It’s easy to sit in a corner office, delegate tasks, and call yourself a “leader.” Being a good leader will set you apart. Employees who work under great leadership report being more productive and overall happier and more connected to their work. If you are interested in how to be a good leader and becoming a positive influence on others, we’ve got the guide for you.

Here are some ways you can be the best leader you can be for your team.

1. Have Honest and Open Communication

Communication is the key to effective leadership. Have an open line of communication with your team members in place. Your transparency and honesty should be an example for your team members, so lead by example. If you make honest and ethical behavior one of your fundamental values, your team will follow.

If you want to learn how to be the best leader, take the time to learn which mode of communication is preferred by each of your team members. Are they a phone, text, email, or in-person/face-to-face kind of communicator? Great leaders can personalize their interactions and communication styles to suit each one of their employees, based on individual preferences. When you communicate with your employees in a personalized and genuine way, you also build trust among your team, therefore, improving overall morale.

2. Encourage Personal and Professional Growth

If you’re wondering how to be a good leader, you should remember you are your team’s head cheerleader. So you must invest in their personal and professional growth and success.

Set aside a budget, even if it is small, dedicated to the growth of your employees. In addition to financially investing in your employees’ growth, you should also invest emotionally. If you want to motivate and inspire your employees, you will need to empower them to do their best and take on new challenges. Employees feel a sense of accomplishment when overcoming challenges.

Whether it’s a difficult sale, a hard situation, or perhaps a tough client, it’s always a good idea to allow them to take on these challenges and praise their effort.

Effective leaders that inspire belief in their employees and team members. When you give them opportunities to learn and grow, your employees might be surprised by how much they can accomplish. Try to delegate more tasks and encourage freedom and creativity.

While you’re at it, if you are serious about becoming an effective leader, be sure to invest in yourself as well! Consider taking online leadership and management courses so you can be the best leader you can be for your team.

3. Connect With Your Team Members

When you lead a team of people, you will need a mutual sense of trust and understanding between your team members and yourself. To get that mutual sense of trust and understanding, leaders should learn how to connect. You don’t want your employees to see you as just their boss. You want them to see a “more human” side to you as their leader. This will require positivity, empathy, humility, compassion, and purpose. When the members of your team see these key traits in their leader, you will be on the fast track to genuine connections with your team members. Take the time to know everyone’s personality, strengths, weaknesses, personal interests, hobbies, as well as their preferences. You can gain insight into the goals and motivations of everyone on your team.

4. Have a Positive Attitude

You and your team are bound to run into some obstacle at some point in time. When this happens, whether it’s the result of a minor miscommunication or a major error, remember that the way you handle negative situations says a lot about your leadership skills. In the event of an obstacle, you have to stay focused and focus on the positive side. We all make mistakes, so remember never to let your emotions get the best of you and avoid correcting one of your team members in anger—especially in front of their peers. Instead, try calmly explaining the situation and what you expect them to do in the future. Also, look and point out some positive things about a problem before you get into why you are not satisfied.

A positive attitude from you as a leader will create a more productive and engaged workforce.

5. Teach, Don’t Bark Orders

“Show, don’t tell” is a common strategy when used for classroom teaching, and it is a great strategy to use when managing your team as well. If you want to know how to be the best leader, you will need to take the time to teach and show rather than simply giving orders. People won’t grow if their leader never teaches them anything. Think of yourself as a teacher, and a coach, not just a boss. Help the members of your team without completely controlling them. When you lead in this way, the members of your team will take a great deal of ownership over their work and direction of the project and feel a sense of pride.

6. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Feedback on Your Leadership

It is essential to offer direct feedback about each team member’s performance, but it is also important you are open to feedback as well. The members of your team aren’t the only ones who can benefit from honest feedback. If you want to know how to be a good leader, allow fellow professionals and even your own staff to offer feedback on where you are doing well and where you need improvement. Asking for honest feedback from others can give you a different perspective on you and your leadership style.

Our Tips on How to Be a Good Leader

It’s easy to sit in a corner office, delegate tasks, and call yourself a “leader.” Being a good leader will set you apart. Employees who work under great leadership report being more productive and overall happier and more connected to their work.

We hope this post gave you some insight on how to be a good leader. If you found this post helpful, be sure to check out more from Career – Self Help page for more posts like this one!