Leadership For Productivity And How To Do It

Leadership for productivity is something you need to do if you want to create a positive organizational culture. If you are striving for positive productivity then your leadership will be what counts in the end.

• Leadership for productivity in the workplace
• 5 Qualities of leadership in productivity
• 4 Leadership principles that will improve productivity
• Leadership for productivity - Summary

Leadership for productivity in the workplace

Leadership does come naturally for some but most managers must work very hard to obtain true leadership skills for the workplace. Leadership and productivity go hand in hand and also the quality of leadership determines the overall team productivity.

Those who think of themselves as born leaders often lose faith in their abilities and then they fail they fall back on their position. This is when they become just another “boss”.

It is said that great leaders are made by great teams and this can be seen when you look at successful leaders of innovative companies.

Therefore to be a great leader you don’t have to convince yourself or your superiors. It is more important that you show your leadership through your actions.

In order to be the leader of a productive unit, it is essential to develop people skills. People skills are what connect a true leader to those that he needs to lead. No two employees are the same and they cannot be managed the same.

To do this you must know your people, their abilities, and their expectations.

5 Qualities of a productive leader

There are many qualities or, as some would say, characteristics that great leaders need in order to create dynamic and productive teams.

The 5 top qualities of a leader focusing on productivity

• Strategic Planning
• Decision Making
• Trustworthiness
• Communication in the workplace
• Vision

Strategic planning is key to productivity success and a great leader will know from the beginning what is needed because of solid planning strategies.

This strategic planning will include the planning of people, materials, and other resources required to achieve the organizational goals.

It is the duty of leadership to ensure that effective work teams are built and they are given the right tools to do the job. Only with the right application of resources can high productivity levels be achieved.

Decision-making skills are a valuable tool for a leader who is striving for productivity and efficiency. Incorrect decisions can have a huge impact on morale and productivity.

A leader is obliged to make decisions based on the best for the organization and the people who must drive business. Recovering from a poor decision can be costly and also can take time to repair the damage done.

Trustworthiness instils a sense of belief and acceptance within a team. Remember that you are being constantly evaluated by your team and your every move is being analyzed.

It can be a good thing and count in your favour if you portray a positive attitude. People tend to be more accepting of communication if you set an example through your behaviour.

Setting your standards and not moving the goalposts around as you wish to cover incompetence will build trust within the unit. There is a direct correlation between trust and productivity.

Communication is the most essential part of leadership and not all are verbal.
In order to improve and maintain high productivity levels, communication will remain one of the most important factors in a business. 

Your actions and the way you handle a certain situation will be absorbed within the team and requires no instruction.

Verbal communication of a leader focus on the goals and standards required to achieve your company's vision and mission. Leaving your team in the dark will not get them to follow you.

Finally, a leader must have a vision in order to make a team understand what they are working for and what the end goal is. Leading blindly and consistently average does not make for good motivation and your staff will get the treadmill effect.

It is necessary to constantly evaluate and adjust the business to the current conditions which will keep your employees engaged and productive.

4 Leadership principles that will improve productivity

There are many principles involved in leadership but in general, the following four are the core of it:

• Know yourself, and your abilities and always work on self-improvement
• Take responsibility for your actions
• Communicate with your people in a way they can identify themselves with the topic
• Set the example

Build your unit into a functioning team A thing that goes a long way toward being recognized as a real leader is recognizing the achievements as much as the poor performance.

So many managers make haste when finding a problem but hardly ever praise achievement. Anyone appreciates hearing the words “Well done”, “Good job”, and “I appreciate it”.

In most of the places, I have been employed in my life the so-called leader will never utter those words believing it will make him look soft.

A true leader will install his beliefs and values in a team which should include the words "Please" and "Thank You".

Remember you are only as strong as your weakest link and if poor leadership is that link you will not succeed in management.

You will become a “corporate firefighter” that kills one fire after the other with no sense of direction.

Leadership for Productivity - Summary

A productive team that consistently performs without the need to get driven will always tell you that they trust their leadership and trust their guidance 100%.

They will also confirm that their motivation for productivity comes from their leadership.