Whether you’re the owner of a business or you’re charged with managing a department within an organization, you need to seek to become a stronger leader in your workplace. By taking on this challenge, you will command more respect within your working environment and possibly even in your industry, you will inspire your team to achieve success both as a group, and as individuals. You will also add a number of beneficial skills and attributes to your resume.

For the sake of the company that you run/work for, the employees that you are charged with managing, and your own professional development, you should seek to become a stronger leader in your place of work. To find out how that can be achieved, be sure to read on.

Immerse yourself in Six Sigma

As a leader, it’s your job to ensure that your team are performing in a highly productive and organized manner. To ensure that you have the skills and know-how needed to push your employees to work in this fashion, you should consider immersing yourself in Six Sigma. More to the point, you should consider enrolling on 6sigma’s course: Six Sigma White Belt program.

By doing so, you will cultivate a greater conceptual understanding of what it takes to get the most out of your team members on a daily basis.

Lead by example

Leading by example in your workplace is the best thing that you can do to get your team on your side. By showing them that you are willing to complete certain tasks, you will motivate them to follow your commands, simply because they’ll know that you aren’t shirking on your responsibilities and making life easier for yourself.

To lead by example, you should:

Never be afraid to get your hands dirty — there’s no substitute for doing the work and knowing your trade

Always remember to watch what you say — you might be able to joke around with certain employees, whereas you might have to remain more professional around others

Constantly remind yourself that actions speak louder than words — it might sound like a cliche, but it actually works

Listen to the team — don’t become consumed in giving orders and having everything your own way

Be positive

The power of positivity can never be overstated with regards to leading a workforce. On days when they are feeling particularly disgruntled or unproductive, seeing you and your positive attitude will be sure to help your team overcome whatever personal plight they are dealing with.

Make executive decisions

You are going to be forced to make a plethora of executive decisions throughout the course of each working day. To really prove your worth as a leader, you cannot afford to shirk away from your responsibilities in this instance. When faced with important decisions, quite simply, make sure that you make them.

To make better executive decisions, you must:

  • Never underestimate the importance of your gut feeling
  • Stop trying to please everybody — it’s impossible!
  • Don’t fall victim of the factors that influence the false consensus effect
  • Refrain from being a ‘yes’ person — be your own person