Learn how to be a good leader to improve your team's

engagement and success.

 Learning how to be a good leader can greatly impact the success of your team,
your organization and yourself.
 To be an effective leader, you must understand your own motivations, strengths
and weaknesses.
 Great leaders connect with their team by facilitating open communication,
encouraging employee growth and development, and giving and receiving
feedback.

Anyone can sit in a corner office and delegate tasks, but there is more to effective
leadership than that. Effective leaders have major impacts on not only the team members
they manage, but also their company as a whole. Employees who work under great
leaders tend to be happier, more productive and more connected to their organization –
and this has a ripple effect that reaches your business's bottom line.

"I think a great leader is one who makes those around them better," Dana Brownlee,
founder of Professionalism Matters, told Business News Daily. "There are many litmus
tests for a great leader, but I really look to those around them: Are they growing, becoming
better leaders themselves, motivated, etc.?"

If you look around and see that your team members have become disengaged or stagnant
in their work, it may be time to reassess and reform your strategies. According to
Brownlee, the following behaviors are signs that you may have a poor leadership strategy:

 No one on your team has criticized one of your ideas in the past month.
 You spend more time planning your own career progression than that of your team
members.
 You haven't had at least three completely non-work-related conversations with a
team member weekly.
 Different team members would provide different answers if asked your top three
priorities for the year.
 Team members are afraid to fail.

A recent study by the Center for Creative Leadership showed that roughly 38% to more
than half of new leaders fail within their first 18 months. Leaders can avoid becoming part
of this staggering statistic by incorporating good leadership strategies that motivate their
team members to accomplish their goals.

We spoke with CEOs, directors and leadership experts to learn what those leadership
strategies are and how you can incorporate them.

1. Engage in honest, open communication.

One of the most important elements of effective leadership is creating an open line of
communication with your team members. Sanjay Patoliya, the founder and director
of Teclogiq, said that your own honesty and transparency should serve as an example for
your team members.
"When you are responsible for a team of people, it is important to be straightforward," he
said. "Your company and its employees are a reflection of yourself, and if you make
honest and ethical behavior as a key value, your team will follow."

Brownlee added that great leaders are able to customize their interactions and
communication styles to suit each situation and team member, based on individual
preferences. "This means they take the time to figure out which communication mode is
preferred by each team member – e.g., are they a text person, email, phone, or face-to-
face? They're also great listeners and are authentically interested in other people."

Displaying active communication skills and transparency can build trust among your team
and improve overall morale. Ruslan Fazlyev, CEO and founder of e-commerce solutions
provider Ecwid, said that in all your communications, it's important to be genuine above all
else.

"There are many leadership styles; there's no right and wrong," he said. "But there's
genuine, and there's fake. There's no following to fake leadership." [What kind of leader
are you? Take a look at these different traits, skills and styles.]

2. Connect with your team members.

Leading a group of people requires a mutual sense of trust and understanding between
the leader and their team members. To achieve this, leaders should learn to connect. 

Terry "Starbucker" St. Marie, a leadership writer and consultant, said that being a "more
human" leader requires positivity, purpose, empathy, compassion, humility and love.
These key traits will put you on the road to genuine connections with the members of your
team.

"Building a real, personal connection with your teammates is vital to developing the shared
trust necessary to build a strong culture of accountability and exceptional performance,"
St. Marie said. "With that culture in place, the team can achieve a successful business, a
happy team and a fulfilled leader." 

To build a connection with each of your team members, focus on getting to know their
personality, interests, strengths, weaknesses, hobbies and preferences. This can give you
insight into their goals and motivations.

Patoliya said that successful leaders allow their teams to develop autonomy and add value
according to their own personal strengths. "Being able to recognize the strengths of
individuals within their team, and allowing them to be responsible and accountable, not
only increases employees' confidence in themselves and their leader, but also increases
their performance."

3. Encourage personal and professional growth.

Acting as your team's cheerleader is an important part of being an effective leader. You
should be invested in their success and growth.

Keri Ohlrich, the CEO of HR consulting company Abbracci Group, said that leaders should
set aside a budget, if only a small one, to dedicate to the growth of their employees.
"With options as varied as on-demand, virtual [and] in-person options, there's ample
opportunity to continue learning new skills or further developing existing ones," she said.
"Empower your employees to take the time to learn and infuse that in the work they do."

In addition to investing in your employees' growth financially, you should invest

emotionally. John Rampton, founder and CEO of Calendar, said that great leaders
empower their employees to grow by giving them challenging opportunities and guiding
them as needed.

"To motivate and inspire employees, leadership strategy is about empowering others to do
their best and take on new challenges," he said. "Employees like challenges and feeling
the satisfaction of overcoming them. Whether it's a tough client, a difficult sale, a hard
situation or whatever the case, it's always good to let them take on these challenges."

When leaders believe in their employees and give them the opportunity to learn and grow,
they might be surprised how much they can accomplish. Don't be afraid to delegate tasks
and encourage freedom and creativity.  

4. Keep a positive attitude.

As much as leaders wish their team's day-to-day operations could run smoothly all the
time, they're bound to run into the occasional obstacle. Whether it's a minor
miscommunication or a major error, the way you handle a negative situation says a lot
about your leadership skills.

Robert Mann, author of The Measure of a Leader (iUniverse, 2013), recommended

focusing on the good in any set of circumstances. "Look at three positive things about a
problem before you identify what makes it dissatisfying. The more you look at the positives
in a problem, the more positively people react with one another." 

In his research, Mann has found that after individuals point out things they're happy with in
a problematic situation, they don't feel so strongly about the problem and are better able to
think clearly and solve it. The same is true when a leader needs to improve their strategy.
If you or a team member notices a particular course of action you've taken that just isn't
working, figure out some things you've done in the past that have worked.

Patoliya added that focusing on solutions, rather than problems, can help your team
maintain positive engagement. "A positive environment is more likely to create a more
engaged and productive workforce. By displaying enthusiasm and confidence, a good
leader will see the impact that they can have in their working environment."

5. Teach employees instead of giving orders.

An effective leader knows how to show others what is required, rather than simply telling
them. Luke Iorio, president and CEO of the Institute for Professional Excellence in
Coaching (iPEC), said leaders should coach their team members toward a more
collaborative, committed work environment – without coaxing them.

"[If you are] controlling people to do certain things in certain ways, you're not going to get
the level of engagement that you're looking for," he said. "Coaching is about helping the
people you lead recognize the choices they have in front of them. People will [then] take a
great deal of ownership over the direction of the project." 

As opposed to simply barking orders at team members, Rampton said that good leaders
should encourage growth by teaching. "People wouldn't grow if leaders never taught them
anything. Leaders need to be teaching so they can grow new leaders to take their place."

6. Set clear employee goals and expectations.

Setting clear goals and employee expectations for your team is key to employee success.
When setting these objectives, encourage employee questions and feedback. Including
them in the process can increase engagement.

Amish Shah, president of ALTR Created Diamonds, said that good leaders will also
explain the company vision and how team member goals fit into that equation.

"For a leader to motivate and inspire, they need to keep their team in the know about their
vision," he said. "This helps employees understand the end result they're working towards
as a unit. When goals are clearly set, everyone can track progress and identify
achievements in a tangible manner." 

Ohlrich also stressed the importance of explaining how these goals impact the
organization as a whole. She said that, regardless of seniority level, every employee
should be able to articulate how the work they do supports the success of the company.

Don't let team member goals go static. Periodically revisit goals to modify or rearrange
them as needed. This will let your team members know that you are present and aware of
what they are working on.

7. Give direct feedback about performance.

Taso Du Val, CEO and founder of the Toptal freelance talent network, said direct, honest
feedback – even if it's criticism – is the best way to guide your team in the right direction.
You also need to know exactly where your business is headed so you can give them the
right advice.

"If you're not direct, people won't know what you truly think about them and their work, and
they will never be able to improve," Du Val said. "If you don't know the precise direction
your company is headed, no matter how much you've communicated to your employees
and leadership team regarding their individual performance, they will flounder when it
comes to making decisions and taking actions. Once those basic principles are in place,
deadlines, regular product plans, performance reviews, structure and processes can easily
be put into place."

In addition to providing constructive feedback and performance reviews, highlight

employee accomplishments. If a team member does something great, let them know.
Celebrate their wins and thank them for their hard work.

"Positive recognition will create an environment of productivity," said Shah.

"Acknowledging successes by outlining how it impacts the business, rather than with
vague pats on the back, is not only encouraging but also helps a person work better in the
long run."

8. Ask for feedback on your leadership.

Your team members aren't the only ones who can benefit from honest feedback. A
true self-assessment of your leadership can be difficult, so mentors, fellow professionals
and even your own staff are invaluable in evaluating your effectiveness. According to St.
Marie, talking to friends and peers can give you necessary perspective on your leadership
style and approach.

Leadership coaching can also help you discover areas where you need improvement. A
professional who helps you develop a plan to achieve your leadership goals can be more
motivational than books and seminars alone.

"Coaching allows leaders to make the connection and apply [changes] in a real-life
setting," Iorio said. "You need time to integrate, process and reflect, and unless you go
through those steps, you won't have sustainable change." 

Fazlyev agreed, noting that your team can give you critical insight into what's working,
what's not working and what obstructions you must overcome to achieve success.

9. Be open to new ideas.

Good leaders have the emotional intelligence to understand and accept that change is
inevitable. Instead of trying to maintain a status quo just for the sake of consistency,
embrace change and innovation. Be open to new ideas and alternative ways of thinking.
Everyone brings a unique perspective to the table, and that is something to take
advantage of, not discourage.

"When you're open to hearing the thoughts of the talent around you is when you truly
embrace every possibility and potential," said Shah. "See things through till the end.
Understand that there will be errors along the way, but if something doesn't work, try to
figure out why and how before scrapping it."

When solving a problem, encourage team members to provide their insights. When
employees feel like they can openly bring new ideas to the table, true innovation,
engagement and success can prevail.

10. Understand your own motivation.

If a person in a leadership position views their role as "just a job," it's going to show. To be
an effective leader, you need the right motivation. Is it the money or the prestige you care
about, or do you sincerely want to inspire people to do their best?

St. Marie advised leaders to really ask themselves why they want to lead. "I look at
leadership as an honor and a vocation. If, in your heart, you feel leadership is your destiny
and how you'll make a difference in this world, then you are certainly starting from the right
place."
In addition to what motivates you, Ohlrich said it is important to know what decreases your
energy. "Knowing your strengths and weaknesses help you diversify your team and get a
well-rounded portfolio of skills. It helps you not hire carbon copies of yourself and surround
yourself with others who are not like you."

Your leadership style plays a role in how you interact with employees and should be
evaluated as well. There are six different leadership styles, and the best leaders are able
to adapt each style to their situations and employees. If you are currently in a leadership
role and aren't sure where you stand on some of these qualities, you can take a
quick leadership self-assessment quiz from the Leading With Courage Academy to assess
your leadership abilities.

Remember that being a good leader takes time. Although some individuals are naturally
inclined to have good leadership skills, it is something anyone can learn and improve
upon. With hard work, dedication and strategic planning, you can lead your team to
success.