Responsibilities of a Leader: What Are You Missing?

A leader knows the way, goes the way and shows the way. —John Maxwell

As simple as this word sounds, leadership is quite challenging to practice. Most of us aim to become a leader in life. However, only some are successful in this endeavor. Why is that? A leader takes significant decisions, motivates the team, resolves conflicts, mentors employees, and is always ready to help. Of course, the list doesn’t end here. But as an overview, these are the core qualities of a leader!

Further, many people mistakenly consider their bosses their leaders, but it’s not always true. Everyone can be a boss, but not everyone can be a leader!

Let me introduce you to the primary responsibilities of a leader toward the team.

But first,

What is Leadership?

A leader is a visionary that gets things done! They help and motivate their teams to collaborate and accomplish tasks. It’s a very crucial role in any organization as they act as the fuel for the vehicle.

You can find leaders of every company at different levels. Their core work is to manage the entire team, solve their problems, and guide them in the right direction.

Different Types of Leadership

There are various types of leadership, and some of them are mentioned below:

Democratic leadership: The leader listens and considers their team members’ opinions and viewpoints and then decides.

Transformational leadership: The main focus is to accomplish goals the organization sets in any way.

Autocratic leadership: The leader sets objectives based on the results. Further, they don’t consider the perspective of their team members.

Transactional leadership: Leaders set some rewards as a motivating factor for employees to achieve goals.

What Are The Roles and Responsibilities of a Leader?

Leaders are not simply born. With time, individuals learn leadership qualities that help them manage things well. It’s a process that needs patience and hard work to its very best. Here are some of the core roles and responsibilities of a leader that must practice:

Train new employees

A leader must train all the new hires in a company. It is their responsibility to make them understand the working procedure in detail. Further, they must welcome new employees as it sets the tone for the whole organization. They must:

Be ready to solve their problems.
Show them the right direction.
Help with untangling issues.
Motivate them so they do better.
Never underestimate the potential of new hires.

Good communication

Effective communication is the key to becoming a good leader. You must refrain from speaking in a harsh tone with your employees. This creates negativity which, in the end, hampers the team’s overall productivity. In case such an incident happens, make sure to communicate with your team and clear the air. You don’t want low vibes around you, right?

You must remember the below pointers:

Be a good listener.
Be concise while discussing and quoting a conclusion.
Be honest and proactive.
Ask questions wherever necessary and be polite.

Being a motivational factor

Motivation is the driving force behind the success of an organization or a team. A leader must boost the team members to be productive and appreciate them for their work. Further, you are responsible for inspiring and instilling passion and enthusiasm in the team. Ensure that you are that motivational factor.

Remember, a positive environment brings the best results for the organization. However, not all leaders are like that, which is sad! Some consider that pressuring the team will bring out the best in them, which is entirely wrong.

Ensure you are not one of them! On top of that, I want to be an efficient leader and be self-motivated with the team.

Creating a workflow

In an organization, a leader’s responsibility is to create a workflow or a timetable for the team. It sets the tone of what to achieve and when. Additionally, the employees stay clear of the work and deadlines to be met.

Tips:

You can take suggestions from the employees while creating the schedule for them.
Try keeping the timetable flexible.
Do not overburden the employees with multiple tasks.
Try creating a balance while assigning tasks to the team members.

Reward your employees

Employers work hard to achieve goals in an organization. However, not every leader thinks of rewarding them for their efforts. Do not be one of them!

A good leader praises the team for their hard work to boost their confidence and motivation. This further helps the team to work harder and be more productive.

Here is what you can do:

Take them for lunch or dinner.
Buy them pizzas.
Give them bonuses.
Offer coupons (Amazon, Myntra, etc.).

Adjusting organizational changes

There can be various organizational changes at any point in time. It’s their responsibility to manage the changes and implement them accordingly. For that, a leader must be ready at all times. Moreover, if the schedule or goals change, a leader must quickly work on them and pass on the new plan to the team members.

Identifying bottlenecks

A leader’s responsibility is to identify ineffective techniques or bottlenecks in the company. Such techniques or procedures hamper the growth of a business. Hence, a leader must bring in solutions for it. I am measuring some of the most effective steps to find the potholes below:

Go through the workflows and find if tasks are correctly aligned.
See if there is a lack of automation.
Analyze the forecasting of tasks done by the team.
Check the data and trends to understand the factors contributing to slowdowns.
Sit together with the team members and analyze each step.

Settle disputes

The team members don’t need to always resonate with each other. Conflicts do happen now and then. However, a leader needs to settle disputes and get things done.

Instead of being authoritative, it is essential to sort issues politely.

In the end, a leader is responsible for maintaining cordial relationships in a team, of course, with the help of team members. Hence, you must know how to create a balance.

Share the ownership of success.

A good leader never takes complete credit for a successful venture. Instead, they appreciated the team. So, it is your responsibility to make your teammates feel motivated.

Further, an individual focusing on hogging the attention or ownership of success is not a leader!

When you praise your team, they:

Feel empowered
Are more productive and efficient
Focus on achieving results
Put their best foot forward

Creating a positive work environment

No one is productive and content in a hostile work environment. The responsibility of a leader is to create a positive work environment for the employees. According to statistics, a positive work environment increases employees’ happiness by 33%. Yes! They become more profitable, creative, and productive.

Apart from that, it also helps to reduce health issues, such as stress and other physical or mental ailments.

Final Words

Being a leader is a huge responsibility. You have to be at the top of your game. All the team members rely on you in tough times. Hence, it requires resilience, patience, and hard work. Ensure you are having a positive effect on your team members.

However, a leader has many more responsibilities; the list doesn’t end here. But these were some of the core ones!

I hope this information helps you find what you were looking for.

Adios!

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is a leader and a boss different?

Yes. Both are different. A leader is someone who motivates and inspires others and gets things done. Whereas a boss only focuses on accomplishing tasks, not so much on motivating others.

2. What are the three qualities of a good leader?

A good leader must be motivating, helpful, and inspiring.

3. What is good leadership?

Good leadership is when leaders listen, observe, and understand their team members.

4. What are the primary roles of a leader?

A leader is a coach, a visionary, a strategist, an influencer, and a team player.

5. Who are the great leaders of all times?

Some of the great leaders of history are Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, and many more.