6 Powerful Ways To Become a Better Leader

Leadership is not just for top executives or CEOs. Even if you are teaching a class, running your household, or managing a department, leadership skills are important. Effective leadership will let you persuade, guide, and motivate people to work together to achieve a common goal. If you find it difficult to lead and inspire people to be productive, here are some simple but powerful tips to help you become a better leader.

1. Serve as a role model

Leading by example is the best way to show how you would like your people to dress, act, and behave at work. It can be difficult to influence others if they do not see you projecting these positive traits. To be a better leader, work on modeling the qualities that you would like to see in your people.

If you are in sales and want your people to be more customer-centric, influence your team by showing them how it's done. Drive them to model you by consistently showing how to value customers and conveying the importance of doing so.

2. Get to know your team

Managing people involves a certain degree of separation, but that should not stop you from getting to know them individually. Teams are usually composed of people from different cultural backgrounds, family upbringing, different abilities, and at different stages of their career. Getting to know your people beyond the professional level will help you understand what makes them tick and what motivates them. Your team will see that you care about them and will work harder as a result.

3. Work on your communication skills

Communicate effectively. Some leaders often forget that communication is a two-way process. No, it's not just about you doing the talking and your team doing the listening. Your team needs to be heard. Be the type of leader that keeps the lines of communication open. Make yourself accessible enough for your people to feel comfortable to approach you on matters that concern the company.

4. Trust people

Trust your people and earn their trust in return. Delegating important tasks communicates that you believe in their capabilities and skills to get the job done. People have the tendency to reciprocate that kind of confidence in them.

5. Invest in people

It might be costly to find great talent but imagine the loss in your business or organization if you don't. It's not enough that you hire talented people, you also have to invest in them--from skills enhancement to dedicating time for an interpersonal relationship. You want your employees to feel that what they contribute to the team matters. Help them be engaged, loyal, and dedicated to their work by mentoring them and giving them a clear vision in what you want to achieve for them as individuals, as a team, and as a company.

6. Pursue continuous learning

Leadership is a continuous, transformative process. You won't ace all good traits at once, and that is okay. You can be good at certain aspects like communication and motivation yet may need some work in technological proficiency. Understanding your attributes and limitations can help you become a well-rounded leader. Do not stop improving yourself. Do regular self-assessment and look for ways to improve your leadership skills.