Leaders have this special privilege to guide a team in the right direction and to inspire people to achieve their full potential. In a great team, the leader manages to bring out exemplary performance from everyone. Indeed, every venture would be a fulfilling experience and every task would hardly feel like work if you are part of a strong team with an effective leader.

Nevertheless, this perfect setting is not that easy to achieve. Sadly, we often see teams plagued with feelings of hostility, skepticism, and mediocrity. Your task as a true leader is to avoid these traps that stunt the growth of each individual and prevent a team from reaping success. The following methods can tremendously help make the job a whole lot easier:

Master the Art of Effective Communication

Efficient leaders never underestimate the power of good communication; instead, they invest time and effort in establishing and strengthening it. More than informing everyone about the team’s target and goals, the leader also makes sure that each member has an ample time to interact and get to know one another. Activities that allow everyone to share personal insights or reveal weaknesses can build trust and empathy within the group which in turn leads to better performance. This method is backed by a research done by the Harvard Review as the study concludes that teams with members that spent more time socializing with each other reported an increase in employee productivity and satisfaction.

Give Some Room For Negativity

Leaders are expected to foster a positive working environment because it has the power to boost self-esteem and encourage productivity. Yet, as they say, too much of a good thing can be harmful and positivity is no exception. In fact, a study conducted by the Journal of Organizational Behavior reveals that too much positivity can lead to slower productivity and can result in mediocre performance. This happens when commitment to positivity prevents a leader from giving constructive criticisms or discourages a staff from venting out frustrations. So do not hide negative emotions or feedback for fear that you will destroy the positive vibe. Instead, recognize that a little negativity won’t hurt the team. In fact, a bit of a harsh but honest comment every now and then may push the team to improve and aim to be the best.

Give Opportunities for Growth and Learning

Highly-effective leaders do not stop or take a break from pursuing excellence. Rather, they manage to always be a step ahead of the competition by believing in the importance of continuous growth and learning. The great team leader cultivates a culture where each member help each other improve in their respective fields. This may mean creating opportunities for training or organizing activities for brainstorming. The benefits of investing in training has been proven by many studies. A research done by Dale Carnegie Training Center found out that 40% of employees who were not given ample training ended up resigning.

Trust Underachieving Staff With Great Tasks

A good leader understands the importance of creating a balance of tasks and expectations within the team. It can be achieved by giving equal attention to the high performers and the low-achieving members. It is common for a leader to designate more work and responsibilities to top performers of a group but this practice may not be so advantageous after all. The result of a study by the Harvard Business Review says that trusting underachieving staff with big tasks give more benefits. Apparently, this method will help overachievers avoid burnout and at the same time motivate outstanding performance from underachievers.

More than the realization of a goal, the true measure of your success as a leader lies in the overall performance of each member of your team. Fortunately, with little changes on how you handle people, you can easily create your dream team.