get them engaged in the mission of the company—inspiring them and building up their sense of pride and ownership. It’s not enough to simply hire a great team.
You also need to inspire your team to want to be creative and take action. You can do this by empowering your people and providing them with opportunities to contribute new ideas and teach others what they know best.
Motivation
Inspiration is key, but take it a step further and use this tactic to motivate your team. Let your employees know how their lives will improve on a personal level when company/team goals are met. The truth is, employees don’t truly care about business goals, but they care about their personal goals.
Communicate how hitting business goals can help them hit their personal goals as well. This could be in the form of a bonus, an increase in pay or extra vacation time. Regardless, tying your goals to theirs is a surefire way for employees to feel motivated to get fully invested in company growth. Everyone wins.
Trust
Trust is the foundation of any great team, and it starts with the leader. When you trust your team, they’ll be more likely to want to do good work for you. Trust can empower them to take ownership of a project rather than simply checking off the tasks given to them. They’ll be more likely to go all in and give their best effort.
They may not use the exact process or follow the exact steps you would have taken, and that’s okay. Trust them to utilize their strengths and create an amazing end result—the result may be an outcome far greater than you would have ever expected.
Compassion
To be a great leader, you must understand that your employees are human, too. There may be times when they need compassion and understanding. Humans are not functioning at 100% all the time. We all have our bad days, and we all go through rough times in life that affect our ability to stay focused and be creative in the workplace.
Provide compassion and understanding when you can sense an employee struggling, even when those struggles are not work-related. You may find that your team will often return the favor by going all in on business tasks when they are feeling their best.
Respect
If you want your employees to respect you, you need to show that you respect them. Their time is just as valuable as yours. Their goals are just as important as yours. Their knowledge is just as critical as yours.
Remember, you hired them because you appreciate their intelligence and value their input. It’s okay to let them have a final say in some decisions. Trusting them to make big decisions is perhaps the highest form of respect. When you show mutual respect, they’ll be more likely to feel motivated to do their best work. And when your employees are happy and productive, you and your business can reap the benefits.
Being a great leader is crucial in creating overall success. Your team requires trust, inspiration and motivation from you. It is mission critical to remember to show respect and compassion to your team. It isn’t always easy, but it is 100% worth it because when you are able to be a great leader, your team can respond with fantastic results.
