While the terms ‘boss’ and ‘leader’ are sometimes used synonymously, there can be a big difference between the way in which a leader acts compared to a boss.
At Leadership Success, our expert team provides tailored leadership assessment and development programs for emerging and experienced managers alike, so we know exactly how a leader should act.
Simply carry on reading to discover essential leadership behaviours and qualities, as well as how you can become a better leader. Alternatively, please feel free to speak to our professional team today to learn more about how we can help.
How should a leader act in a workplace?
So, how should a leader behave in the workplace? Whether in your private or professional life, you’ve probably seen a wide range of leadership behaviours exhibited in either other people or yourself, but it can be difficult putting a name to these behaviours.
Discover some of the key good leadership behaviours below.
Delegation
Good leaders understand that doing everything themselves simply isn’t possible or productive.
Instead, a more effective approach is to delegate tasks to other team members and use constructive feedback to support them. By delegating tasks to other team members, you’re demonstrating trust in their abilities, which can subsequently boost the team’s morale and output.
Motivation
If you want to achieve your business goals within your timescale, then motivation is vital. Strong leaders are experts at using motivation to inspire their team to meet company objectives. With the right amount of motivation, you should see a boost in team collaboration and cooperation.
Active listening
If you want to become a respected and trusted leader, actively listening to the various opinions of your team members is essential. By demonstrating that you’re open to different viewpoints, you’ll encourage an open environment where employees feel comfortable engaging with you and discussing ideas.
Leading by example
While effective delegation is an important behaviour for all good leaders, they also must be able to lead by example. Being punctual, delivering projects on time, and generally holding themselves to a high standard, is one of the best ways to inspire other team members to adopt those same favourable behaviours.
Providing and receiving feedback
Both delivering and receiving feedback is something all leaders should be regularly doing in the workplace. Feedback is not only crucial for helping employees to grow and improve their professional performance, but also the leaders themselves.
When given or received constructively, this feedback can be incredibly inspiring, offering vital insights and guidance.
What are the qualities of a good leader?
From having empathy for others to being able to share someone else’s vision, there’s a long list of qualities that can make someone a good leader – both inside and outside the workplace. Some of these sought-after leadership qualities include:
Accountability
Leaders that blame other team members for the consequences of their own actions foster a toxic workplace environment of mistrust. By being accountable for their actions and taking ownership of their decisions, good leaders help their team members to feel more comfortable reaching out for support should an issue arise.
Compassion
Leaders should strive to make all workers feel safe in the workplace – and this includes feeling psychologically safe. Compassionate leaders can lower work pressure on staff, encourage employee satisfaction and loyalty to the company, and drive engagement and the sharing of ideas.
Communication
Strong leaders are experts at two-way communication. Delivering good communication provides the team with clear direction and all the necessary information they need to effectively carry out their responsibilities. The leader’s excellent communication also encourages the same degree of communication back from their employees.
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is perhaps one of the most important qualities of a good leader. This is because employees aren’t just members of staff, they’re also humans, so taking a fair and empathetic approach to interpersonal relationships is crucial to obtaining their trust and developing a rapport.
Once this trust has been established, employees are more likely to feel empowered and supported, encouraging them to be more productive and happier in the workplace.
Confidence
A confident leader can be extremely inspiring and motivating to employees – especially when the business has been negatively impacted by an event. Leaders must have the confidence in themselves and their team to make risky decisions and show resilience and positivity even if the risk doesn’t reap the desired rewards.
This is because fear and anxiety are contagious, so showing confidence even in the face of adversity can help to keep staff morale high and foster a more productive working environment.
How to become a better leader
Becoming a better leader comes down to understanding which of your leadership behaviours or skills require improvement and then being willing to work on these areas. While this sounds simple enough, it’s not always easy to identify these areas for improvement by yourself.
This is where Leadership Success can help. Using a combination of practical and easy to deploy assessments alongside measurable, personalised development programs, our expert team can support you on your journey to becoming a stronger leader.
Whether you want to develop fundamental leadership skills, learn how to make better group decisions, or take part in targeted diversity and inclusion programs, our tailored approach ensures your sessions deliver real results.
Receive individualised leadership development
If you want to learn more about the key qualities of a good leader and how a leader should act in the workplace, please don’t hesitate to contact our professional and friendly team today.
At Leadership Success, we offer a suite of practical assessment services and development programs to help you achieve and excel in all kinds of managerial positions.
Working with a network of expert delivery partners with various specialisations and locations, you can rest assured you’ll be in safe and experienced hands.
You’ll benefit from a confidential environment, objective view, and the chance to identify and work through your individual development leadership issues.
To chat with one of our experts about leadership behaviours or your leadership assessment and development requirements, simply call us on 02045292622. You can also email us at hello@leadershipsuccess.co or message one of our social media accounts.
