7 Ways To Manage People And Lead By Example
Category : Leadership
When you’re in charge of employees, you have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. You need to motivate people and hold them accountable while also following through on your own responsibilities as the boss and leader of the team. It can be tough, but leading by example helps keep morale high and productivity strong at the same time. Here are seven ways to manage people and lead by example.
1) Provide Individual Feedback
When you’re managing people and leading by example, each person has a different set of goals, strengths, and weaknesses. That’s why it’s important to provide individual feedback on their performance; positive or negative criticism is powerful enough without being generic. Complimenting someone on a well-executed project will motivate them to strive for greater accomplishments in the future. On that note, never give someone general feedback such as You need to work harder. If you want them to work harder—and perform better—teach them how with actionable steps instead. The best leaders are learners too!
2) Have Clear Direction
As a leader, one of your most important jobs is to clearly communicate what needs to be done and how it will be done. If you don’t give people an understanding of where they are going, how they should get there, and why it matters in a way that speaks to them personally, confusion will ensue. This is particularly true when there are multiple leaders in a single organization; if each of them speaks with their own voice—and especially if they speak only in vague generalities—the whole thing can break down into chaos.
3) Reward Good Performance
Rewarding good performance is a key part of leadership. Be sure to reward your team when they do something exceptional; it’s only fair and can help build morale. Also be careful not to give out rewards too often, otherwise people will get complacent—and if you stop rewarding, people may take things for granted again. Management isn’t always fun but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun along the way! A small reward or celebration after completing a big project is a great way to keep people motivated and feeling good about their work. It also sends a signal to everyone else on your team that hard work pays off, which is important if you want them to stick around (and keep doing awesome work).
4) Give Praise Publicly
One of my personal favorites is to publicly acknowledge someone who has gone above and beyond. It can be as simple as writing up a quick email that says, Hey Mike, thanks for staying late last night and finishing that project. We really appreciate your hard work. An important part of management is making sure your employees feel appreciated. Don’t save all of your praise for behind closed doors—letting people know you value their work will give them more incentive to keep doing great things. After all, one thing holding back many under-performing employees isn’t a lack of talent or ability; it’s an inability to feel valued at work.
5) Admit Mistakes
The first step to learning how to lead by example is owning up to your mistakes. It’s common for business leaders to admit mistakes after they happen, but a better tactic is to acknowledge them before they occur—that way you can proactively avoid making similar errors in future. If a team member makes a mistake, be upfront about it with him or her and don’t be afraid of admitting that you did it wrong, too. Setting a good example will give everyone more confidence in themselves and boost morale across your office—and that’s something you definitely want if you want to effectively manage people and lead by example.
6) Follow Up After Every Meeting
Meetings are great for providing team members with an opportunity to work together, ask questions, and share opinions. But meetings can often end up as nothing more than a way to pass time. If you want to improve your management skills and lead by example, make sure that every meeting ends with a clearly defined next step—and follow up after every meeting to make sure that happens. Not only will meetings become more productive, but it also becomes easier for you (as manager) to know exactly what needs your attention. Following up after every meeting is also an easy way of holding everyone on your team accountable and being sure they’re moving towards common goals.
7) Use Constructive Criticism
Everyone makes mistakes; even professional athletes and entertainers. It’s a part of life. The important thing is learning from those mistakes and growing from them. Look for opportunities to let your team members know when they’ve done well, but also look for chances to give constructive criticism about what can be improved upon. You don’t want your employees to feel like you’re always nitpicking, but that one word of advice about how you can improve as an employee (and person) will go a long way towards fostering a positive work environment.
Click here to get more clarity on psychology of leadership and become an effective leader in your organization.