If you want respect as a leader, show compassion for your colleagues and work to help them also succeed themselves. A leader should help and encourage others so they can also become leaders. The ability to delegate is critical to good leadership.
Most importantly, a good leader encourages simplicity. Focus on the things that are important. Start setting your priorities then. Take the time to streamline your daily tasks as much as possible. You should also give yourself and others time to think.
Remember your morals when you are leading. Consider your decision before you make it. If a decision is making you ill just thinking about it, do not make it. Some may disagree with you, but you should always do what you think is right.
Never assume that your employees read minds. Tell people exactly what needs to be done for a job to be finished, when it should get done, and how it should be done. Also, you need to put a policy that’s open door into place. If they don’t understand the instructions you give, they don’t need to hesitate about coming to you for help.
Try being transparent when issues come up as often as you can. A while back people used to just hide what was going on, but these days leaders don’t do that any longer. Are you wondering why? Communication is more important in today’s world. The story will get out whether you want it to or not. Wouldn’t be better for you to be in control of how the story is told? Successful leaders have excellent communication skills.
Always be decisive. Because you the one leading, you have to make a lot of decisions. If the team has a couple different opinions regarding problem solutions, decide on a solution that will benefit everyone instead of a couple people.
Do not do things that others may find deceitful. You need to follow through with promises in order to garner trust. If you tell others that your business provides great service, you have to make sure your workers know how to provide this.
Be someone who is known for being easily approachable. Some people think that leaders should be intimidating. This is far from the truth and will make your job much harder. Be kind, caring and compassionate instead.
Cop to your mistakes. Nobody is perfect. Great leaders recognize their mistakes, learn from them and use this experience to help others avoid these mistakes. It shows that you are humble and mistakes happen. Showing your humanity will help others become loyal followers.
Make preparations before speaking to your team. Consider what questions they may have for you before you go. Answer questions honestly and in a professional manner. Being prepared with quality answers shows confidence and leads to a team that will respect you. In addition it saves plenty of time.
It can be helpful to you, as a team leader, or manager, to set aside time each day to examine how things are going at the office, or workplace. Reflect on this yourself, or ask a few team members for input. Ask for suggestions and take what they say to heart.
The group you hire to build your business should be diverse. Age, educational, and cultural diversity will help you get more in terms of perspectives. Don’t hire people that are exactly like you. This stifles creativity. It also risks failure based on compounding your personal weaknesses.
No one wants to be seen as an incompetent leader. Know what it takes to become a great leader, understanding exactly how to treat your team. Wanting to do things properly and the desire to learn will make a world of a difference. It is up to you, but you must make morally upstanding choices.
Own your words. Good leadership is about taking responsibility for the things you do or say. Think about how you are representing your company whenever you interact with others. If you’re not behaving properly, you need to change that. Don’t wait for other people to fix the problem for you.
There are tremendous opportunities for small businesses and social entrepreneurs to support their communities through community foundations, donor advised funds and other means of giving back. Find the neighborhoods in San Francisco, California where you can make the most impact on civic engagement in the community.