How To Demonstrate Successful Leadership In The Workplace By Dionne Mahaffey,
Founder of The Life Purpose Coaching Institute

As with all skills, some of us are more adept at leadership than others. However, if you find yourself lacking in this area, keep in mind that your current struggles may be taking you down the pathway to eventual success. You can leverage the key fundamentals of successful leadership in order to impact your team and become the leader you desire to be.

Successful leaders are effective communicators. In fact, communication will most likely be the major building block of your success in leadership. What makes a communicator effective, exactly? I have found the following guidelines to be helpful:

Always consider all angles before crafting your message. Think about the "who," "what" and "how" of the situation. Keep the following questions in mind: What is the issue at hand? How can it be solved? Who am I asking to take action? What are the possible obstacles? What tools will I need to provide to make the process easier?

Make sure your message is understood. Anyone can deliver a message, but not everyone confirms that the message is understood. Don’t hesitate to repeat yourself to make a point. Always ask your team members if they have any questions or comments. Wait five-to-10 seconds before moving on in order to give your team time to process the information and formulate responses.

Manage and prevent conflicts with consideration and purpose. Handle conflict between employees immediately. Otherwise, you risk the creation of a toxic environment where employees fail to see you as a capable leader. Stay a step ahead and strive to prevent conflict by observing your employees and learning their emotional triggers. For example, consider your employees’ working styles: some are very methodical, plugging along to the end. Others procrastinate and then rush to accomplish everything at the last minute. A way to avoid conflict is to pair employees with similar working styles.

Give specific and appropriate praise for individual and team efforts. When you specifically state what you appreciate, your praise should translate as being authentic, not as an empty gesture. For example, “The candid testimonials you gathered gave us valuable insight on the product that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.” This conveys exactly what impressed you, and offers the bonus of reinforcing desired behavior.

Title of Text: How to Demonstrate Successful Leadership in the Workplace
Author: Dionne Mahaffey

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