Challenge | Champion | Celebrate: Tips on How to Be a Good Leader

There is a point in everyone’s life where they are going to be the leader of a group. However, being a leader doesn’t necessarily mean being in charge. Having leadership skills is an important quality no matter what your role is. Leadership is something that everyone can use and improve in. One key of leadership is group management. Learning how to relate to all the different personalities, skills, and backgrounds in one team is always a challenge, but here are three tips to make the process easier for anyone pursuing leadership roles. 

Challenge

No one should ever become stagnant in their life, but at the same time, it is rare to find someone willing to push themselves into uncomfortable situations or hard tasks without any encouragement or external motivation. As a result, it often falls to you as the leader to push your teammates to challenge themselves. This can be difficult because you need to be aware of areas where they can grow, but also help them identify where their limits are. 

Champion

Trust is crucial in a team, and trust always begins with the leader. The moment that your teammates lose trust in you, is the moment the team starts to break down. One of the best ways to help a team grow is to be a safe place for them. A lot of times this looks like standing up for them when needed or even just being a listening ear when they are going through a hard time. 

However, this does mean putting a hard stop on all gossip. No one can feel safe if they are being talked about behind their back. Gossip doesn’t help the team in any way, and as a leader, you need to be an example to your team. Championing your teammates does not mean ignoring what they are doing incorrectly; it means constructively addressing those issues. It’s important to pursue this in a way that will not lead to hard feelings or division amongst the team, and a lot of that comes down to trust. If your teammates know that you are fighting for them, not against them, they will be much more willing to hear your corrections rather than going into the conversation thinking that you are out to get them.

Celebrate

One fallacy that many leaders fall prey to is the idea that all they need to do is discourage “bad” behaviors in order for everyone to do what the leader wants. In reality, great leaders learn to encourage the behaviors they want to see because no one likes to only be told what they are doing wrong; doing so can destroy the trust and camaraderie within a team. One of the best ways to change that as a leader is to look for areas where you can celebrate your teammates. 

Celebrating could look several different ways. One way to celebrate your teammates is by pointing out when they are doing a good job. If you praise them, then they are more likely to continue this behavior. As everyone knows, compliments and approval are powerful motivators. 

You can also celebrate when they challenge themselves, whether successfully or not because the real success is them pushing themselves to grow, and that is always a reason to celebrate. Now you know the three tips to help you be a great leader.