Woman sticking post-its notes on a wall during a group meeting

As someone who needs to manage a team, you may constantly be thinking of strategies for effective leadership.

But, what is an effective leader?

According to the American Management Association, the five qualities that effective leaders tend to have are:

  • They shape the future.
  • They make things happen.
  • They engage today’s talent.
  • They build the next generation.
  • They invest in themselves.

With this definition in mind, this article will elaborate on three strategies to improve and enhance your leadership skills so that you can be an effective leader.

1. Know your strengths.

The first step to effective leadership is to increase your own self-awareness. This includes knowing your own strengths, as well as your values and leadership purpose.

One way to do this is to work with a strengths-based coach, who can help you get clear on developing a better grasp of your own strengths as a leader. This also makes it easier to know how to use these strengths with influence and impact.

A strengths coach can also help you understand where you may be overusing a strength, which could negatively affect your leadership.

2. Create conditions for your team members to use their strengths.

Just as it is important for you as the leader to know your strengths, it is equally important for your team to know their individual strengths.

“It is equally important for your team to know their individual strengths.”

When your team members are aware of their own unique talents, it is easier for members to select and distribute roles and tasks that are best suited for themselves, and also to collaborate in a way that allows each person’s strengths to complement one another.

Also, an effective leader may demonstrate by example how he or she uses his or her own strengths. In other words, you can set a clear, shared vision of the importance of strengths for your team.

3. Nurture everyone’s sense of belonging to the team.

It is also important to build strong and genuine relationships with your team members.

Some methods for enhancing your team members’ sense of belonging include recognizing members on their successes, acknowledge members’ contributions, and giving members a chance to share honest opinions related to work.

To learn more about how to be an effective leader, contact Tracy Ho for a free 20-minute coaching call! Feel free to email us at contact@tracyhocoaching.com.