Hello Team,
What do you like about your job?
Do you like the sense that you are valued for your contribution?
Or do you give your 100% and it never seems to be enough?
Your answer depends on one main factor: You have either an effective or an ineffective leader influencing your work culture, and their energy and values radiate out to you and the rest of your team.
In today’s corporate landscape, it’s not uncommon to come across leaders who are either highly effective or woefully inadequate. The success of any organization hinges on the quality of its leadership, and it’s imperative to identify and nurture the former while addressing the shortcomings of the latter.
Today’s topic of discussion revolves around the characteristics that define the line between an effective and ineffective leader.
Join me as we dive deeper into the specific actions that draw the line between an effective and an ineffective leader.
Get out your notebook and pen, and let’s learn!
Action 1: Communicate
Do you Communicate Effectively?
Effective leaders are the foundation of a successful team. They know what matters and can effectively communicate their vision to their team members.
Great leaders have the capacity to model the desired values and behaviors that will lead to success. They understand that ineffective communication can lead to a low productivity in their team members.
Effective managers strive for excellence in all aspects of their work and set an example for others by demonstrating it by having integrity in their actions and communicating in a way that adds value to their team.
Poor leadership can have a negative impact on any organization. Bad leaders are often unable to set a common goal for their team and they do not communicate their expectations clearly.
As a result, they are unable to connect effectively with their team members. They prioritize completing their own tasks, almost like tunnel vison. They fail to invest in their team and answer questions. This can lead to confusion, frustration, and ultimately poor performance from the team.
Action 2: Develop
Do you Develop Your Team Effectively?
Being an effective leader is all about developing the ability to identify and address the most pressing issues regardless of their unpleasantness. It is a difficult task but one that must be done if a leader wants to be successful.
A good leader will have the courage and determination to face hard work, set specific goals, and influence others. A strong leader will actively develop the confidence to make tough decisions and take responsibility for them.
They will also take time to develop their team by engaging them in personalized training and by challenging them to move out of their comfort zone.
Ineffective leaders often make excuses to avoid addressing genuine issues. They shy away from personal development since that requires taking an honest look at their own flaws. They also do not engage their team nor challenge them.
They pigeon-hole them into a job position because it’s convenient. This leads to a low team morale, since most workers want to have a purpose and to grow.
Do you take time to develop yourself and your team?
Action 3: Envision
Do you Cast your Vision Effectively?
Effective leaders understand that the world is filled with complexity and uncertainty. They seek a balanced, realistic, and fact-based view of the world to make informed decisions and to cast a vision of what an ideal work setting could be.
Then they take action.
Good leaders are active listeners who can identify new ideas from within their entire organization. They form a vision from these ideas and proactively find ways to realize their goals.
On the other hand, ineffective leaders have a negative impact on an entire organization. Leaders who are drunk on their own importance often fail to take into account the opinions of those around them and push their agenda onto the invited few.
They operate on a vision that is either unclear or self-gratifying. They take little consideration of others’ ideas and how their team members can help shape the company vision.
This kind of management style is often ineffective and can lead to poor communication and a lack of motivation among employees because they feel as if their opinion is not valued.
Bad managers may think their vision is supreme and that it is the best option for everyone, but in reality, they are only hindering progress.
How do you share your vision with your team?
How do you consider the vision of others?
Action 4: Adapt
Do you Adapt to Situations Effectively?
As a leader, it is important to be able to handle difficult challenges in a way that boosts employees’ self-esteem, confidence, learning, and goodwill. This can be achieved by adapting to the ever-changing landscape of the production floor. Adapting may feel like a struggle, but an effective leader will extract the value out of each challenging situation and will use it as fuel to grow.
This extends to the leader’s team. Remember, a leader’s thoughts and values will radiate naturally outward.
Effective leaders should ensure that their team members have the necessary resources and support needed to do their best work. They should recognize when an employee is struggling with a lack of focus or motivation and provide them with the right tools to help them succeed.
By doing so, leaders can adapt to the needs of their associates and in turn will promote job satisfaction and create a culture of collaboration and trust in the workplace.
Ineffective leaders will be stuck in their ways and will be resistant to change. They often give orders without considering employee feedback and may even threaten them with repercussions if they don’t comply.
Although disciplinary action may have its place in extreme cases of subordination, a refusal to work with the team by hearing out ideas shows non-adaptability and is not the fault of the constituents.
Not adapting by finding the root cause of an issue is the leader’s shortcoming and constant pressure upon the team to adhere to stringent rules will break one of the most important aspects of leadership – building trust with your team.
Do you adapt to situations, or do you adhere to rules and procedures?
How does this affect your influence as a leader?
Action 5: Prioritize
Do you Prioritize Your Tasks Effectively?
Effective leaders consider all stakeholders, inside and beyond the company, when making decisions. They address issues that could affect their past performance or customer experience. This means that they must prioritize their tasks.
Effective leaders are aware of the importance of taking everything into account, and they define their tasks by their level of significance. They set realistic, attainable, and doable goals for their team and prioritize their responsibilities accordingly.
Before making a decision, they also consider the potential risks and benefits involved with it. By doing this, they make sure that their team is prepared to deal with any circumstance, no matter how challenging.
Ineffective leaders often prioritize themselves and their supporters over the organization. This lack of emotional intelligence can lead to difficult tasks being delegated to people who are not well-suited for them, resulting in a much lower chance of success.
Additionally, it can create an organizational culture that is based on personal characteristics rather than merit and skill. Since performance will suffer, this will naturally lead to dissatisfaction of the customer.
How do you prioritize your workload? Do you put yourself or your customer first?
“A leader’s thoughts and values will naturally radiate outward.”
Action 6: Praise
Do you Praise Your Team Effectively?
In today’s fast-paced environment, effective leaders have a crucial role to play in ensuring their team’s success. Leaders need to be able to recognize and praise the accomplishments of their team members, give compliments when appropriate, and provide supportive feedback that can help them reach their goals.
By doing so, leaders can motivate their teams to stay productive and successful in the long run.
Ineffective leaders often blame others for their own shortcomings and may not even hold them accountable out of fear of being held accountable themselves.
They do not praise their constituents because high performance is “part of the job”; In their eyes, it is expected.
This can lead to a lowered sense of worth, poor professional development, and a lack of understanding of the bigger picture because the team member may be afraid to interact with the leader.
Do you praise your team?
If so, how has this affected morale?
Action 7: Think
Do you Think Effectively?
Great leaders know how to think.
I’m not talking about your average thinking, but more of expressing a mindset.
Effective leaders cultivate a growth mindset. A growth mindset is essential for effective leadership development as it encourages leaders to take personal responsibility and look at the bigger picture by extracting value out of every situation, both good and bad. Leaders must be able to recognize their own weaknesses in order to foster an environment of trust and collaboration.
By developing a strong mindset of growth and development, they can ensure that their teams are working towards the ultimate goal efficiently and effectively.
Ineffective leaders with a fixed mindset are often ineffective because their personal values, lack of support, strong personality, and high expectations can hinder their ability to lead effectively.
When leaders have a fixed mindset, they tend to stay in their comfort zone and develop blind spots when it comes to making decisions. This can lead to poor decision-making and an inability to foster collaboration among team members.
Do you have a growth mindset?
How does this affect you in your role as a leader?
Conclusion:
In summary, leadership may come in many forms, but it is important to understand the differences between effective and ineffective leadership.
Effective leaders are those who can bring out the best in their teams while still keeping a firm hand on the values that they have set.
Ineffective leaders lack humility and the ability to take action.
We have looked at how these two types of leadership differ from each other in terms of values, decision-making processes, and ability to take action.
Use this as a reference when times get tough, and you need to remind yourself what values are truly important.
Good Luck and Happy Leading,
Matt Styles
Matt Styles is the founder and voice of The Stylish Leader enterprise. Empowering the next generation of leaders, Matt is focused on challenging minds, inspiring hearts, and helping others achieve their highest potential for success.