Leadership In The Workplace
Tags: Real Estate, buying, selling, real estate tips, residential, commercial, Contractors, Renovators, community, agent, leadership, leadership in the workplace, leaders, how to be a leader,
5 minute read.
In every workplace, there needs to be a leader but that doesn’t mean leaders can’t be found within the members of your team. They may not run the company but could host meetings, coordinate events or manage a department. The point being, each of us has the potential to demonstrate leadership through contribution, volunteering or communication. This week on the podcast we dissect how to become and what it means to be an effective leader and the signs of a poor one.
As always you can listen here or read on to see highlights from this week's episode.
What Does It Take to Be an Effective Leader?
Communication is the strongest skill a leader should possess. This does not mean strong speaking skills but the ability to listen and relay messages for whom they represent. The leader is always keeping the conversation of the group moving and making sure everyone is heard. Often times we see leaders as the “popular” figure of the collection but that is not always the case. The leader should be the individual who best represents the group and listens to their peers to take the collaborative stance of everybody.
Signs Of A Poor Leader
Everyone can develop the ability of leadership but it is a hard skill to learn. It takes patience, respect and a level head. Often, we see individuals in leadership positions that shouldn’t be. Most have qualities such as these:
- They think they know everything
- They are entitled
- They blame their employees
- There are lousy with relationships
- They preach they know what customers want
- They are often absent
- They look down on employees and customers
- They do not listen to other people’s opinions
The overarching link between all of these is that poor leaders are selfish and only speak for themselves. Great leaders want the best for and out of their team. They never care about the collective and understand the rising of a tide. A leader who only thinks about themselves can’t have a successful business…for long.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Even if you do not identify with one of these qualities, check-in from time to time to make sure you are still being an effective leader. Ask yourself these questions to recognize if the business culture you are creating is still motivating and stimulating. This is another great opportunity to ask your team or employees for their feedback regarding your performance.
- What is working in everyone’s role?
- What isn’t working?
- What challenges are we facing?
- What is morale like?
- How are our consumers feeling?
- How are we recognizing success?
- How can we promote team building?
- How are we promoting growth within the team?
- Are employees proud to work here?
- How am I motivating my team?
- Are we working as a team or as individuals?
- Overall, how can I be a better leader?
Continuing A Great Business Culture
In our opinion, there are five pillars to creating a great culture in your business. These pillars are; communication, positivity, motivation, independence and commitment. The pillars embody many elements of what a healthy and successful culture looks like. To maintain an excellent level of leadership, see if any of the pillars need more attention.
Communication
- Engage with your staff
- Let them know how the business is doing
- Listen more than you speak
- Ask for personal feedback
- Give genuine attention to each team member
Positivity
- Allow for good days and bad days
- Find ways to boost morale in and out of the office
- Do not encourage negativity
- Do not talk poorly about clients to your co-workers
- Do not tell co-workers to smile more
Motivation
- Celebrate the little and large victories
- Give recognition when deserved
- Reward the team outside of the office
- Encourage adventurous ideas
- Find little ways to spark joy
Independence
- Allow and encourage autonomy
- Let the team teach one another
- Encourage projects and do not interfere
- Do not compare co-workers
Commitment
- Offer business knowledge
- Commit to failures and successes
- Be adaptable to everyone’s schedule
- Embrace different opinions
- Allow your team to grow
These are just a few ways you can improve your leadership skills and relationships within your team.
Conclusion
As we stated earlier, we believe that everyone has the ability to be a leader in their own right. Not every leader will wear the title of a typical leader (ex. CEO, boss, manager etc) but they deserve the respect of one. Leadership is a challenging role that makes you vulnerable. For many people, this places them outside their comfort zones. As much as this specific blog is about how to be a good leader, it’s also about being a good teammate. Always remember, respect goes both ways.
That was it for this week’s podcast. Just as a reminder, our weekly podcast comes out every Tuesday on Youtube, Spotify, Google Podcast and Apple Podcast.
As always you can connect with us on social media @Knowledgebrkr or email us at trish@knowledgebroker.ca with your comments and ideas.
Our job at Knowledge Broker is to cultivate an open source of information. Knowledge is power and creates experts and understanding. Do you want the power? Connect with us here on our website or on social media at “@knowledgebrkr”.
“My knowledge becomes your asset and my hard work is your vehicle to success.”
JOSHUA CAMPBELL (@knowledgebrkr)
Real Estate Broker
Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Centre, Brokerage
www.KnowledgeBroker.ca
249 Avenue Road • Newmarket, ON L3Y 1N8
Phone 289.231.0001
