Leadership is a vital component of any successful team. Unfortunately, some leaders fail to provide the right direction, support, and resources for their team to succeed. When this happens, team members may feel ignored, inadequate, or undervalued, which can lead to a breakdown in productivity and morale.
If you’re a leader and your team isn’t performing at its best, maybe it’s time to take a closer look at your leadership style.
One common reason why team members may feel undervalued is because their leader isn’t providing appropriate direction and support. This can happen when a leader micro-manages, or on the other hand, fails to provide enough information to empower their team to succeed. It’s a balancing act, but important to get this right.
Another factor is a leader who relies too much on their power and position, which can demotivate team members and stifle innovation. Leaders need to understand that assuming they know how their team members think and what motivates them is often misguided, and may lead to incorrect assumptions that can harm the team’s performance.
To become a better leader, it’s crucial to develop the skills and knowledge of your team members while also working on your own leadership abilities. This means getting to know each individual team member and identifying their strengths and areas for development. It also means empowering team members to take ownership of their work and allow them to make mistakes to learn from them.
To achieve this, leaders must provide adequate induction and ongoing training, and coaching as well as encouraging team members to ask questions and seek the support they need to be successful. Leaders should also encourage problem-solving skills by modelling this behaviour and challenging team members to take on more responsibilities.
While it may be tempting for leaders to take the easy route and just tell their team members what to do, this approach does not develop their team’s abilities and can lead to over-reliance on the leader. Instead, leaders must make the time to invest in their team’s development, as this will ultimately result in a more productive and motivated team.
Roger Simpson – CEO, The Retail Solution and Author of “The Ultimate Retail Sales Experience” With over 35 years’ industry experience, Roger Simpson is recognized as Australia’s #1 Authority on customer ROI in the retail industry and as a global expert on staff coaching, customer service, and selling skills.
