the actual words that come from your mouth . Strive to speak to your colleagues with authenticity and a recognition that you ’ re all on the same team , working toward the same goal . Of course , you should also watch how you word things , but being authentic is more important . You are gaining trust with your employees when you aren ’ t hiding anything from them .
Show humility and the will to apologize
Don ’ t let your ego get in the way of building strong relationships with others . Exhibiting humility shows your respect for the other person . You will not do everything perfectly or always know all the answers , but admitting this goes a long way with your team . It means you are willing to listen to other perspectives and shift your thinking or plans accordingly . It also means that when your team members mess up , they won ’ t be afraid to let you know so you can figure out a solution together .
Be proactive in preventing problems
A great leader knows how to recognize a small problem before it becomes a bigger one and takes action to prevent it from happening in the first place . Don ’ t look the other way when you see an issue brewing . Be willing to give others constructive criticism . But always do this in the privacy of a one-on-one conversation with an employee — not in front of the whole team . All that does is embarrass your staff member , which does nothing to get your point across .
Accept blame for your actions
Much like not finding excuses for your wrongdoings , do not hesitate to take the hit when you know you are wrong . Own up to when you ’ ve gotten angry or brushed off an important matter . It goes a long way with your employees when they see their leader take responsibility for their own actions .
Do what you say you will do
One of the most important qualities you can bring to your team is integrity . Keep appointments . Show you value other people ’ s time . Following through on commitments is critical . When you do this , you will see your team take the same regard you do in following through .
Return communication , including phone calls , texts and email
When you ignore someone ’ s request for information , it is subtly telling that person you don ’ t really care about their needs , whether you meant to or not . A straightforward way to be respectful is to address any correspondence in a timely manner . However , we all also have the right to set professional boundaries to honor our time and safeguard our worklife balance . So it ’ s fine if you prefer to not reply to emails during weeknights or on the weekends — just be sure you clearly state this expectation to your team . That helps them , because they won ’ t feel the need to burn themselves out after hours . When your team sees you living up to these standards , they will be inspired to improve themselves and perform better .
Your personal accountability is the best way to get a negative workplace back on track to positivity and winning . Implement these champion characteristics and see how the energy improves quickly at your organization .
Hernani Alves is a bestselling author from Sacramento and an international speaker who helps leaders build high-performing , loyal teams . Read more at HernaniAlves . com or Linkedin . com / in / hernani-alves .
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January 2022 | comstocksmag . com 27