We all know the benefits of good managers versus bad managers and what effects their leadership development activities can have on organizations as a whole. Good managers decrease costs, intelligently allocate resources, and increase overall productivity. However, great leaders aren’t made overnight.
Great leaders commit to a leadership development process of hard work, learning, dedication, passion, and patience to inspire and motivate others. Great leaders are the kind of talent you want to retain, but what happens when even the best leaders reach their peak? What happens when good leaders are only…good?
How Good Leaders Can Become Great
How can well-performing managers become exceptional leaders? These 4 leadership development tips may help:
1. IMPROVE THE LEADERSHIP STYLE WITH EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
The first step to turning good leaders into great ones is to identify what they do well and how to expand upon those strengths. More often than not, leaders come up with a process that successfully works for them and their team. Over time, that same leadership approach can peak and managers can get too comfortable in their favorite approach. They find a rut and become unable to evolve their process to maximize their team’s potential any further. As a result, leaders fall out of step with their team. The team becomes frustrated, uninspired, and disengaged because their leaders’ approaches no longer connect.
An easy way of combatting a stagnant or disconnected leadership approach is to re-engage with the team. Leaders can choose a team or leadership development session introducing fun and unique ways to improve communication, collaboration, and engagement. By including a combination of audio and visual elements to immerse participants in an environment where they thrive and by taking a hands-on approach collectively to solving a challenge, leaders can recognize how to connect with their team. Leaders reduce the fear of failure and can focus on connecting their approach with the team while the team is engaged and has fun.
2. ENABLE YOUR TEAM TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL
Good leaders can get what they need from their team, while great leaders enable their team to reach their maximum potential. Good leaders follow their own proven success model and attempt to make their approach work for all teams and individuals they manage. Great leaders take themselves and their team out of their comfort zone and challenge them to collaborate together and get the best out of each other.
Creative approaches and creativity are essential for great leaders because creativity keeps conversations fresh and exciting while demonstrating to team members that creative and unique ideas are desired and that you aren’t afraid to implement non-traditional methods. Colourful PowerPoint presentations don’t count! Eliminating PowerPoint to use illustrations does count!
3. ACTIVELY LISTEN TO YOUR TEAM MEMBERS
Good leaders listen for the gold in what anyone says and understand what their team is communicating. Great leaders internalize the feedback to change their attitudes, behaviours, and performance. Great leaders actively listen to understand what they are being told, and archive the conversation to help better engage those they are working with. By doing so, great leaders motivate and align individual team members to achieve the results faster and easier. Build your leadership communication skills with our Communicate Naturally program.
4. NEVER STOP LEARNING AND LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Good leaders stick to their comfort area and rarely stray from their tried, tested and true. Great leaders constantly seek out opportunities to stretch others in search of the latest and most unique ways to inspire others. This includes taking the team out of the office environment and allowing teams to take on projects they can own. Great leaders recognize that there’s always an opportunity for improvement and continuously develop themselves so they identify unique ways to develop others. Continue your leadership development with the Lead the Endurance interactive program.
ACHIEVE BUSINESS RESULTS WITH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
To be successful in today’s workforce, it’s essential for leaders to think outside of the box and to stand apart from their peers by leaving the known and implementing unknown methods to unknown challenges. Most teams are tired of PowerPoint and lectures, so great leaders take them into the unknown through creative and unique ways to train and inspire others.
Contact Us today for more information on how to achieve business results through your corporate leadership development.
