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In any time of change, from internal restructurings within your company to worldwide upheaval, people will look to leaders for guidance and support.

The one constant in life is change, but it can make your employees unsettled. Lack of understanding compounds issues, and low morale and a drop in productivity can quickly occur.

So, what can you do to ensure you lead with clarity and compassion during challenging times?

As an outstanding leader, you will be able to instil courage, positivity, and enthusiasm in your team and ensure that, whatever happens, you view change as a positive, looking to the future with confidence and resilience.

Whether you are new to leadership or would like to improve your leadership skills, this guide will help you build trust, develop your skillset and become an outstanding leader – capable of successfully leading a team through any challenging environment.

What Makes a Great Leader?

“A great leader possesses a clear vision, is courageous, has integrity, honesty, humility and clear focus. … Great leaders help people reach their goals, are not afraid to hire people that might be better than them and take pride in the accomplishments of those they help along the way.

In turbulent times, everyone looks to great leaders for guidance. Leadership resonates throughout a business, and the quality of your leadership can be the difference between the ultimate success or failure of your company.

Good leaders exhibit specific traits which allow them to inspire and motivate and which engender loyalty and increases productivity of their employees.

If you are new to leadership, there are some initial steps you can take to engage your team from the start successfully.

New to Leadership?

If you are new to a leadership position, it’s crucial to engage your team right from the beginning, so you set the stage for your leadership and show yourself as approachable as well as a good strategist. So, here are some steps to implement.

Don’t Make Sweeping Changes

Often, individuals new to leadership sweep in with changes to assert the fact that they are now in control, or because they genuinely think they have a better solution to perceived problem areas. Unfortunately, this action can lead to disgruntled, resentful employees who believe that things were just fine as they were.

So, think before you implement sweeping changes. If you are planning modifications, spend some time first seeing how things operate as they are so that you can make informed, small changes that have everyone on board.

In the words of the late great Stephen Covey….”Seek first to understand.”

This is much more likely to be well received by your team, who will see you have taken time to understand and consider what is happening before decisions are made.

In the next edition we will go into more detail about what makes a great leader.

Have an Open-Door Policy

Operate an open-door policy so that your employees know they can come and talk to you if they have concerns or ideas; set aside a specific time each week when you are available for your team.

Being approachable in this way means you are far more likely to hear if there are any underlying problems within the team that you can then deal with before they become more impactful.

Talk to Your Team

Communication is the key to establishing a team that works. From transparent communications that cascade information to everyone, to actively listening to your team when they want to discuss ideas with you: communication is a two-way process.

Make the most of every interaction with your team and learn about their communication preferences too. For example, do they prefer you to email or walk across the room to communicate with them? Are you more likely to get an individual on board with an idea by having an informal or formal meeting?

Build a Positive Culture

Company culture is more critical now than it has ever been, with overwhelming research to suggest that businesses with poor company culture are more likely to fail.

So, you must work towards building an environment where employees are respected and valued, where there are a shared vision and cohesive teamwork, and where communication and transparency are paramount.

Article 2 coming soon…For more information on our services please click here. A member of our team will be more than happy to answer any queries you may have.