How To Be A Strong Leader In The Workplace
how to be a strong leader

How To Be A Strong Leader In The Workplace

Being a manager and being a leader may appear to be the same on the surface, but they are in fact two very different things. Having the ability to make everyone work together as a team and thrive in a productive environment isn’t something that comes with simply being promoted, and takes a lot of skill to pull off. Here at Wurkplace, we always want to encourage people to be passionate about what they do and give it their all, so we’ve provided some of our top tips on how to be a strong leader at work.


Communication Is Key

If you’re in a position of authority, having good communication skills is essential for success.

One of the main qualities that a great leader needs to have is the ability to communicate well with others, and bring people together to work as a team. A strong leader should be able to clearly get across what they require from members of staff, and allow others to relay back to the leader with what they need from them.

In order to get to this position, it’s likely that you will have shown you have the capability to drive people, but a leader will need to communicate to the team in a positive and enforcing manner. Communication in the workplace is fantastic for boosting morale and creating a positive and productive environment.

 


Set An Example

If you are not passionate about what you do, can you really expect anyone else to feel the same?

Being a leader means that everyone is looking to you for inspiration and leadership, so it’s important that you are setting a good example. Having a positive, can do attitude towards work can go a long way, and will only inspire other employees to follow in your footsteps.

As the manager, it is your duty to make sure that all the work is being carried out to a high standard, and you need to create a team environment in order to thrive. Take pride and put effort into your work and you’ll notice the quality of everyone else’s work will rise with it.


Be Approachable

A manager who spends most of their time locked away in their office, only coming out for coffee breaks or when the day is over will feel disconnected and distant from the rest of the team, which will only create a divide.

We’ve spoken about this in articles previously, but promoting an open platform for employees to approach you with any issues they may have is always a strong recommendation. Managers who appear to be on a different level or distant from the rest of the staff will result in low morale, bringing down productivity with it.

A good leader will eliminate any ideas of “us” and “them” when referring to the managerial team, promoting a true team effort and making sure everyone feels important in their role. One on ones, regular catch ups and an open door policy are all effective ways to promote a team effort.

 


Respect Employees

If you don’t respect them, why should they respect you?

In order to be successful as a leader, you need to treat every employee with the same amount of respect and care. Even though you are technically their boss, it’s still important to make them feel like they are working with you rather than for you.

Small things such as remembering people’s names and making conversation in the break room can go a long way in showing staff that they are valued. Giving positive feedback, providing constructive criticism and generally letting them know they have a voice are all effective ways of getting employees to respect you.


Hold Team Meetings

As you’ve probably noticed by now, creating a team spirit is very important to becoming a successful leader, and holding regular team catch ups is the key.

Being a manager of a business can be a very busy and sometimes stressful job, and employees can sometimes struggle to get information or help they need from you in these times. This can sometimes lead to tasks not getting done or to a low standard, which isn’t helpful for anyone.

Holding regular team meetings to see where everyone is up to and allow them to ask you any questions will prove to be very useful, and you should see an improvement in the quality of work.

You’d be surprised by how effective team meetings can be for boosting staff morale.

 


Share Your Knowledge

By working your way up and achieving the role of manager, you are bound to have accrued a lot of useful information during that time. Isn’t it about time you shared it?

A key factor to becoming a successful leader is the ability to help others when they are struggling, instead of berating them for falling behind. Employees should be able to come to you if they are unsure of what to do, or would like your help with a certain task.

Years of experience and knowledge in the job might just be a normal day to you, but other people could really benefit from a helping hand every now and then.

Being a strong leader is all about bringing employees up to your level, instead of knocking them down.


Don’t Be Afraid To Make Hard Decisions

It’s never fun to be the bearer of bad news, but some situations require a strong leader to make the tough decisions.

If someone is not working at an acceptable level or is simply not fitting with the company’s ethics, you need to be able to make a decision and do what’s best for business. Nobody wants to do it, but it takes a good leader to sit them down and explain why they are being let go.

 


Take Development Courses

One of the most effective ways of learning how to become a great leader is to seek the help of manager development courses.

Taking classes at night or going on courses across the country can be both time consuming and expensive, which tends to put a lot of people off. However, we’ve come up with a solution that works perfectly for you.

Our Leadership Development programme is aimed at anyone in a managerial position, from managers to supervisors to even directors. The aim of the programme is to develop managers and equip them with the capability and skills needed to create an engaging and efficient workforce.

We know it’s not easy to take time away from work, so we come to you. Our specialists will meet with you to discuss and gain an understanding of where you want to take the business, and can tailor the programme to your specific needs.

If you’d like to learn more information, click here.


Summary

Overall, it takes many different attributes and skills to become a successful and strong leader. Bringing people together with a common goal and drive is not an easy task, but you will definitely see some great results if you can pull it off.

If you want to learn more about anything we’ve talked about in this article, feel free to get in touch.

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