8 tips on how a leader should act with their team

Do you know how a leader should act?

It is a common question, but we can offer one of the many answers up front: bring out the best of your leadership style!

Leading teams is not an easy task and requires a lot of responsibility and personality.

You need to know how to face challenges, motivate the teamopens in a new tab (in Portuguese) to give their best, relate well with the people you lead, be mature, be transparent… In short, the list of attributes a leader needs is quite long.

That is why we put together 8 tips on how a leader should act with their team in pursuit of better results.

At the end, find out your leadership style.

8 tips on how a leader should act

1- Positivity in the face of adversity: avoid “excuses” and defeatism

Have you ever thought about a team that carries out its activities always thinking everything will go wrong?

That negativity is extremely toxic for the organizational climate and directly affects the quality of the work.

Looking for external “culprits” that you cannot control, such as the economic situation, the rise of the dollar or seasonality, is still a form of “justified pessimism.”

Asked what he would do about the economic crisis in the US, Sam Walton, of Walmart (the largest retail chain in the world), answered:

“Crisis? I heard about it, but I decided not to take part.”

That is why keeping a positive mindset in the face of the challenges that appear along the way is fundamental so the team does not lose heart and stays motivated to pursue results.

Optimism and positivity will be the fuel that lets the people you lead give their best.

2- Be an example of resilience (+ 5 traits)

Saying that a leader must be an example has become a cliché, repeated to exhaustion.

Not that it is wrong, but you already know that.

One trait of how a leader should act today is resilience.

Reaching objectives increasingly requires overcoming challenges and setbacks. So if you want to set an example for your team, resilience is an attitude that needs to be encouraged.

See 5 other traits you should model as a leader:

3- Communication: your team wants to know what you think

A leader who communicates efficiently with the team can keep it committed and engaged.

So get closer to the people you lead and stay open to dialogue.

Meet with them periodically to share information about goals, results, competition, the market, obstacles and priorities.

Always be available to answer questions and listen to suggestions.

A leader who does not communicate is seen as arrogant and absent by the team.

Remember: they need you and count on you. Help them overcome challenges with your experience and knowledge.

4- Reviewing goals and objectives: changing your mind is not weakness

Knowing how a leader should act in difficult situations means being able to understand that the path to success is subject to unpleasant surprises.

So when things are not going so well, it is important to stop for a moment and analyze the situation as a whole.

Try to review the team’s goals and objectives, keeping everyone aligned and focused.

If the objectives or the way to reach them have changed, people need to know why.

5- Encourage creativity and innovation

Good leaders should always stimulate and encourage the creativity of their team so they can come up with innovative ideasopens in a new tab that contribute to the company.

In that sense, innovation programs have the potential to produce great results.

Give employees creative freedom and show that you are open to new ideas.

Study your team, identify the best talent and present challenging projects.

That way you will spot potential new leaders, as well as stimulate cooperation and teamwork.

6- Recognize the team’s effort

Everyone likes to have their effort recognized. Recognition is stimulating, so the leader needs to be able to recognize the effort of the team, whether individually or collectively.

Praise and rewards do not have to come only after big achievements; small daily wins are enough. This builds a relationship of trust between both sides.

When employees do not get feedback on their efforts, they are not only discouraged but also feel lost, because they do not know whether they are acting the right way.

Positive feedback is important, but even negative feedback must be given.

But remember: praise in public (without overdoing it), criticize in private (always)!

See also: 7 guidelines on how to run a 360-degree performance review and motivate your employees

7- Speed in decisions

Nothing takes away a leader’s credibility more than a lack of initiative in decision making.

We are not talking about making rash decisions, but about postponing a decision in delicate situations that call for a quick response.

Speed in decision making is a trait of those who know how a leader should act in difficult situations.

To keep a situation from getting worse and to face moments of crisis with more assertiveness and effectiveness, you need to be quick in making decisions.

8- Know your leadership style

There are 4 types of leadership:

• The analytical leader focuses on numbers and facts. They avoid bringing emotions into leading and prefer to use norms, rules and established methodologies. They use logic and argument to decide.
• The pragmatic leader is competitive and practical. Their main goal is to reach results quickly, with fast decisions. They are not afraid to take risks.
• The expressive leader seeks recognition and is impulsive. They look for innovative and creative solutions and lose focus when tracking cold numbers, because they are very intuitive.
• The diplomatic leader seeks acceptance and balance. They value group unity and look for consensus, using empathy perfectly and always listening to what others have to say.

See this illustration with the traits of each leadership styleopens in a new tab (in Portuguese) and find out which one is yours, so you can bring out the best of it when leading your team.

Conclusion

One of a leader’s main roles is to ensure the cohesion of the team so that, together, it is possible to reach the organization’s objectives.

The people being led need to see in their leader an inspiring person who lets them take part, gives them creative freedom and conveys trust.

Knowing how a leader should act with the team is fundamental for success, but that is only possible if the leader respects their own way of being, their leadership style.

Another fundamental point of leadership is tracking the performance of the people you lead. Siteware developed Stratwsopens in a new tab, a corporate management and performance software that, among many other features, has an individual performance tracking module that allows variable compensation based on indicators.

Revolutionize your company’s management with Stratws

Also download our free e-book with tips for managers: Manager’s Guideopens in a new tab (in Portuguese)