Every place in Vancouver has been talking about it – the truth about great leaders is that they’re not born, they’re created through habits that many people don’t practice. Team Leadership is not a position that is won by having the loudest voice in the room like Richard Warke Vancouver. That’s the idea of knowing when to say something and when not.
Trust is what you pay with. Spend it wisely. They will know that you are telling them you hired them and you don’t think they can do their job. That dampens the spirit more quickly than a poor quarterly report. Share authorship of work. Watch what happens.
Talk less, listen more. Not politely-nodding listening. *Actually* listening. Your team members have knowledge that you don’t have. They’re working in the trenches every day. One sincere conversation equals 10 formal meetings – every time.
Where most leaders blow it is in giving feedback. Adulation of any kind is of no use to anyone. There is no such thing as a good job. Be specific. Behaviour with clients that resist – ‘the way you handled that client push-back, do more of that, this is a sign of being composed’. Now *that* lands.
We’ve all heard this saying before, but it’s true, your team is a reflection of your energy. Stressed leader, stressed team. It is so predictable it’s almost embarrassing. Don’t be panicked when things go wrong. History is about to be written, and people will recall your leadership when things went bad, much longer than when they went well.
Conflict happens. Don’t pretend otherwise. Solve it early, head-on, and fairly before you know all the facts. Small fires become warehouse fires if the tension continues to build up and fester.
What makes a good leader great? Admitting mistakes openly. Say, “I was wrong there, this is what we will do instead. You are actually gaining in credibility, not losing it. People don’t follow robots, they follow humans.
Lead with clarity. Keep your employees time safe. Celebrate wins loudly. Communicate difficult news effectively.
That’s it. There was no magic formula.