What are the 2 actions that the leader should continue to do?

Leadership is a skill that can have many career benefits. Certain personal qualities are common to excellent team leaders, so taking time to learn and develop these qualities can help you advance in your career. In this article, we explore leadership qualities, tips to help you stand out as a team leader at work and how to be a great leader.

Regardless of the position you currently hold in your company, you can become a leadership candidate by demonstrating that you possess these top leadership qualities:

• Accountability: Leaders must hold themselves and their teams responsible for their work. Ownership is a major part of leadership.

• Courage: Leaders need the courage to do their job even when it’s challenging. The responsibilities of a team leader often require courage, such as correcting employee behavior or making an unpopular decision.

• Communication: Clear and concise communication is key when leading a team.

• Empathy: Understanding the team is an important role of leadership. A good leader knows how their team feels about projects, processes or assignments, and they work to improve the situation.

• Flexibility: Tasks, goals and responsibilities will shift, so it’s important that a leader be flexible. They need to adapt to varying circumstances and still maintain control of the tasks at hand.

• Focus: A focused leader means a focused team. A good team leader always has the goal in mind and sets clear expectations for everyone.

• Humility: A great leader is able to admit their mistakes and learn from them. They are open to feedback from their staff, consider criticism carefully and make changes when necessary.

• Innovation: Leaders should constantly look to create or improve techniques and systems.

• Passion: A passionate leader inspires passion in their team. A good team leader will motivate people to reach a goal.

• Patience: Having patience is key to leadership because a leader must be able to manage team members’ mistakes, concerns and needs.

• Problem solving: A good leader is able to anticipate issues and overcome obstacles quickly and efficiently.

• Resilience: Leaders may get discouraged, but they need to remain committed and effective regardless of challenges. If they give up, their team will too.

• Respect: A team leader has a responsibility to handle every situation with respect. By giving respect to their team, they will likely receive respect in return.

• Transparent: A leader should be upfront and honest with their team.

• Trusting: Leadership requires delegation, and that means trusting that their team can and will complete what they are assigned. Trust, rather than micromanaging, produces positive morale and mutual respect.

If you want to become a team leader, you need to demonstrate your leadership qualities to your employer. Here are some tips for proving you can take on a new leadership role:

• Demonstrate your expertise. If you’re very effective at the job you have, it’s more likely that you’ll be considered for a leadership position. Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of your industry, and earn the respect of your peers. Create a track record and a reputation for doing your job well.
  

• Be present with people. Cultivate authentic relationships with your coworkers. Regardless of how busy they are, the best leaders make every person they interact with feel like they are the only person in the room. Try stopping by a coworker’s desk and beginning an unscheduled conversation. Be human, and interact. Continue having these unscheduled interactions with a few coworkers over the span of a week or so, and you may notice your work relationships change. Furthermore, people’s perception of you may be altered.
  

• Do it with style. Style is more than appearance; it’s also confidence and energy. Be sure to dress for the role you want by appearing professional. People around you can view you as being confident based on your expertise and your nonverbal cues. Exude confidence and professionalism.
  

• Be adaptable. Just as you should be present with your coworkers, you should carry that into relationships with clients. Clients have different preferences on how they like to communicate and the type of information they’re looking for. The truly effective leaders are able to adjust how they work depending on how the client prefers to function. Respond to their individual needs.

As a new team leader, you should continue to prove yourself even after you’ve earned the position. Here are some ways to ensure that you’re not only leading, but you’re doing it well:

1. Practice discipline. If you are disciplined in your work, your team members are more likely to be disciplined as well. Be sure to meet deadlines, be punctual, keep appointments and end meetings on time.
   

2. Communicate often. Offering your team a transparent look into your goals and how you plan to achieve them can inspire confidence in your leadership.

3. Ask questions. Even the best team leaders have to learn from others. This is especially true if you have been assigned to a new team or department. While you should always be leading and inspiring, it’s important to admit when you can learn from others as well. Asking questions will show your team that you’re flexible, respectful and open-minded.
   

4. Learn to look ahead. Great team leaders should be able to look to the future and predict possible problems and find solutions or ways to avoid them altogether. This skill can save time, money and trouble.
   

5. Explore your team’s career aspirations. Talk with each individual on your team about their goals, strengths and areas for improvement. Through this exercise, you may find a new way they can contribute to the team. Additionally, showing a genuine interest in your team members’ development will help build loyalty as well as rapport.

By Indeed Editorial Team

Updated August 12, 2022 | Published February 25, 2020

Updated August 12, 2022

Published February 25, 2020

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If you are a manager, CEO or business owner, it's likely that you lead a team or teams of employees looking to you for direction. The more leadership qualities you possess, the better leader you'll be.

In this article, we discuss leadership in the workplace, the best qualities to have as a leader and how to improve your leadership qualities for a more successful work environment.

What is leadership in the workplace?

Leadership in the workplace refers to the ability of an individual to manage and supervise a company and its fellow employees. It also refers to the ability to positively influence others to perform their jobs to the best of their ability. This will result in success for the company as a whole. When leaders effectively lead their company, the more likely they'll impact the decisions, actions and overall attitude of others in a positive manner. When there is good morale and a positive working environment, the company is set up for success.

To be an effective leader, you should have a strong sense of who you are as a person and be confident in your abilities to lead not only the company at large but your employees individually, too.

Related: 10 Traits of Highly Effective Leaders (and How To Develop Them

Important qualities for leadership in the workplace

Displaying leadership involves having a variety of skills and qualities that help you perform your job with ease. The various skills a leader should possess include both hard and soft skills. Here are some important qualities all leaders should possess in the workplace:

1. Good communication: As with most roles, it's important that leaders are good communicators. In many ways, they are the voice of the company, so being able to effectively communicate with their team and employees is vital in their position.
   

2. Empathy: Leaders need to display a great deal of empathy. This involves understanding others' wants, needs and concerns. Not only will this create a harmonious working relationship, but displaying empathy will earn trust and respect from your colleagues and employees.
   

3. Positivity: Positivity can go a long way in boosting morale and promoting a healthy work environment in general. Leaders should have a good attitude and stay positive throughout their everyday tasks. When employees see them being positive, they're more likely to be positive themselves. Leaders should aim to inspire others through their positive outlook.
   

4. Confidence: As a leader, it's important to have belief in your abilities. When you display a reasonable amount of confidence, you can help motivate others as well as give them hope for the company's future.
   

5. Vision: In order to make a company profitable, it's important for leaders to have a good vision. This means they have the motivation and ability to think beyond the present and plan for the future strategically.
   

6. Responsibility: Since leaders have a variety of tasks they'll need to complete, it's important that they're responsible in the workplace. This means prioritizing their duties and staying focused on what needs to get done for the company.
   

7. Transparency: Leaders should also be transparent about the company's state, its goals and more. This means being open, honest and effectively communicating with others in the organization. The more transparent you are as a leader, the more your employees will trust you going forward.
   

8. Motivating: As a leader, you'll be responsible for not only leading your team but empowering them to perform to the best of their ability.
   

9. Delegation: It's important that you're able to effectively delegate and manage your team of employees.
   

10. Humility: Leaders should be modest about their motivations and actions. It's important for employees to see that their superiors can make mistakes, too.

Related: 15 Leadership Qualities That Make a Great Leader

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How to improve your leadership skills in the workplace

To become a better leader, you should sharpen your skills regularly. In some instances, this can help you advance in your career, as well. Here are some ways to improve your leadership skills in the workplace:

1. Understand your strengths.

2. Be a visionary.

3. Practice active listening.

4. Stay focused.

5. Get feedback.

6. Help others.

1. Understand your strengths

It's important to differentiate your strengths from your weaknesses. As you determine what your strengths are, you'll be able to play them up to your advantage. For example, if you know you're a good negotiator, you'll be able to focus on tasks where these skills will be most used.

2. Be a visionary

Having some semblance of a vision as to the future of your company is a must for all leaders. As you look to improve your skills, it's important to always be looking at both your short- and long-term goals for the company. Having a clear vision will not only motivate you but your employees, too. Having a set goal will also help you stay focused on the matters at hand and will give you the strength to see your vision through to fruition.

3. Practice active listening

Consider practicing your active listening skills as you look to improve as a leader. This involves being more attentive to what your colleagues and employees have to say. Focus on their every word, listen to their concerns and respond appropriately. This not only shows that you are engaged but also that you care.

4. Stay focused

The majority of leaders face several responsibilities. Often, these duties are highly important and need to be done within a certain timeframe. In order to be more efficient, practice staying focused. This will help you get things done more efficiently and will help your company's success overall.

5. Get feedback

One great way to improve your leadership skills is to get feedback from your employees. Consider asking them how you can be a better leader for them or what you can do differently in their eyes. This will not only show them that you care what they think, but it'll give you a good insight as to how you're perceived and what actions you should take to become a better leader for your company.

6. Help others

Lastly, helping others in your organization will help improve your leadership skills, too. This is because through assisting others with their needs, you'll be able to empathize with them, see their struggles or successes and build a relationship and trust with them, as well. Being available to help others when they need it is a great way to improve your communication skills and general leadership skills.

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