5 Habits of Successful Leaders

Business success is hugely dependent on leadership. In today’s business environment, changes can be as rapid as they are unexpected. You may lose some of your best people at a critical time. A competitor may make a game-changing announcement. Your market may shift dramatically. All of these factors serve to unbalance your business, and the people within it.

Successful leaders have figured out the secrets of building and managing a company in the most difficult of circumstances. They know how to get the most out of their people, making them motivated, involved and happy. And to do all of this, they simply form five habits.

1)      Form a Solid Work Culture

A culture of trust, openness, productivity and fun will get a business through all manner of turbulence. This starts with you, the leader. Set the example. Make yourself available to your workers, and demonstrate the sort of attitude that you’d like to see from them. Deliver praise whenever it’s warranted, and be sure to listen to any workplace grievances, treating them with care and respect.

2)      Plan With Your Team

While the ultimate responsibility for steering the corporate ship rests at the feet of the leader, enacting any plans and strategies will involve making the most of your team’s skills and knowledge. By involving them in the planning process, your team will be far more motivated to get the job done.

Give your employees an idea of your end goals, and then consult with them on how best to achieve them. By understanding the greater idea, they will be far more aware of how their contribution affects the outcome, and will be inspired to work better because of it.

3)      Reach for the Stars

The feeling of being challenged is, for most, a great motivator. If work becomes too simple, repetitive, and mundane, an employee may feel as though they aren’t trusted with responsibility, or may become bored or overconfident with a task, leading to mistakes.

By setting challenging (butrealistic) goals for team members, you’ll not only get more work done, but you’ll give them the valuable feeling of responsibility. Delegate some of your most perplexing problems, and give your employees the freedom to solve them in whatever way they see fit, provided that the methods are in line with your overarching organisational standards.

4)      Be Available and Honest

As a leader, you want your presence felt. And not simply by way of discipline, but instead by way of visibility. Make time to wander around, speaking to workers and observing how they go about things. Ask for their input, and provide them with honest answers. If you commit to any action, ensure that you keep the promise.

5)      Celebrate Successes

This is perhaps the most important habit that successful leaders form. If your workers have put their heart and soul into achieving a goal, and the success is a true team effort, be sure to acknowledge and celebrate it. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. But if Jack receives a pat on the back and a reward after a goal has been hit, he’ll be likely to try just as hard on the next project.

Put simply, successful leaders treat their people like people. They know that there are many cogs in their organisational machine, and success comes with ensuring that each is well oiled.

So, haveyou got the habits for leadership success?

Michael Catford