be when they come into the workplace every day . Anything short of that , and you ’ re quickly on the way to losing the respect and trust of anyone who works under your leadership .
When was the last time you asked your team what you as a leader can do more or less of to become the best leader possible for them ? Add this question to your next one-on-one session with them , take notes when they give feedback and then apply them .
2 . Positive accountability
The word “ positive ” has such a bad rap for being a “ soft ” way of leading . The “ hard ” bully types of managers will say the best way to lead a team is to be as rough as possible to weed out the weak employees . But that is a recipe for failure : No one will want to work with you . If you plan to rule with an iron fist so your employees fear you instead of respect you , you will see your turnover skyrocket .
Successful leaders give their teams an atmosphere of positivity , and this step is by far the easiest one to implement . All you really need to do is simply catch people doing things right and acknowledge them . Celebrate their wins , and give briefings to your employees . The positivity you radiate as a leader will spread to others , and they will want to follow you .
3 . Performance accountability
When you reprimand someone and try to hold them accountable for their work , they will often put up a defensive barrier to shield themselves from what they feel as being ridiculed . That ’ s a natural reaction . To avoid putting your team members in a position where they feel ridiculed , you need to show your workers that you genuinely care about their individual goals and success .
Reprimands are what many people think of as accountability . However , holding someone accountable for their actions this way can invite your team to resist and resent your leadership . You don ’ t need shame to hold someone accountable . Performance accountability allows you to coach your staff , show them ways to improve and avoid the same errors instead of penalizing them for their missteps . Even Michael Jordan , arguably basketball ’ s greatest player , missed 9,000 shots during his career . If you were the Michael Jordan of your field , would you want your coach to severely punish you or coach you through so you don ’ t make similar mistakes in the future ?
To lead is to motivate . Follow these three steps in order to guide your employees toward improvement and reliability . Jumping around may lead to missing the foundation needed to make this work . Without a strong footing based on your own accountability and positivity , focusing on performance will come across as strict and unreasonable . No one will want to work with you , and you can forget about your employees giving you their best effort .
Showing genuine loyalty to your team can influence the way they perform . It will prompt them to do better . You ’ ll win their hearts and raise their standards all in one go and create a high-performing dream team that will follow you anywhere .
Hernani Alves is a former executive of Sleep Train and Mattress Firm . He is the bestselling author of “ Balanced Accountability ” and an international speaker who helps leaders build high-performing , loyal teams . For more information , visit hernanialves . com .
What did your team say you could do to make you a better leader ?
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shrinerschildrens May 2021 | comstocksmag . com 19 . org