Building A Strong Team-The Secrets Of A Successful Leader

Leaders are made, not born. While innate intelligence and charisma will give you an advantage in leading, the best leaders have honed their skills with deliberate practice and reflection on their own leadership journey. 

These unique traits can elevate an average team into an extraordinary one. Don’t believe us? Read on! Here are the secrets of successful leaders that can help build a strong team as well as inspire your followers to reach new heights in both their personal and professional lives.

#1. Mastering Personal Responsibility

You must master personal responsibility and accountability to lead others. Leadership isn’t about barking orders or creating a dictatorship. It’s about empowering your team members to succeed. 

While there are many ways to do that, every leader should take responsibility for these three core responsibilities: clarify roles and expectations; hold them accountable; and provide positive reinforcement when they do great work. Mastering personal responsibility is where you start leading from your strengths, not just stepping in when things go wrong.

#2. Sharing the Vision and Setting Clear Direction

If you want to be a great leader, you need to get buy-in from your team. You can’t simply tell them what they should do. Rather, you need to share your vision and help guide them along that path. That’s why you must spend ample time sharing your vision with others—but also take time to listen carefully to their ideas and opinions.

#3. Communicating Clearly and Openly

Open and honest communication is essential to building a strong team. If you are vague or don’t address issues, your team will not know how to act appropriately in different situations. This, in turn, makes it more difficult for you as a leader because you won’t be able to trust your employees. By being open and clear with your employees, they will do whatever they can to fix issues before they become problems.

#4. Establishing an Environment of Trust, Honesty, and Respect

The first lesson of leadership is that you need to give respect to get it. Showing gratitude, being honest and transparent, and treating your team with dignity are just a few ways to show your team members that they have value. One surefire way to build a strong team is by creating an environment where all voices are heard, regardless of rank or level of experience.

#5. Delegating Effectively

Delegating work to your team members is critical to building a strong, effective, and productive team. You can delegate effectively by assigning tasks to let your team members know exactly what they need to do, even if they have never done it before or don’t have any prior experience. 

Using lotus leadership—the concept of delegating tasks while keeping responsibility with yourself—will help you delegate effectively and create an effective and efficient work environment.

#5. Listening Actively

When leaders actively listen to their team, they are more likely to receive more creative solutions from those around them. While some leaders may think that active listening is a waste of time, great leaders know better. 

Nothing will build trust and loyalty more than listening to what your employees say. Lotus leadership is one of the greatest skills any leader can have; when you actively listen to those around you, it’s easier for them to open up and share their ideas with you.

#6. Knowing When to Step In or Back

Lotus leadership requires a lot of delegation, but it’s essential to be able to step in and take control when your team needs you. If your employees aren’t meeting deadlines or aren’t performing well, it’s okay for you to get involved and help them along. 

But don’t interrupt their work unless necessary; providing too much oversight can make your employees feel micromanaged. Always respect what they say and encourage open dialogue when there are problems.

#7. Encouraging Creativity, Innovation, and Change

Encourage your team to use their creativity and inventiveness. As a leader, you should never stand in their way. Innovation is what will make your business prosper, so try to break free from old ideas that aren’t working or that aren’t up to date with current trends.

Be open to change; ask yourself if you’re holding onto old methods because they work or because you simply don’t know how else to do things.

#8. Motivating People Through Challenge & Growth

At times, being a leader means providing challenges that force your team to push through their comfort zones and grow into better people. Allowing them to come up with solutions to those challenges can help them feel more empowered and engaged. After all, one of the best things you can do for your employees helps them improve themselves.

Conclusion

Creating a strong, cohesive team is one of your most significant challenges as a leader. The best way to ensure you’re providing effective leadership to your team is to evaluate your performance against these four criteria regularly: they trust you, respect you, communicate with you, and work with you. By making sure that these factors are in place and putting in regular effort towards them, you can create a strong team for years.