The key to developing effective team members is to engage them. An engaged employee is more involved in your business. They don’t just show up and do their regular work, but operate at a higher level. Here are 7 things you can do to turn your team members into leaders.

Appeal to Natural Strengths

Find each team member’s natural strengths and appeal to them. Look for the things they’re naturally good at without trying. For example, you might have an individual on your staff who is naturally a stellar communicator. You can use this person’s natural skills by putting them in a capacity where they facilitate communication with the rest of the team.

Explain Your Vision

Create a clear statement of your organization’s vision and impart this to all team members. Teach them what it means and how it looks in action. Ask team members to reinterpret this vision to make sure they understand it and reward behaviors that show their understanding. You can do things like give them a task to list the five things that are most important to your organization, or ask them to create a visual that represents your company.

Focus on Team Members’ Well Being

In addition to taking an interest in your team members’ professional well-being, also take into account their personal well-being. Make sure they’re doing well in terms of their personal life, health, and any challenges they’re facing outside of work. This helps you to improve their professional performance since everything is connected, but it also shows that you care about your team members beyond the profits they can bring your organization.

Find Tension and Relieve It

Your team needs to have good communication and tension has a negative affect on everything, especially communication. Look for points that cause tension among the group, identify them, and diffuse them. Resolve conflicts rapidly in a way where everyone feels it is a win-win situation and lighten the mood when things get stressful.

Offer Endless Learning Opportunities

Offer a great deal of learning opportunities in the form of coaching, training, and classes. Encourage your team members to take relevant courses. When a team member expresses an interest in a particular topic, seek educational opportunities for them. There are many free or low-cost online courses and other resources available. Also, provide cross-training in various other roles and departments in your organization.

Don’t Micromanage

The best way to allow people to learn is to set them free. Give your team members a task and let them run with it. Check their results and offer feedback. If you micromanage, your employees won’t feel empowered. Empowerment drives engagement and development.

Have Your Team Members’ Backs

Finally, support your team members and have their backs when they face trouble. Your role as the team leader and coach is to provide support. Make sure you are always there for your team and they know it.

Your Next Step

Contact us to learn more how we can help you becoming a successful leader who promotes innovation, who builds and leads a high performing team. Or just enroll in one of our courses from the Leadership Program