It was just days before I was slated to start my leadership role at a major energy company. I was excited about the prospects of leading my own team, but I could also feel a heavy weight was pressing down on my shoulders.

To be completely frank, I was scared. Afraid of being a failure. Unsure if I could successfully lead a team of already seasoned professionals, who each had their own unique strengths and experiences.

As a novice to management in the corporate sector, I questioned whether I had the requisite leadership abilities to earn their respect and trust, knowing that each decision I made would impact not only our shared goals but also their careers and morale.

With this incoming and life-altering challenge, I did what any successful person would do in such situation. I developed a 30-60-90 plan of potential achievements, based on company goals and OKRs. I later shared this plan with my immediate supervisor to ensure I was on the right track and to make sure my goals matched the team’s expectations.

Establishing relationships was next on the agenda. I made it a point to meet with every member of my immediate team to build connections and establish rapport. It was important to me that they understood my intentions and knew that I was not there to force any drastic changes, but only to leverage my skill sets to enhance the team’s overall effectiveness.

A key lesson I learned quickly is that empathy is at the heart of any sustainable and successful team. It has a power to bridge divides, build a strong understanding within the team, and create a healthy environment where collaboration, openness, support, and authenticity thrive.

More than eight months after the start of this journey, I can truthfully say that I had nothing to worry about. I’ve found myself growing more comfortable and confident, discovering newfound strengths I never knew existed.

Being a transformative leader is not easy. It requires resilience, patience, continuous self-reflection, adaptation, effective communication, and a considerable amount of investment in yourself and others around you.

But as long as you do your best to be self-aware, communicate clearly and honestly with your team, have a natural curiosity and openness to learning, be adaptable to challenges as they arise, and recognize individual strengths and areas of improvements within your group, you will no doubt be able to connect deeply with your team.

Let’s now take a closer look at some key strategies to help you excel as a leader.

1. Be Self-Aware

Understanding your strengths, weaknesses, values, ethics, and leadership style can go a far way into building your professional persona and influencing how you interact with your team.

It’s important to recognize your weaknesses, seek support for professional development opportunities, align your goals and decisions with what truly matters to you, and seek feedback from peers and team members to identify areas for growth, as their perspectives can provide valuable insights that you may overlook.

2. Communicate Clearly and Effectively

Being clear about your expectations, setting clear and measurable goals, and articulating the responsibilities of your team is an important part of being a great leader.

Additionally, adjusting your communication style to fit different audiences is key to making sure your message gets through and resonates with others in a meaningful way.

By understanding team dynamics and preferences and recognizing cultural differences, different levels of expertise, and personal motivations, you are able to better adapt your communicative approach and build more meaningful connections within your team.

3. Build Trust and Credibility

The value of being honest, transparent, and consistent cannot be overstated; playing a huge factor in setting a positive tone for your team and building trust.

Being honest with your team and yourself can help others feel secure. Transparency can lead to open communication and effective collaboration. And consistency can help establish a stable and predictable environment where expectations are met on a regular cadence.

4. Set a Vision and Inspire Others

Whenever I try to motivate my team, I always try to connect everything we do to a higher purpose to show how their efforts contribute to the organization’s mission and collective objectives.

When your team is able to recognize the value of their contributions, this can help push them toward being more committed to shared goals. This helps build cohesion and motivation and can foster a sense of dedication, belonging, and pride.

5. Empower and Develop Your Team

I’ve always found that it’s important to empower your team to not only develop their skills but also to get them to contribute more meaningfully to overall goals.

To achieve this, I highly recommend delegating responsibilities and trusting your team to take ownership of their tasks.

When people feel empowered to make decisions and manage their responsibilities, it builds an atmosphere of mutual respect and enhances their confidence, ultimately resulting in a more motivated and productive team.

Investing in professional development and mentoring others also play a big part in strengthening team dynamics and constructing a culture of growth and learning. This can lead to higher employee satisfaction and retention.

6. Lead by Example

Being able to model the behaviors and attitudes you expect from your team is a foundational step and can help set the tone for a positive and productive work environment.

By embodying the values and standards you wish to see, you not only inspire your team but also create a culture of accountability and excellence.

To add to this, demonstrating openness, respect, and a commitment to collaboration can give your team all the motivation they need to adopt similar attitudes, creating an atmosphere where everyone feels compelled to contribute.

7. Adapt to Change

A commonality between all great leaders is adaptability. Great leaders are flexible, open to new ideas and approaches, and more adaptable in ever-changing work environments.

Being open to different perspectives can lead to innovative solutions and provide a more holistic view when it comes to problem-solving. Thus, it is important to remain receptive, as openness not only improves individual growth but also strengthens overall organizational resilience when confronted with challenges.

8. Make Decisions Effectively

Another important part of effective leadership is being able to ask questions and gather all the necessary information, consider alternatives, and weigh risks by researching each option available to you.

This involves not only collecting data from reliable sources but also consulting experts in the field to gain deeper insights. I recommend taking a sufficient amount of time to analyze various alternatives carefully, assessing their potential benefits and drawbacks.

Ultimately, you should try to get to such an understanding that gets you closer to the most beneficial and least risky path moving forward.

9. Cultivate Emotional Intelligence

Managing your emotions and responding calmly to challenges can help build your resilience when faced with adversity and enhance decision-making skills, enabling you to navigate life’s hurdles with a clear mind and focused intent.

By practicing emotional regulation techniques, such as deep breathing and mindfulness, this allows you to cultivate a consistent practice of finding inner peace and emotional stability, allowing you to address obstacles more effectively and maintain a positive outlook even in difficult situations.

10. Recognize and Reward Success

Celebrating achievements and recognizing individual contributions can play a major part in strengthening belonging and motivating others to strive for excellence.

It’s important to acknowledge your colleagues for their hard work and dedication as this encourages collaboration, boosts morale, and creates an environment where everyone feels valued.

By celebrating milestones, both big and small, this can enhance the overall productivity and creativity of members in your organization, paving the way for further successes and innovation.

Final Thoughts

My experience in management has not only deepened my understanding of how to navigate challenges and inspire others. It has also reshaped my perspective on change and personal growth, allowing me to embrace uncertainty with a sense of adventure rather than fear.

Each step has proven to be a valuable lesson, reinforcing the idea that having initial doubts can often lead to remarkable transformations as long as you are open, adaptable, and curious.

By consistently practicing the principles of being an effective leader, I have no doubt that you will be able to inspire trust, meet your results, and foster a motivated and high-performing team.

About the Author

Charles Anietie Iyoho

I’m a communication coach, award-winning technical communicator, blogger, professor, and sports aficionado.

For communication advice, uplifting musical content, and thought-provoking interviews and blog content, join me at: https://anietiecommunity.com/why-i-started-this-community/.