Leadership & management, they’re the same thing right?

Do you reckon Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin would have made it to the moon if there wasn’t great team work to support, guide and lead them? Absolutely not. We all need great people around us to support our own metaphorical missions to the moon… and great leaders to get us there too.

Great businesses have great leadership and that’s because great leaders inspire, motivate and challenge their employees to perform at their very best and by doing this, everyone wins. You, your employees and the business.

So let’s explore what leadership actually means…

In a very simplistic way, management typically refers to controlling a group to accomplish a goal. Leadership is the individual’s ability to influence, motivate and enable people towards success. Leadership is about influence and inspiration, while management can be about power and control. Good managers can also be good leaders, but the skills certainly don’t always go hand in hand.

So, here are 5 things to think about if you want to inspire yourself or the leaders within your team…

Remember your impact

A great leader should always remember their actions have a direct effect on their team. They can positively or negatively impact motivation, performance, and engagement every single day. Not just for one or two people, but for the entire team.

Picture this: the team hits a target that positions them a great deal closer to their big, shared goal. They’re thrilled. But their leader fails to acknowledge the achievement. What impact is that likely to have on the team and its individuals?

Great leaders understand that they need to work with their team to keep them happy and engaged. And that employees are not there just working for them but also to grow and achieve their own goals alongside the business. Always recognise achievements and call out when people are doing a great job.

Good communication

This is pretty obvious, good communication can be the key to success in many areas of life. And the workplace is no different.

Great leaders understand the importance of effective communication and what it looks like. Messages, whatever their format, are crystal clear and there is always an opportunity or offer of clarification should anyone need it.

This style of communication leaves people in no doubt of what they’re supposed to be doing, how, and when.

Remember the individuals

Something which is a motivator for one person isn’t necessarily very helpful for the next, great leaders realise that by taking an individual approach they’ll understand what motivates and inspires each and every person within a team. That could mean that one person is driven by public praise for reaching an achievement, while another may prefer to hit a goal to help gain further skills. By taking an individual approach, a great leader will also gain a better insight into the training needs of each person.

A lot of this boils down to good listening. Great leaders will take the time to genuinely listen to their team at any time. They’ll understand any issues that are being faced and have a good grasp of what is going well at any time, too. In turn, this can develop better trust within the business, improved loyalty and an overall better business culture.

Feedback, feedback, feedback…

Great leaders understand the value of regular feedback; they hold frequent 121 meetings with individuals and aren’t afraid to schedule additional conversations to offer guidance, help, and advice where they see fit. This all helps to build on that trusting relationship and allows employees who are truly engaged to grow and develop at a much faster pace. It can also be an effective way of showing people what their progression could look like in the company, giving them further drive to push themselves.

Forget that ego!

Just like the first mission to the moon, although 2 people landed they had a whole team to support them and they couldn’t have made it there without them. Great leaders realise that it takes a whole team to be successful. And a team that works well together, too, because they understand the common goal and what it means to reach it.

Always understand that there is a direct correlation between how engaged and motivated their team is, and how productive and profitable the business can be.

If you’d like to know more about how to identify and grow your star leaders, we have a team of superheroes who are experts on this area and would love to chat…