JANUARY – MARCH 2023

Topic: 10 WAYS TO BECOMING A GOOD LEADER (Part 2)

3. Encourage personal and professional growth: Acting as your team’s cheerleader is an important part of being an effective leader. You should be invested in their success and growth. Keri Ohlrich, the CEO of HR consulting company Abbracci Group, said that leaders should set aside a budget, if only a small one, to dedicate to the growth of their employees. “With options as varied as on-demand, virtual [and] in-person options, there’s ample opportunity to continue learning new skills or further developing existing ones,” she said. “Empower your employees to take the time to learn and infuse that in the work they do.” In addition to investing in your employees’ growth financially, you should invest emotionally. John Rampton, founder and CEO of Calendar said that great leaders empower their employees to grow by giving them challenging opportunities and guiding them as needed.

“To motivate and inspire employees, leadership strategy is about empowering others to do their best and take on new challenges,” he said. “Employees like challenges and feeling the satisfaction of overcoming them. Whether it’s a tough client, a difficult sale, a hard situation or whatever the case, it’s always good to let them take on these challenges.”

4. Keep a positive attitude: As much as leaders wish their team’s day-to-day operations could run smoothly all the time, they’re bound to run into the occasional obstacle. Whether it’s a minor miscommunication or a major error, the way you handle a negative situation says a lot about your leadership skills. Robert Mann, author of The Measure of a Leader (iUniverse, 2013), recommended focusing on the good in any set of circumstances. “Look at three positive things about a problem before you identify what makes it dissatisfying. The more you look at the positives in a problem, the more positively people react with one another.” In his research, Mann has found that after individuals point out things they’re happy with in a problematic situation, they don’t feel so strongly about the problem and are better able to think clearly and solve it. The same is true when a leader needs to improve their strategy. If you or a team member notices a particular course of action you’ve taken that just isn’t working, figure out some things you’ve done in the past that have worked. Patoliya added that focusing on solutions, rather than problems, can help your team maintain positive engagement. “A positive environment is more likely to create a more engaged and productive workforce. By displaying enthusiasm and confidence, a good leader will see the impact that they can have in their working environment.”