Strong leadership is an act of balance. To ensure projects are successful, a team relies on guidance that is both emotionally and logically sound. When the going gets tough, it can be easy to lean to one side. A logic-driven leader might overlook a person’s needs for the sake of task completion. While an emotionally-guided leader could focus too much on accommodating everyone that tasks start to slip through the cracks. That’s why truly effective, high performing teams require a balanced approach to leadership.
The Balanced Leadership Approach
Imagine good leadership as a seesaw. On one side, there’s logic where goals are clearly defined, timelines are established, and tasks are allocated among other decisions. On the emotional side, the leader is deeply in tune with the team members to support their growth and development. Just like a seesaw, a successful leaders will need to move back and forth between emotion and logic to arrive at sound decisions.
For example, if you’re the kind of person who turns to logic during difficult times, you might find it easier to take decisions away from the team and make the tough calls yourself. As a leader you feel responsible for the projects success, right? Not necessarily. By calling all the shots you’re desensitizing yourself from other people, which can hinder team morale quickly.
Leverage Your Team’s Skills
There’s a very good chance you’re surrounded by skilled, motivated people with tons of potential, so leverage it! Giving someone from your team the chance to make their own decisions prevents micro-managing, improves self confidence, and gives them an opportunity to grow and improve. It also fosters a sense of trust within the office that makes work better for everyone, including the leader. By finding a synchronicity between feeling and thinking, you’re creating a culture in which business and the people who run it can thrive.
It’s important to know when to lean to one side or the other, and shift accordingly. A team that is supported emotionally is more likely to stay on task and maintain focus because they want to do a better job for the company. Just remember to keep a good work culture in place. You also need to set clear, reasonable deadlines, and work expectations to keep your team on track.
Find The Rhythm
We keep going back and forth, but that’s really all it is. You’ll know when you’ve got the rhythm down. Leadership is a delicate balance of managing the tasks to be completed, as well as relationships with the people who complete them. Sometimes you need to put more emphasis on logic, and sometimes more on emotion. With the two forces working together, amazing feats can be accomplished.
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