How to Be a Leader in the Workplace

culled from:wikihow

Being a Leader in the Workplace

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   Focus on the goals of the organization. Understand the vision of the business or project and keep it at the forefront at all times. Prioritize the success of the organization over personal interests in advancement. 

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   Assemble talented teams. Recruit talented people by identifying the needs of each position and matching them with workers who are skilled and passionate about the work.
   • Create growth opportunities for employees. Appeal to the professional interests of each worker by creating clear paths for development and promotion. Motivate workers by challenging them. Many people thrive when challenged to innovate or perform new tasks. Encourage team members to increase efficiency by creating new systems or recommending product changes.
   • Recognize and appreciate worker effort. When employees perform well, acknowledge their achievements verbally or by setting up rewards systems.
   • Assess employee needs. Workers may need new tools, a quieter workspace or greater interaction with team members to be more productive. Determine their needs by having one-on-one conversations and weekly team meetings.
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   Define tasks. Being a leader in the workplace often involves recognizing when workers need greater direction. This is especially important for new employees or those in new positions. Workers may need explanations of what to do and how to do it.
   • Organize training sessions. Training may be provided by you, other team members or an outside training consultant. Customize training to the specific needs of workers.
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   Facilitate meetings. Organize regular meetings to discuss project details and organizational goals.
   • Coordinate schedules for meetings. Schedule meetings to accommodate the availability of participants. A late-afternoon meeting on a Friday may not be the best time to discuss challenging issues. Aim for times when workers are most energetic and not bogged down by deadlines.
   • Prepare an agenda. Circulate the agenda to meeting participants in advance and ask them to add any relevant discussion items.
   • Lead discussions. Create an environment that allows everyone to speak. Watch for individuals who monopolize discussions. Manage their behavior by establishing meeting rules, inviting quieter individuals to speak, or setting a time limit on individual contributions.
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   Address problems in a timely manner. Deal with issues as soon as possible. A customer's product complaint can snowball into a larger problem, and negative feedback about the organization can spread by word of mouth. Address problems by listening to grievances and assembling teams to brainstorm solutions.
   • Act decisively. After weighing all important factors, avoid unnecessary delays in making decisions. Assemble teams to implement solutions. Vacillating can result in the loss of business or erosion of worker confidence.
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   Resolve conflicts. Workplace conflicts may be between an employee and a client, between employees, or between a leader and a worker. Exercise effective leadership by facing the issues. Ignoring conflicts can deteriorate relationships with clients and between employees.
   • Focus on facts. When resolving a dispute between others in the workplace, focus on the activities and facts of the situation. Avoid making character assessments or personal comments.
   • Address issues in private. If the conflict is between yourself and an employee, discuss the issues one-on-one. Avoid confronting and calling out individual team members about sensitive issues in group meetings.
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   Show respect for all workers and clients. Treating everyone with honesty and respect increases their trust in your ability to lead them.
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   Give constructive criticism. Examine your intentions when offering criticism. Always consider the impact of your words and whether they will lead to the betterment of the worker or situation.