Assessing whether you’re a good or bad leader

Business News Daily spoke with CEOs, directors and leadership experts to learn what good leadership strategies are and how you can incorporate them in your own organization.

“I think a great leader is one who makes those around them better,” Dana Brownlee, founder of Professionalism Matters, told Business News Daily. “There are many litmus tests for a great leader, but I really look to those around them: Are they growing, becoming better leaders themselves, motivated, etc.?”

If you look around and see your team members have become disengaged or stagnant in their work, it may be time to reassess and reform your strategies. According to Brownlee, the following behaviors are signs you may have a poor leadership strategy:

• No one on your team has criticized one of your ideas in the past month.
• You spend more time planning your own career progression than that of your team members.
• You haven’t had at least three completely non-work-related conversations with a team member weekly.
• Different team members would provide different answers if asked your top three priorities for the year.
• Team members are afraid to fail.

More than half of new leaders fail within their first 18 months. You can avoid becoming part of this staggering statistic by incorporating good leadership strategies that motivate your team members to accomplish their goals.

How to be a good leader

Every leader has their own style, but there are certain characteristics all great leaders share. The below practices are often the hallmarks of a successful leader.

1. Engage in honest, open communication.

One of the most important elements of effective leadership is creating an open line of communication with your team members. Sanjay Patoliya, founder of Teclogiq and software developer at NextBits Group, said your own honesty and transparency should serve as an example for your team members.

“When you are responsible for a team of people, it is important to be straightforward,” he said. “Your company and its employees are a reflection of yourself, and if you make honest and ethical behavior … a key value, your team will follow.”

Brownlee added that people with effective leadership language are able to customize their interactions and communication styles to suit each situation and team member. “This means they take the time to figure out which communication mode is preferred by each team member; e.g., are they a text person, email, phone or face-to-face? They’re also great listeners and are authentically interested in…[MORE]