DOING IT ALL FOR YOUR TEAM Can you lead, support, and inspire at the same time?
I believe the answer is yes. In fact, the strongest leaders understand that these responsibilities are not separate. They work together. Leadership is about setting expectations and making decisions, but it is also about supporting people, encouraging their growth, challenging them, and demonstrating through your own actions what you expect from others. It starts with taking care of yourself. Take Care of Yourself If you are burned out, exhausted, and constantly overwhelmed, it will eventually show up in your professional life. Sleep, fun, personal growth, and time away from work are essential to your overall wellness. This is not something to take lightly. Find a way to recharge and recalibrate. Leadership requires energy, patience, judgment, and perspective. Taking care of yourself allows you to bring those qualities to your team. Investing in yourself is not separate from investing in your organization—it helps make you a better leader.
Lead with Consistency and Accountability Consistency is one of the most
important qualities a leader can bring to a team. If you are unpredictable, your team may not know what to expect from you and may even become apprehensive about interacting with you. Consistent leaders tend to communicate clearly. They establish expectations, reinforce desired outcomes, and hold themselves and others accountable. When expectations are clear and consistently reinforced, people can focus their energy on meeting those expectations instead of trying to figure out which direction the leader is headed today. Your team should not suffer from leadership “whiplash” caused by constantly changing priorities, expectations, or reactions. One simple test of consistent leadership is this: If you asked a member of your team what their boss thinks of their performance, could
they are doing well, where they need to improve, and what is expected of them moving forward. Support the Person, Not Just the Employee Beyond consistency and accountability, strong leaders are supportive. Support can take many forms, and sometimes the most important support has very little to do with the work itself. Employees experience funerals, relationship challenges, family
they answer accurately? They should be able to. When leaders communicate
consistently and provide meaningful feedback, team members know where they stand. They understand what
Powered by FlippingBook