Between us Firefly coaches, we have more than 100 years’ leadership development experience and have amassed over 25,000 coaching hours! That’s a lot of working experience and although we know we’re all unique and everyone faces their own, distinct challenges; there are a number of issues which leaders commonly experience.
Here are the five most common problems faced by leaders today, and some top tips on how to overcome them.
1. Lack of self-confidence
Just like everyone else, leaders often struggle with self-doubt, and many are plagued by imposter syndrome, even if they work hard to hide this vulnerability. The problem is, our insecurities tend to show up in our behaviours, and characteristics like perfectionism or difficulties with decision-making are often the result of a fear of failure. People who aren’t afraid to admit their weaknesses or ask for help when they need it tend to make stronger, more effective leaders.
Tip: Share your insecurities and weaknesses with a trusted colleague or mentor who can offer support, whilst helping you see your strengths and limitations.
2. How to keep people accountable without micromanaging
In any organisation, it’s important for team members to take responsibility for their own actions and outcomes. The role of a good leader is to make sure that everyone knows exactly what’s expected of them, including desired outcomes, and to focus on the task and behaviour when providing feedback, rather than the individual.
Tip: Get specific when it comes to feedback and be clear about your expectations.
3. Knowing when to delegate and focus on strategy
It’s impossible to do everything ourselves, and we shouldn’t try. Delegation is an important part of a leader’s skillset, even those that are used to taking a hands-on approach, because it frees up time to focus on strategy and support teams in the delivery of targets. When we’re overwhelmed by daily tasks or dealing with minor issues, nobody is looking after the strategy. What’s more, taking too much control can disempower team members, leading to lack of motivation and engagement.
Tip: Focus on strategy and the bigger picture, and trust your team members to fulfil their roles.
4. How to build trust within the team
Building trust in your team requires a long-term effort which includes consistently setting clear boundaries, acting with integrity and withholding judgement. If you do a good job of building and maintaining trust within your team, they will know that they can count on your support when challenging situations arise.
Tip: Build trust through clarity, reliability and integrity, week-in, week-out. You can even ask your teams to rate their trust in you on a regular basis, and check in on what might be needed to improve trust moving forward.
5. When to have the tough conversations
It’s human nature to try and avoid difficult conversations, but it’s a necessary part of the leadership process.
I often work with leaders who are unsure of the right way to have tough conversations. The reality is, difficult truths should be faced head on - the sooner the better - before the situation deteriorates further. These conversations usually become less intense if you’re able to maintain open and honest communication with your team.
Tip: Be willing to have difficult conversations in stages, to allow time for reflection and give team members the opportunity to prepare an effective response.