How to lead better? 11 strategies to be an effective leader

In order to lead a team well, you need a set of skills, abilities, and strategies.

Leadership is not a question of hierarchy, that is, a question of Who is the boss and who the employee; Leadership is a matter of attitude, of who guides and is committed to the activity carried out by all.

• It may interest you: "Types of Leadership: The 5 most common types of leader"

Next, we are going to take a closer look at the figure of the leader and his relationship with the teams he is in charge of., in order to understand more fully how to lead better, both seeing what should be done and what not.

The figure of the leader

To know how to lead better, the first thing to understand is what a leader is. This word should not be confused with that of the leader or the person in charge of the group. A leader is, surprising as it may seem, who makes others become leaders as well, that the same skills are acquired as those that the leader has and that have allowed him to get to where this.

In recent years, the idea that you are born being a leader is being largely refuted

. More than a characteristic that one has innately, it is something that can be worked on. Of course, to be a true leader, someone who helps guide the team so that everyone can be successful, it requires a lot of effort and daily training. It is not something as simple as applying a few "tips" and trusting that the process will come alone: ​​we must change the way we interact with the people in our charge.

How to lead better?

Then We will see 11 aspects to take into account when managing a work group or of any kind. More than advice, they are ways of behaving that the leader must incorporate both in his own behavior and in the dynamics of the group in general.

1. Involve everyone

It is very important to involve everyone in the process of creating and defining the project or business.

Of course, this strategy implies dedicating a lot of time and effort, since it is about taking into account all the opinions and proposals of those who make up the work team. Even at first, it may appear that you are not fully in control.

However, working hard to achieve a common goal, agreed in a more or less democratic way, will not only achieve that the involved will gain more knowledge about how things should be done, but will also feel more motivated in achieving their success.

2. Encourage decision making

Training people to practice independent decision-making, even if they run the risk of making mistakes, is an aspect that every leader must take into account.

Having a failure should not be seen as being incompetent, but as an opportunity to learn. We not only learn by example, but also by making mistakes and knowing what we have done so that it has not come out.

As workers have more freedom to make their own decisions, the more they will take responsibility about them, acquiring greater autonomy and behaving independently and participatory in the business.

If each worker has he feels totally responsible for his functions and is aware that his colleagues depend on them, they will take this into account when choosing which days to rest or at what time drink coffee. He will sacrifice and strive for the group to be successful.

3. Keep in touch with everyone

It is essential that the boss is not seen as someone cold and distant, who only appears when he wants to hear how a project has gone after passing the time that he has stipulated as a deadline.

It is vitally important that whoever wants to become a good figure as a leader maintains regular and individual communication with each person on the team. This can be done formally or informally, depending on the type of company and what rules they have in it.

About 15 minutes a week is enough. In that period of time, you should talk about the objectives, goals, difficulties and achievements that have been achieved or raised since the last meeting.

This is the best way to know if each one of the workers is doing his job satisfactorily, if he feels comfortable with what he does and if he has something to comment on.

4. Recognize your work

There are good days and bad days. It is very common that bosses only have as much as the bad that their workers have done, and completely ignore all their achievements, however many they may be.

But the truth is that the successes of a company or any other type of organization depend on teamwork. Without the individual successes of each of its workers, the company would go nowhere.

It is therefore essential that the leader recognize the work of his employees, explicitly, and thank them for the work they are doing. The comments made towards the worker must be concrete, positive and direct, specifying what he has done well and why he liked it.

In this way, in addition to fostering a good environment, in which workers feel appreciated by their boss, they are motivated to continue striving and achieve more success.

5. Good communication

It is common for everyone in workplaces, both the boss and the workers, to wear a mask made of appearances and superficiality.

This mask corresponds to the expected professional role, which we believe is expected of us. Generally, with this facade we are not very authentic, using an excessively cordial, distant language and limiting ourselves to doing what they have told us.

A leader must have the ability to establish authentic communication with his team, without appearances. Communication must be human, sincere and genuine and, for this to be achieved, the first to set an example is the leader, revealing himself to his employees.

To know if the company is doing well, it is necessary for the leader to foster a good communication environment.

Aspects as simple as asking how the family is, who had dinner yesterday or what they thought of the soccer game of Sunday are ways to start a conversation that can lead to better communication between members of the team.

The more conversations of this type, the fewer barriers will exist between the workers to expose the problems that may have occurred in relation to the company.

6. Good attitude

As a leader, you must always show a good attitude, and not only to achieve personal success, but also to beneficially influence others. If the leader emits good energy, those who are in charge are impregnated by it.

It is not simply having good words. It is also to show it in non-verbal language, to go with a determined smile on your face and a brisk walk.

Conversely, if the leader is drained and negative, those in charge cannot be expected to be overly energetic.

7. Set periodic goals and objectives

It is common for people to fall into our comfort zone easily. One of the best ways to avoid this is by setting realistic goals and objectives that can be achieved in a short period of time, and that are then renewed on a regular basis.

The good thing about working in high-performance teams is that people motivate each other, inspiring each other to reach further and get everything ready as soon as possible, without falling into idle hours or breaks that become eternities.

The leader must avoid tedious routines arising, since it is routine that can kill imagination and productivity. It is through new challenges and goals that the mind is activated, increasing curiosity and activity.

8. Clear and achievable expectations

In accordance with the previous point, you must have clear and achievable expectations. For this, the leader must have established proper communication with his workers, in order to know what they know and what they do not know how to do, and to what extent they can achieve what is proposed to them.

It also helps to know if they need any special help or if the process needs to be redirected.

It is very important that the stated goals have been duly clarified, without ambiguity. Nobody feels comfortable with something that has not been clear, since this generates frustration and the feeling of not being able to do what is asked of them.

9. Manage conflict

The moments of greatest growth for a team are those in which a conflict appears.

This conflict may have its good points and its bad points, but it will undoubtedly have many more of the latter if it is not managed properly in time. If the conflict is not managed, there is a risk that the dynamics in the team are so negative that it is not possible to work on it, leading to its consequent disintegration.

The person who leads that team will have to be able to identify the conflict and expose it to all members of the group, in order to be able to work on it and manage it. Thus, it will be possible to put a roadmap towards where the group is going, what has generated this conflict and how it can be solved, involving everyone.

10. Set an example

To achieve high performance in the team, it is essential that the leader lead by example. You can't ask for exemplary behavior if your boss or team manager does just the opposite.

It makes no sense for the leader to say that in the company or the organization people come first if he himself treats his subordinates like garbage. Nor would it make sense for him to ask that his workers be punctual and himself always be late.

11. Climate of fun and confidence

A highly productive environment is not incompatible with fun. In fact, it is the best addition to making sure that the workplace becomes pleasant for all workers, making them give their best. As in any relationship, at work, fun is necessary to keep it alive.

But in addition to this, the company must trust the skills of its workers. People cannot be expected to trust the company if the company does not trust them.

It is essential that the leader endows the workplace in a climate of fun and trust, where More than seen as a boss, he is seen as a catalyst for the activities that are carried out there. cape.

What should not be done

In the same way that there are a series of tips on how to lead better, useful and effective, also there are mistakes to avoid, which, if they occur, can completely ruin our good leadership.

The main thing the leader should avoid is allowing employees to be disrespected, both on their part and between them. Disrespect doesn't just show up in an insult or rude comment. There may be little respect in the way the boss behaves towards his workers, for example, not respecting the stipulated hours, laugh at what you have put in a report, put meetings on banal topics at the last hour…

Another aspect to avoid is to encourage situations in which employees are humiliated. It is okay to tell a person in charge when he or she has made a mistake, as long as this is done with the purpose of doing it better in the future and providing long-term benefits for the business. What you should not do is tell him what he has done wrong in front of the rest of his teammates, humiliating him for not having done it as expected.

Bibliographic references:

• Nye, J. C. (2011). The qualities of the leader. Barcelona: Paidós.
• Schultz, D. P. Schultz, Sydney E. (2010). Psychology and work today: an introduction to industrial and organizational psychology. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.