When you look around at the leaders that you admire, it can feel as though they were able to assume that mantle from day one. Contrary to appearances, great leaders don’t spring to life fully formed like the Greek gods in myth. They make mistakes and learn as they go like the mere mortals they are. If you’ve been put in charge of managing a team, this is a great place to start flexing your leadership skills. It’s surprising how many people are promoted into management positions with little interest in or knowledge of actual management, so in your determination to learn and grow, you are already ahead of the pack.
Goals and Relationships
These are the two pillars of top management. The former ensures that everyone knows the direction that they need to be headed in; the latter builds an ongoing sense of cohesion. Too often, managers are strong in one area and not the other. The lack of either can seriously damage motivation and productivity. It doesn’t matter how well everyone gets along with one another if no one knows what they’re working toward, but in an environment in which nothing matters but business goals without any regard for individuals, their contributions and a sense of respect and comradery will damage morale.
Be Solution Oriented
A team manager is oriented toward finding the solutions that their team needs. This is particularly vital in an area such as fleet management, where management requires ensuring that company objectives are met but also that drivers remain compliant with industry regulations, perform safely and keep costs down. Fortunately, much of what once had to be done manually is now automated, and the ability to track your fleet with real-time GPS data is an important element of a complete package of GPS fleet tracking software and solutions. This takes some of the burden off both drivers and you, allowing you to turn your attention to issues that still require the human touch. As a team leader in any department, solutions must be at the core of your strategy.
Communication
Even managers who understand the value of effective communication with team members often do not understand the important other side, which is that communication must run both ways. This is not just some kind of placebo to make your team feel listened to. Two-way communication can be part of a powerful dynamic that gives the people who work for you a sense of ownership and can generate some genuinely useful feedback and ideas that you can incorporate into your strategies. Keep an open-door policy figuratively if not literally, and cultivate an atmosphere of trust and openness to criticism. This is especially important in remote work environments where communication has to be more cultivated. This is a great argument to support why leaders should embrace emerging technologies that are designed specifically with remote teams in mind.
Be Other Focused
It might surprise you to learn that one characteristic of great leaders is that they are focused not on themselves but others. A mediocre leader is insecure and feels they must constantly shore up their reputation; a great one knows that greatness is self-evident and that their job is to develop others. This doesn’t mean that you have to be constantly self-effacing, but if someone is going to talk about how wonderful you are, make sure it isn’t you.