Many people dream of owning their own company, or moving up the ladder to one day be sitting in a powerful position at their place of work. The problem is most people don’t actually know how to be effective, compassionate leaders. They may have the experience and qualifications that are needed for a particular job, but not the social skills or the ability to be a good source of inspiration for the people that they work with.
Understanding the importance of mental health is a huge part of being a good boss. Learn more about taking care of you and your employees’ mental health here. There are many ways to make mental health a focus within your workplace without it making people uncomfortable.
Listen To Your Teammates
That’s right. I said teammates. Though you may have employees that work below you, treating other staff as team players can go a long way in the dynamics of an office space. Just because an employee reports to you doesn’t mean that they don’t have anything to add to the conversation. They may have exciting ideas that you hadn’t thought of, and bring a new energy to the team.
In addition, learning how to truly listen to people’s needs is a life skill that can make any kind of social dynamic stronger. Being intuitive to how other workers are feeling can help you step in and prevent any further conflict that can be bubbling. Sometimes it just takes one rational person to diffuse a future blow up, and that person could be you!
Learn From The Best
Having a mentor that you respect and admire can make a huge difference in your growth as a leader. Look to higher-ups at your current position, and observe the way they treat others around them. Though every leadership position is different, and every boss has their own style of handling things, having someone you can learn from can help you discover creative ways to handle complex situations.
It may feel intimidating at first, but reaching out to someone you respect to ask for their expertise is a great first step toward having a mentor in your life. Not only can they give you insight as you grow into further positions, but they can be a continued source of wisdom as you move up the ladder.
Be Assertive, Not Aggressive
Almost every person who has been working regularly has experienced a leader that focuses too much on being dominant and makes it difficult to feel comfortable in an office setting. Though it’s important to always maintain assertiveness with people that work with you, aggressive energy can be intimidating and isolating for employees. Not only that, it can foster an uncomfortable work environment that makes people like they can’t come to you with feedback or conflicts that may have arisen.
Though many people have fantasies of being “in charge” or having a powerful presence, many people agree that what makes them quit their jobs is the leadership around them. The office may be clean, the people may be nice, their job may pay well, but if their boss doesn’t treat them with respect, they will leave for another offer.
Being assertive requires you to be able to confront workers about how their actions are affecting others, and address their performance. The main focus should be on having the whole system of the workplace work efficiently, and not on making them feel insecure about their impact. Though it can be frustrating to work with someone who isn’t pulling their weight, it’s important to remember that personal issues can definitely affect a person’s ability to contribute to a team.
Always remember you have the power to become a better leader everyday, and it can only benefit your workplace to learn more about how to be compassionate and intuitive.
