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Every office has its leaders. Sometimes these are official leaders—project managers, creative directors, company founders—while other times it’s simply an employee who has a knack for guiding his or her his colleagues toward a common goal.
As a leader, it’s important to think about how you’re viewed by those around you. Here are a few important things that leaders should teach their employees through their actions and words.
Accountability
Accountability is one of the most important qualities to have in today’s workplace. Our work lives move faster than ever before, and it’s vital that everyone knows who’s in charge of what. Accountability allows you to fully celebrate your victories because it includes admitting when you’ve made a mistake.
As a leader, you can encourage accountability by being accountable yourself. You can also encourage it by treating others fairly when they’ve made a mistake, and also by recognizing them when they’ve done something exceptional.
Inquisitiveness
We’ve all heard the line that there’s no such thing as a stupid question. However, it can still be difficult getting up the courage to figure out what you don’t know.
Encourage those around you to be inquisitive by being inquisitive yourself. Create a work culture that celebrates inquisitiveness. After all, it’s one of the first steps on the path to innovation and success.
Thinking About What’s Next
Leaders always need to be thinking about what comes next—as well as the thing that comes after that.
While everyone else is bogged down in what’s happening right here and now, a leader should always take the long view. How can we take today’s mistake and turn into a lesson that will make tomorrow’s task easier? Is there a way to streamline presentation processes through templates and formats? These are just a few forward-thinking questions that every leader should be asking all the time.
Know About the World Around You
It can be easy to let work become your entire world. But before too long, you’ll realize you’re living in a world without much breathing room.
Leaders should stress the importance of knowing what’s going on in the world. That’s where we find inspiration and solutions to the problems that we all face.
Encourage those you lead to read the newspaper, go to a museum, or get caught up on the latest Netflix craze so they always have their finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the larger world.
Enjoy Life
We’ve all had coworkers who drive themselves crazy trying to finish a project. A bit of stress is a normal part of having a job, but it’s unwise to slip into the habit of acting as if your work life is moments away from crumbling into a mound of chaos.
Leaders can help others keep their careers in perspective. A positive attitude toward work allows you to maintain focus and perform better. So as a leader, don’t forget to laugh, take breaks, and talk about things other than the big project that you have due by the end of the day.
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