Whether you are the CEO of a company or the manager for a small group of people, it is always best practice to always be attempting to be more involved as an individual. Having a responsibility to other individuals in your daily line of work is an important task and one that should not be taken lightly. Growing your leadership skills is a great way to become more knowledgeable, trustworthy, and inspiring to the group of people that you need and can help inspire them to also achieve self-improvement.
Communicate
Communicating with the people that you lead is easily one of the most important aspects of being a leader. Far too often do people in power ignore their employees, lacking to create the strong close connections with individuals that best allows for the workplace to be efficient. Learning to communicate with your employees can allow you to learn more about their strengths and weaknesses, their personal life, and how all of these affect their productivity at work. Communicating with your employees can help you learn what they need on a daily basis in order to achieve their best at their jobs. Communication is the starting point of most inter-work relationships and getting to know your employees on a personal level can help inspire them to work harder and help you become a better leader.
Reward
After communicating with your employees on a personal level, it is extremely important to make sure that you are rewarding them sufficiently. First, analyze whether their paycheck is enough to adequately cushion your area’s cost of living as well as being sufficient compensation for the level and amount of work that they complete. Giving out raises based on productivity and completion is also a good idea, as it can really motivate others to stay on top of their work and be extremely productive at work. Throw work parties, give holiday bonuses, and even renovate their office space in order to make going to work better for your employees. There are always lots of different ways to reward your employees, and if you are creative, you can help create something that will inspire your employees to work harder and be more productive while also helping you become a better leader!
Become personable
In addition to communicating with your employees, allowing them to get to know YOU on a personal level is extremely important. No one likes the cold and cut-off that comes into work just to sit in his office all day. Instead, they would love to get to know you and your personal life in order to make it seem like you are on their own level. Talking to your employees about your family, home, or hobbies can help you become more personable and really help you become a better leader.
Share your passion with others
One of the best ways to become a better leader is to inspire others. Do you have a rags-to-riches story or have an inspiring past that others would benefit to learn about? Consider sharing this with others through storytelling, public speaking, or even just casual conversation. Allowing yourself to share your passion for leadership with your employees can help you grow your leadership skills and inspire them to do better for themselves in and out of work.
Go back to school
Going back to skill is also a great way to become a better leader. Whether it’s an online architecture degree or the bachelor’s degree you never finished, showing your employees that you prioritize education and bettering yourself can help them think better of you, thus improving your leadership skills. You could take classes at your local community college, learning skills in business management or even take classes about interpersonal relationships or mental health. Learning about these subjects can help you improve your skills as a leader and help you build a better relationship with your employees. Going back to school is something that takes extreme dedication, but when done for the right reasons can help improve leadership skills greatly.
Overall, the key to becoming a better leader is to become more personable with your employees in order to make yourself seem less like a dictator or boss and more like someone who has their best interest in mind–a good leader. Be sure to communicate and reward your employees in order to build the relationships necessary to become a better leader. Finally, consider going back to school in order to learn more about leadership. Acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses can help you develop and improve as a leader.