The Problem with Leadership
Motivating the team of collaborators is not a small thing. It is not something that is achieved in a short time and there are qualities that you need to have who leads the team. A team that works is the result of the guidance of a true leader. Unfortunately, the entrepreneur or the manager cannot be a true leader. He does not have the knowledge to guide and motivate the team of collaborators, he does not know how to set a mission and transmit to everyone the energy and enthusiasm necessary to pursue it. Many times they complain that people are not productive or that they are unmotivated and try with poor results to motivate them without changing themselves. The problem with leadership is that it requires internal development. You can’t be a leader just because you read a lot of books.
Behind this scenario there are a series of errors that should be avoided or corrected in order to increase the productivity of one’s employees and improve the company climate.
Let’s see which are the most serious errors and how they can be remedied:
1. Not knowing how to communicate effectively
Not being able to use the communication lever is a serious handicap for those who have to manage their collaborators. Knowing how to communicate and manage feedback is the key to team productivity that work and get important results. Strengthening these skills leads to a climate that allows the growth and development of the company.
2. The negative mental attitude
This way of seeing things is a distorted way, which discharges the energy of the work group. Having a lens that shows only the things that don’t work, the problems and constantly trying to highlight who is to blame. This prevents employees from doing their jobs well, from having ideas that could improve the productivity of the individual in the group and from motivating the team of collaborators. Learning to appreciate that, apart from the problems, there is also a positive side, there are also opportunities in all situations. Or if they are not there, create them. This type of attitude would increase the exchange of ideas in the group, would create greater openness.
3. Believe that you are the only one who knows what is right
This has the value of not listening to what others have to say. This way you lose the opportunity to learn new things and expose yourself to the risk of making more mistakes if the opposite is proved.
In addition it is perceived as a lack of respect towards the other members of your team and obviously it is demotivating.
4. Don’t pay attention to your collaborators
Being distant from people and leaving them in a state of neglect during their working day, showing little interest, results in poor productivity of your collaborators.
It could be that you have responsibilities or commitments during the week and that for these reasons, when you meet your collaborators, you do it only because there are problems to be solved, but you should consider including in your weekly agenda a brainstorming meeting with the your collaborators, to identify weaknesses and invite them to propose solutions, where you give them the necessary listening space in order to make them feel part of the company, to experience that sense of belonging that all human beings seek. You may not agree with what they say, but at least you can listen to them and this helps motivate the team of collaborators and achieve an increase in their productivity.
5. Be critical of those who make mistakes
As I said above, this doesn’t help. Obviously it is better if there are no mistakes, but a negative attitude, especially if the mistake was made unconsciously, leads to a climate that makes work difficult. Trying to understand what the solutions are, instead of focusing on the problem created, gives you an advantage in the management of your collaborators.
6. Don’t be transparent
Do not give news on the situation of the company, it proves to be not very transparent towards your work group. Of course, there is a limit to protecting the confidentiality of the most sensitive information, but this does not mean not communicating transparently.
The budgets are negative, a collaborator has been fired, the company has lost an important customer, etc. these are news that circulate sooner or later. A lot of time is wasted trying to hypothesize what the owner or manager will do in these situations. And this time could be used to effectively carry on with the work.
Sharing information with your collaborators is an effective way to make them feel important and empowered, as well as to motivate your company’s team of collaborators.
7. Not knowing how to delegate
In the company, the most hated figure is that of the handyman. What he says he does first to do things, than to explain them to a person, and then maybe he does it badly too.
This arises from feeling better than others, but also from the lack of ability to communicate the delegation task. A person who knows the importance of delegating does it serenely. He communicates it in the right way, dedicating himself to carrying out those activities that produce greater value for the company and no other team member can do them.
By delegating trust is transmitted to one’s collaborators and stimulates their sense of responsibility and involvement. I believe this is the most effective tool for motivating the team of collaborators.