Practical leadership tips for fast-growing teams that thrive.

Practical leadership tips
for fast-growing teams that thrive.

The ability to lead and manage people; whether you are a newly appointed chief executive or have launched
your own business; is an incredible and essential skill, not only for the sake of your clients, customers and business,
but for yourself and your team. Read on to discover these tips for leading your teams with value and growth in
the New Year of 2017.

1. Enable your team’s freedom in their career progression.
Climbing the ladder within a single organisation may be a thing of the past,
with the labour force rapidly changing in an age of young tech entrepreneurs and freelancers.
Career progression is no longer linear and singular, but lateral, dynamic and multi-faceted.
Enabling your team's freedom and flexibility has become a must in this new workforce.

2. Embrace flexibility and flexible working arrangements.
Flexibility and ambition are now seen to go hand in hand. Providing flexible working
arrangements without penalties has become a new mission for team leaders to think on. 

3. Consider job-sharing executive roles.
Sharing the responsibilities of leadership positions such as chief executive or other senior
management roles can be a highly under-used approach that can improve diversity,
increase productivity, and strategic power.

4. Empower entrepreneurial talent.
Seeing employees beyond their job description and thinking creatively about what else
workers can do to provide additional value is incredibly important for a growing team.

5. You don’t know everything, but that’s okay.
As someone in a leading or managing role, it can be crucial to practice humility, empathy,
and to be up front when you don’t know something, or make a mistake.

6. Be human and break down your walls.
Respect in a leader is developed over time, when your team feel that
not only are they part of the journey, but that they can make mistakes. Learning and growing
along with them, opening up and getting to know your team is a major part of this.

7. Build a destination statement.
Believing in what you are doing, and the reason why you are doing it, is fundamental.
Getting those answers and developing a plan for yourself and your team can keep you motivated,
on track and keep communication open between individuals. You are only a leader because
people choose to follow you!

Article originally published on smartcompany.com