How to be a good leader at work

For many people, becoming a leader isn’t part of their career plan. But when you’re running a small business, you immediately become the leader of a team of people.

They look to you daily to make decisions about their careers, lives and futures. You want to be the best possible leader for them. So, what can you do to become the best leader you can be as you focus on running your business? Here are some tips to assist you to be a good team leader.

Take a break. As the boss, you shouldn’t hesitate too much to take time off. Taking a relaxing holiday will keep you feeling refreshed and energised to take on new work. It is important that you encourage members of your team to do the same. Does every member of your team need to be at their desk daily or could they work from home? If that’s not possible, could you implement flexible working hours? Remember, you’re dealing with adults, not children, and they should be responsible for managing their own time. If members of your team are unhappy with their working conditions, that unhappiness will soon spread. It is essential you try to keep the members of your team as happy as possible.

Treat your employees like people. Your staff members aren’t robots. They aren’t there to do everything you ask without question at all times. They have families and friends to spend time with, homes to maintain, appointments to keep and errands to run. Give them some time to complete these tasks and they won’t spend time hunched behind their desks, worried about ticking those items off their to-do lists.

Acknowledge their hard work. Everyone likes to hear when they’ve done a good job. Make sure to take the time to tell members of your team when you’re impressed with tasks they’ve completed well. They should never be left to guess how they are performing and if they are a valued member of the team.

Be prepared for the worst. The unexpected can happen at any time. We would all like to imagine we’ll be safe at work but that isn’t always the case. As the boss, you are responsible for their actions.

Knowledge is power. Your team members want to know what’s going on in the business. They’ll soon begin to guess if something is happening behind the scenes. Without being made privy to this information, they will begin to feel undervalued and underappreciated.

Admit when you're wrong. Continuing down an incorrect path is a waste of everyone’s time. If you have made a mistake, admit your error, find solutions and move on. This should be true for you as the leader and all of the members in your team.

This article is provided by LegalWise which offers legal insurance.