At the core of every successful business is a unified team. Whether they work toward furthering a cause or generating revenue, effective team members come together in order to reach a common goal. Bringing a team together is a leader’s key responsibility. Strong leadership can have a positive impact across a wide spectrum of industries.

In order to inspire employees to accomplish business goals and achieve growth, many argue that keeping it simple is the best way forward.  Leaders wouldn’t go far wrong by exhibiting five fundamental qualities: effective communication, passion, decisiveness, treating people as individuals, and a commitment to team development.

Effective Communication

Managers and leaders communicate in a variety of ways with their employees but being clear, concise and professional is the key. It’s important to remember that nonverbal communication can be just as impactful as verbal and written communication when leaders convey their thoughts, ideas and directions. Good leaders also understand that communication flows both ways – listening to your teams is essential!

Passion

Showing you care in a project or goal is another key leadership quality. If leaders model passion for their work, their teams likely to follow suit.  Teams who believe in what they do tend to be happier and work better than those who don’t.

Decisiveness

Successful leadership relies on decisiveness and strong problem-solving and decision-making skills. When leaders act decisively and support their decision-making with facts and logic, they demonstrate credibility. Teams respect leaders who are able to resolve situations quickly and effectively.

Treating people as individuals

A commitment to connecting with team members individually can determine whether leaders are effective at their jobs. Most people don’t want to feel like faceless cogs in their companies, and they perform better when they have a personal connection with their colleagues and managers. Relationship and trust building can inspire and motivate employees to work toward, and ultimately achieve, specific goals.

Team Development

Strong leaders invest in the development of their teams by embracing training initiatives such as; classroom based workshops, coaching, team building, self-learning opportunities and upskilling opportunities.  While working toward further enhancing team members’ work ethics, skill sets, and knowledge, leaders can cultivate an environment for personal growth and increase commitment to achieve key business goals.

Here at Futureproof, we know what it takes to lead a team effectively, come and talk to us about how we can help lead your teams – People Management & Leadership.

Have you ever questioned whether you’re good enough? Afraid people will find out you’re not capable? Felt like a fraud? You’re not alone.  Imposter Syndrome affects 70% of people at some point in their lives.

Impostor syndrome is a sense of self-doubt related to work accomplishments. It is a feeling that you don’t deserve your job, despite all your achievements and hard work in the workplace. It’s the idea that you’ve only succeeded due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications. People who suffer from this feel like frauds, despite being qualified, smart, skilled professionals who do deserve their job and successes. But they worry that they have somehow tricked people into thinking they’re good enough, and as a result, they live in fear of being “exposed”.

Feeling like an imposter or fraud can have very negative effects on your career. It can decrease your drive, motivation, productivity, and effectiveness at work. It can lead to stressed work relationships, burnout, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion.  These practices might help you overcome and eliminate imposter syndrome:

Know you’re not alone – No one wants to feel like a fraud or an imposter at work. But imposter syndrome is a real thing that many people suffer from. If you’ve ever felt you don’t deserve your job or your accomplishments, know that you are not alone.

Be kind to yourself – Negative self-talk messages that come with imposter syndrome like “you’re a fraud” or “you’re not good enough” can heavily influence our stress and anxiety levels.  Be kind to yourself by practicing positive self-talk. Not only can it help you become less stressed and anxious, but it can also help you build the courage to do things that’ll bring you greater rewards.

Don’t be a perfectionist – No one can do everything perfectly, and holding yourself to that standard can be counterproductive and will only make you feel more like a fraud. Nothing is more diminishing or disappointing than setting unrealistic goals – so set yourself realistic standards and expectations.

Find a mentor – Finding and confiding in a mentor in your field is a great way to gain insights and added confidence. They can offer support, encouragement, strategic insights, and constructive criticism from their own experience, while also acting as a sounding board. Having a mentor means you will have someone to go to when you need some career advice or guidance, and they can help you believe in yourself and navigate the challenges you’re facing. Chances are they also felt the same way when they started their career, so they know how it feels.

Embrace new opportunities – Many people who suffer from imposter syndrome turn down career-making opportunities because they don’t think they’d be able to do a good job. But it’s vital to remember that taking on challenging new opportunities, roles, and projects can open a lot of doors for you.

At Futureproof, we know how important a topic this is, come and talk to us to find out how we can help you and your business or click on this link to view our range of wellbeing workshops – Personal Development & Well-being.