Follow the Platinum Rule
The golden rule is: ‘Treat others as you would like to be treated. It assumes that everyone would like to be treated the same. It does not consider that people are motivated by different things; therefore, not all should be treated the same.
Be Assertive Without Being Blunt
Strength is an essential quality of a leader. People will first see if you are strong enough before mindlessly following you. They want to see strength and be convinced that it is good to follow their managers. They need a leader who can make tough decisions and rule the group.
Many leaders confuse these traits with dominance, control, and other blunt behaviors. Pushing people in the right direction costs you as a manager a lot of time and does not ensure a sustainable relationship.
Remember that Communication Comes from Both Sides
Many managers see themselves as someone with excellent social skills but often forget that communication is one. You can say that the door is always open, but usually, people don’t listen. Set goals, give context about the assignments, and be open to suggestions. This way, employees get a better picture of you and your work.
Be an Embodiment as a Leader, not a Preacher
Great leaders are inspired not only by their solid quotes but also by their actions. Most leaders say integrity is vital to them, but genuinely great leaders let their actions speak for themselves. It is better to show yourself what kind of behavior you expect than express it in words.
Be Transparent
Anyone who is shadowy or tries to obscure goals will quickly be seen through by employees. Good managers motivate their people by being transparent about dreams and the future of a company or department. After all, they know what they are working for.
Be Humble
A few things drain motivation as quickly as an arrogant boss. A good leader will not act as if he is better than you. For a good leader, the prestige of their job is subordinate to the power they can use to make their people perform optimally.
Show Interest in Your Staff, Both Work and Private
Burnout is always lurking, no matter how much you enjoy your work and motivation. People who like to go to work will usually work harder, but they also need someone to take the brakes now and then.
A good manager has an eye for his employees on the work floor and outside of it. In this way, you can maintain the balance. It ultimately yields nothing for both camps: managers lose their most motivated employees for a long time, and someone with a heart for the business sits at home on the couch.
Seven things you need to stop doing now if you want to be a good leader:
Coming up with rules that don’t make sense
Of course, there must be rules within an organization, but they must be helpful and not hinder your employees. Rules that make no sense and that you, as an employee, must nevertheless have a demotivating effect. And especially if these rules make it seem like they aren’t trusted, they quickly start looking for other work.
Let achievements go unnoticed
Everyone likes a pat on the back, even the employees who consistently perform well. By rewarding individual performance, you, as a manager, show that you care about your employees. As a manager, you will have to find out what your employees would like to see as a reward (wage increase or public recognition) and reward them for their excellent work.
Hiring or promoting the wrong people
Hard-working employees want to work in a team of equally hard-working employees. If you, as a manager, don’t try your best to hire good people, you risk losing hard-working employees. If you go so far as to promote the wrong people, the effect is even worse. There’s nothing more demotivating than seeing the co-worker running around getting enabled while the co-worker working much harder is overlooked.
Treat everyone equally
Why is treating everyone equally wrong? If you look at children at school, it is not that bad. But when it comes to performing on the job, it’s hugely demotivating that when you’re performing well, you’re getting the same treatment as someone earning the hang of it.
Tolerating poor performance
You are only as good as your worst team member. It doesn’t matter how well your best employees perform if someone on the team doesn’t care. If you maintain poor performance without consequences, it will bring your entire team down as a manager.
Going back on your promises
When you make promises as a manager, be aware that you must keep them. Breaking promises is a guaranteed way to see your employees walk out the door. If you keep your promise, you will grow as a good leader in your employees’ eyes. It gives confidence, and it makes you honorable. You signal indifference, disrespect, and untrustworthiness if you don’t keep your promises. And you set a terrible example.
Being apathetic
More than half of individuals who leave their jobs do so because they don’t like the relationship with their manager. Being professional and human beings simultaneously is, therefore, an essential combination of qualities for a manager. These empathetic managers celebrate their employees’ successes and challenge them (even when it hurts). Managers who are or seem indifferent, not personally involved, will not be able to commit employees.
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