10 leadership strategies to improve team performance

Leadership roles are essential within all organisations, as regardless of the industry you work, competent managers are necessary to lead their teams towards company objectives. Leadership strategies help managers and senior leadership teams inspire employees. Learning about different approaches can help you excel in your management career. In this article, we discuss what leadership strategies are, share examples of different strategies and discuss the pros and cons of each.

What are leadership strategies?

A leadership strategy outlines the style of leadership within a company. It ensures the work of leaders within an organisation aligns with the business' goals. While you may focus on one particular leadership strategy in your management style, understanding the advantages of different strategies can help you incorporate a variety of approaches into your work. Different workplaces, departments and team members require unique leadership styles, which is why understanding the various types can help you in your professional career.

Leadership strategies to improve your team's performance

Successful managers can influence others' actions and improve their team's performance. Using various strategies can help managers best engage their teams, as individual team members may respond better to certain strategies than others. Some strategies for managers to implement include:

1. Become a visionary

Having a clear vision for the future of your team, department or company is essential for aspirational leaders. Looking ahead to the long-term success of your team not only creates a drive for you to perform well as a manager, and can also inspire team members to work towards this future goal. Ideal goals are attainable, measurable and clearly defined so that you can communicate your vision to others and align your department's actions with a long-term purpose. Here are some pros and cons to consider:

Pros

  • engages long-term thinking

  • communicates a clear ambition for teams to work towards

  • creates a broad departmental goal

Cons

  • could encourage too much idealism

  • members may disagree with the vision

  • excessive long-term thinking may distract from short-term tasks

2. Define and articulate your vision

Articulating, discussing and defining your vision for the team and department is one of the basic tenets of being a manager. It's crucial that all team members feel a commitment to a specific vision to encourage productivity and meaningful contribution. Effective managers explain their vision concisely and make it relatable to the department to ensure that team members understand what's expected of them. When possible, they create an actionable roadmap that helps the team envision how to achieve their vision. Consider these pros and cons:

Pros

  • helps team members understand the vision

  • compartmentalises the vision and makes it relatable to all team members

  • creates helpful debate and discussion

Cons

  • team members may influence the vision without strong leadership

  • those who disagree may experience a dip in productivity

  • a vision without an actionable roadmap may feel useless to the department

3. Recognise others' achievements

Positive reinforcement is an effective way of boosting morale and encouraging team members to contribute productively to the best of their abilities. Recognising others' achievements and praising them for their efforts motivates them to continue working as they have been.

A happy employee inspires others and finds creative ways to increase their productive output to acquire even more positive praise. An environment of positivity, recognition and rewards creates a work atmosphere where people want to work. Consider these pros and cons of recognising others' achievements:

Pros

  • positive praise encourages team members to contribute

  • recognition validates an employee's efforts

  • makes team members feel like valued employees

Cons

  • incorrectly delegated praise may lead to favouritism

  • other team members may experience negative reactions to someone receiving praise

  • some individuals may lie about their contributions to receive recognition

4. Encourage two-way communication

Communication is a crucial aspect of any workplace environment, and receiving feedback as a manager can help them develop themselves and learn from any mistakes. Since managers delegate tasks, give critiques and praise and act as a foundation that enables team members to contribute effectively, they may forget that feedback from their team can help them improve as leaders.

When departments engage in two-way communication, they can work more honestly and exchange ideas efficiently. This creates an atmosphere of camaraderie as everyone feels their voice is heard. Here are the pros and cons to consider:

Pros

  • two-way communication makes team members feel valued

  • managers receive earnest feedback on their leadership

  • creates an honest and communicative work environment

Cons

  • potential for harsh feedback to insult employees or managers

  • communication may evolve into a distracting and playful atmosphere

  • some team members may not appreciate communicating at work

5. Maintain integrity

Maintaining integrity, leading a team in conjunction with the organisation's values and morals, and establishing strong working morale are important responsibilities of a manager. When employees see the manager as a foundation on which they can base their own behaviour, work ethic and productivity, the manager becomes a source of inspiration. To maintain integrity within a department, it's essential that the manager embodies the organisation's values and perpetuates them in all circumstances. Some pros and cons include:

Pros

  • instils the organisation's values into a department

  • ensures all team members understand their objectives

  • establishes a foundation that employees can refer to

Cons

  • undisciplined managers may maintain incorrect values

  • some managers may adopt a hard approach to employees

  • team members may not listen to the leader

6. Lead by example

Leaders, by definition, show those they lead how to behave, contribute and work in a similar way to them. If a manager does not have much practical experience or a strong grasp of strategies, they may appear weak or inexperienced, which may introduce negative feelings amongst their team.

Some leaders may adopt a knowledge-forward approach to help their team through their experience and knowledge. Others may choose a man-management style of leading by example that uses interpersonal skills to encourage an individual to perform their best. Some pros and cons may include:

Pros

  • demonstrates to the team how to work

  • uses practical knowledge and interpersonal skill to develop employees

  • allows team members to use the manager as a source of inspiration

Cons

  • inexperienced or unknowledgeable managers may struggle

  • leaders who lack interpersonal skills may not inspire team members

  • some may lead by an incorrect example

7. Delegate and empower your team

Good leaders can delegate tasks appropriately amongst their team members to empower them and encourage each individual's strength. Understanding each employee's strengths and weaknesses allows the manager to assess who would excel on a specific assignment. There's a higher overall quality of work when employees contribute to a task they feel comfortable with. Consider these pros and cons when considering empowering and delegating to your team:

Pros

  • employees contribute more efficiently on tasks they feel comfortable with

  • leaders have a clear idea of who is working on what

  • the team feels empowered as everyone contributes efficiently

Cons

  • managers may delegate work incorrectly

  • lack of understanding of employees creates a disjointed work dynamic

  • some team members may want more autonomy over their work

8. Encourage growth and development

A good leader allows those he leads to develop and grow to reach their full potential. Many team members enjoy the feeling of developing as a professional, and it's a leader's duty to nurture that growth. When employees feel a tangible development, they feel as if they are contributing value to the organisation, which creates a more mutually beneficial work arrangement. Here are pros and cons to consider:

Pros

  • Creates positive work environments

  • Nurtures employees to develop their professional careers

  • Organisations benefit from increased quality in production

Cons

  • Team members may leave the organisation

  • Some may feel left behind

  • Some team members may develop a superiority complex

9. Pursue continuous learning

No matter how far an individual goes in life, learning is a constant that helps them achieve their goals as they grow. Leaders encourage those who work in their departments to pursue continuous learning so they can develop their careers further. This establishes a positive habit of a willingness to learn despite the circumstances. Consider these pros and cons:

Pros

  • employees can learn no matter the situation

  • learning leads to the development of skills

  • employees can raise their standard of work

Cons

  • individuals may choose to learn about unrelated topics

  • some may feel overwhelmed with information

  • employees may not want to engage in supplementary learning

10. Be assertive, not aggressive

All leaders experience a moment that requires assertiveness, but some may cross boundaries and become aggressive. There is a clear distinction between assertiveness and aggressiveness, where the former disciplines through constructive means, while the latter decrease morale unnecessarily. Good leaders push team members assertively when necessary and do so calmly and through language that enforces positivity and support. Here are the pros and cons to consider:

Pros

  • shows strong leadership skills

  • disciplines employees constructively

  • creates a distinct hierarchy of respect

Cons

  • some may not understand the difference

  • anger creates a hostile environment

  • may ruin work relationships if aggressive

Indeed

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