Five Tips to Being a Successful Team Leader

I have had several bosses, CEO's and team leaders throughout the years. I've noticed that many shining qualities are shared. From successful and wealthy CEO's of multi-million dollar corporations to managers at neighborhood McDonald's fast food restaraunts.

I have the pleasure of working for a company now with one of the most motivating and generous CEO's. This man takes the time, the Friday before the New Year's holiday to walk around the floor of the office building, shaking the hands of each employee and taking a few minutes out of the day to speak with each one, knowing all our names. We could all take a few pointers from him.

With that in mind, I came up with five tips and commonalities I've seen in the best bosses and team leaders I've known. So without further ado, here are today's tips.

1. Little things do count

a. Remembering someone's name, greeting them in the morning, knowing little things that they enjoy really does matter. Showing that you have invested time in getting to know them and what they care about really benefits all parties involved.

b. Praise. Too many people overlook the value of praise. During a hectic workday, it's sometimes hard to see every task an employee completes. However, sometimes, it is truly beneficial to take notice when someone goes above and beyond their duties to help other teammates, fix a glitch or resolve a problem. It is a small step that can truly benefit the morale of an employee and it doesn't require much effort.

2. Make expectations clear

a. As a team leader, it is important that your employees know and are occasionally reminded of their responsibilities and expectations. It doesn't need to be more than a reminder of the daily requirements in a monthly meeting, or a poster board detailing monthly targets. The more visible expectations are, the easier it is to keep in mind on a day to day basis. Also, the easier it is to have come review time.

b. If expectations change, a clear, concise expression of the changes need to be made. When an established routine changes, it sometimes causes turbulence. Formally addressing these changes upfront can help keep people appraised as well as easing tensions.

3. Maintain equity in the workplace

a. Equity - 1 a: justice according to natural law or right; specifically: freedom from bias or favoritism b: something that is equitable

b. This one is a little tricky. All jobs are created equal. Employees are all required to fulfill the duties and tasks of their jobs and in return, they are paid. However, not all responsibilities/compensation are equal. If you have a team that all have the same job...that makes it easy. However, if you have employees of varied experience/duties/pay equity is more than that.

c. Equity is about not showing favoritism, bias or otherwise being unjust. Praise, time off, ability for training are all issues that should be doled out equitably. Offering all employees an opportunity for special projects or new training opportunities are chances that allow employees to feel valued and possibly allow them to better themselves and their position.

d. Part of equity is balancing praise with criticisms, or vice versa. You should avoid as all costs reprimanding employees in front of their peers. You should attempt to find a happy medium of praise and criticism so your hires know that you are criticizing them fairly and can tell the difference between excellent work, average work and sub-par work. Employees handle criticism far better when they are praised in return when they do a good job.

e. Are all employees created equally? No, of course not. Some may work harder than others. Some may have other issues keeping them back. Some may just feel that if their job is 8-5...they leave at five. That is fine too. However, the fact remains, if all the employees are treated fairly and without favoritism, you will foster a group of employees with the knowledge that their team leader is fair and supports their career growth.

4. Try new ideas

a. As a team leader, it is easy to take the old tried and trusted manual and stick to it like the Bible. However, sometimes, you have to throw the 1982 training manual out the window. Innovation is the key to productivity and continued process improvements. Give new ideas a chance.

b. As a manager, you often are not working intimately with the processes your employees are. As such, they may occasionally offer suggestions on how to do it better, faster, more simply. Listen to their advice and try out the new processes for a week. There is nothing saying you can't go back to the old faithful process if it doesn't work. This could be another opportunity to give your employees a feeling of ownership and pride in finding a new way to perform their duties that you might not have known without their input. (as well as improving productivity).

5. Make time to have fun and be visible.

a. The hardest environment to work in is one where employees do not feel they can approach their manager/leader/boss. To encourage your employees to feel comfortable coming to you with work-related issues/concerns, it helps to stay visible. Get out of your cubicle/office/stockroom a little bit each day to speak with your employees.

b. Don't be afraid to have fun! Too many managers try to keep professional boundaries at the cost of their department's comfort. Am I talking boom boxes and weekly pizza parties? Not necessarily. But, don't be afraid to fraternize with your employees. If they do not feel you are an unapproachable dictator hidden away in a lofty office, they'll be more likely to discuss concerns, ideas and creations.

Now, I know a lot of these issues seem self evident. If that's the case, I challenge those of you out there to evaluate yourself and your leaders.

I hope this may help any of you who are new to your positions. And mind you, this can be more than just corporate America or the workplace. These can be fairly universal truths about anyone in positions of authority.

Thanks for reading and come back soon!