Challenges of Leaders

May 12, 2015 12:17 pm

Business leaders wear many different “hats” on a daily basis.  They are motivators, coaches, moderators, and sometimes disciplinarians.  Regardless of the type of business or role that the leader is currently “playing,” there are always challenges that crop up.  Challenges may be extremely  common or extremely unique to your field. They may be  temporary glitches or or ongoing issues.  Let’s examine some of the challenges facing business leaders today.

  • Maintaining Focus – Over the course of a day, week, month or year there are innumerable demands of a business leader’s time.  Effective leaders know how to prioritize what should have their attention and what can be delegated.  This may take years of trial and error or careful mentoring, but knowing where to focus attention is a challenge that can trip up even the most seasoned leader.  Having clear goals (both short and long term) can help overcome this challenge as well as maintaining a focused “to-do” lists which is clearly communicated with the rest of the team.
  • Motivating the Team – Unfocused or unmotivated team members can really undermine the completion of a specific goal and bring morale way down in your office.  Sometimes the “fix” may be communicating the mission and goals to the employee, while other times it may be figuring out a good incentive program.  Keeping workers happy also makes them more motivated to do a good job, therefore, be sure to foster a positive workplace environment.
  • Open Communication – Business leaders want to be approachable but also, at the same time, they want to maintain a sense of authority.  The balance can be a tricky one.  Carve out time for brainstorming and strategy sessions where you openly communicate and discuss issues. Make employees aware that you want feedback and encourage them to add their “two cents” in positive and constructive manners.
  • Creating Team Unity – Teams that do not work well together often take a lot longer to complete even routine tasks, not to mention larger projects. It is up to the leadership in your business to cultivate a positive workplace where relationships can grow.  Team building, matching project partners by personality or even just simple things like eating lunch together can help bridge the gaps in relationships.
  • Balancing Consistency with knowledge of individuality – Leaders need to be consistent in their policy’s and even in their actions in the workplace.  However, all employees are not the same.  Leaders must learn, through experience, how to balance the idea of treating people in a consistent manner and knowing that exceptions must always be made.

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