The prospect of advancing to the top of one’s field makes it possible for many people to keep plugging away at their jobs, honing their skills, and taking on new projects. But after a certain point, career development depends on more than technical skills and a willingness to work hard. You also need a few soft skills, not the least of which is the ability to take on a leadership role.
Some people are natural leaders, but anyone can develop the skill set needed with some practice. If you want to take your career as far as possible, you must be willing to put in the work.
In this article, we’ll present nine ways to develop leadership skills, including communication, delegation, and goal-setting. By implementing these strategies, you can enhance your leadership abilities and take your career to the next level.
And, if you’re looking for a guide to help you achieve your objectives, consider Wrike’s pre-built business goals template. This template can help you set and track your business goals, allowing you to stay focused and achieve your desired results.
1. Practice discipline
A good leader needs discipline.Developing discipline in your professional (and personal) life is a must to be an effective leader and inspire others to be disciplined as well. People will judge your capacity to lead by the amount of discipline you display at work.
Demonstrate discipline at work by always meeting deadlines, keeping appointments, and ending meetings on time. If you are naturally disorganized, then you may have your work cut out for you, but you can always start small. Try implementing good habits at home, like waking up early and getting daily exercise, and work your way up from there.
2. Take on more projects
A great way to develop your leadership skills is to take on more responsibility. You don't have to take on more than you can handle, but you need to do more thansimply what's covered in your job description if you want to grow. Stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way you will learn anything new, and doing so will get you noticed by executives as someone who takes initiative.
3. Learn to follow
A true leader has no problem yielding control to another person when appropriate. You should not feel threatened when someone disagrees with you, questions your thinking, or puts forth their own ideas. Keep an open mind and give merit where merit is due. It won't always be easy, but if you learn to value and respect others on your team, they'll be more likely to step up to the plate for you.
4. Develop situational awareness
A mark of a good leader is someone who can see the bigger picture and anticipate problems before they occur. This is a valuable skill to have when handling complex projects with tight deadlines. The ability to foresee and provide suggestions for avoiding potential problems is invaluable for a leader. This ability also helps you recognize opportunities that others overlook, which will certainly earn you recognition. This can be especially difficult to develop when leading remote teams, but with practice, you can become more attuned to your teams and projects.
5. Inspire others
Being a leader means you are part of a team, and as a leader, you should be able to motivate and inspire those you work with to collaborate as best they can. When a team member needs encouragement or guidance, offer it. Sometimes, all a person needs is someone to listen and be sympathetic.
6. Keep learning
The best path to becoming a good leader is to be open to learning new things. It keeps your mind sharp and your skills fresh. It primes you for new challenges that may come your way, which is always a good thing for a leader.
7. Empower your teammates
No one is the best at everything, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you can learn to be a good leader. Delegating tasks to others not only frees you up for things you do well, but it also empowers other people on your team.
8. Resolve conflicts
Don't be a manager from hell! Not everyone will get along all the time. Instead ofignoring interpersonal conflicts and hoping they will go away, address them by talking to those involved privately. Also, be open to reassigning team members if the conflict can't be resolved.
9. Be a discerning listener
Becoming a leader doesn't mean you always have to be in the spotlight. An important trait of a good leader is someone who listens to suggestions, ideas, and feedback from other people and builds on them. Good listeners know that communication is not only about words but picking up on non-verbal cues, such as eye contact and body language.
Good leadership skills are essential to advancing your career, but as you can see, leadership is much more than simply being in charge. As American statesman John Quincy Adams said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader."
How Wrike can help you hone your leadership skills
Being a good leader is hard enough without dealing with disorganized project management systems. Wrike’s project management software gives you the tools you need to lead your team to greatness.
To help you develop your leadership skills in real projects, Wrike offers a business goals template that can assist you in setting and tracking your objectives. This template enables you to streamline your goal-setting process, keep track of your progress, and achieve your desired outcomes.
AUTHOR BIO: Stacey Marone is a social sciences graduate and freelance writer for Essay Scholar Advisor who also volunteers with children. She enjoys exploring new cultures and languages and loves painting, reading, and singing. You can follow her on Twitter.
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Making mistakes at work is normal. However, if people begin to avoid blame, self-serving bias may be creeping into your work culture. Self-serving bias is a way of thinking that makes a person see themselves in a more favorable way than they really are. In essence, it’s the reason why many people believe that the success they’ve achieved is purely down to them alone. It may sound like a minor issue but it’s a bias that has the potential to disrupt productivity at best and mean the difference between life or death at worst.
In this article, we’ll provide an insight into what self-serving bias is, how it is dangerous in the workplace, and how to avoid it. We’ll also share some practical tips for managers and team leaders on how to deal with self-serving bias in the workplace before it takes over.
What does self-serving bias mean?
If someone demonstrates self-serving bias, it suggests that they are more likely to blame others for their failures than themselves. We often rely on this cognitive bias to protect and boost our self-esteem. But in the workplace, it can make even the most humble fail to see their own shortcomings or errors.
This bias is incredibly common in our lives, and it can be overcome by practicing self-compassion.
Our brains are biased when it comes to making decisions because we are primed to see the world exclusively from our perspective. These biases are caused by issues with memory and attention, and they can often be dangerous in group environments. However, they help people make sense of the world and make fast decisions, which is why it’s key for survival.
But when this bias comes up in a scenario that is not life-threatening, it can affect others socially and professionally. If we work to decrease instances of self-serving bias in the workplace, managers can achieve everything from increasing overall productivity to speeding up the hiring process.
Why can self-serving behavior be damaging at work?
Self-serving behavior at a managerial level can be damaging to workplace culture and employee retention. Having an ethical climate at work (particularly one that keeps self-serving behavior in check) decreases the likelihood of having difficult employees.
According to a study published by the Journal of Business Ethics, the relationship between self-serving leader behavior and employees’ desire for retaliation and supervisor-directed deviance is stronger when unethical actions fueled by self-serving bias and other similar issues are present.
In other words, if your workplace allows managers and leaders to regularly act on their self-serving bias, your employees will notice and they won’t be happy about it.
Similarly, when self-serving bias is acted upon at the employee level, the consequences are noticeable. These include everything from quitting to leaving job-related tasks unfulfilled. At the very least, a self-serving employee is unable to perform their job to their highest potential. They can also decrease morale for the rest of the team.
It may seem like common sense, but when one employee sees another get away with unfair behavior, it makes them feel less motivated to align with expectations. After all, why should everyone else follow the rules if the self-serving employee is getting away with not doing so?
In extreme cases, self-serving bias can quite literally be the difference between life or death, especially when it is found in the medical field. According to research by Linda Babcock and George Loewenstein, even the most well-meaning doctors are susceptible to self-serving bias.
“Transplant surgeons, for example, must often decide how to allocate scarce organs between potential recipients. To maintain favorable statistics, their self-interest may not be to transplant those who would benefit most in terms of increased survival, but instead those where the probability of a successful operation is highest,” writes Babcock and Loewenstein.
“Based on the research we have reviewed, it seems likely that transplant surgeons' views of who benefits most from the transplant will be distorted by their interest in ‘cream-skimming,’” they conclude.
In other words, self-serving bias isn’t always meant to be selfish, even if the end result favors the decision-maker. It can often be perpetrated by the very systems we utilize in the workplace every day.
Even if your firm doesn’t deal with matters as high stakes as organ transplants, you may be surprised to discover the hidden ways self-serving bias negatively affects your team’s ability to conquer workplace terrors, despite the best of intentions.
Fundamental attribution error vs self-serving bias
The concept of self-serving biases emerged during the 1960s and 1970s.
It was discovered by Fritz Heider who was studying attribution at the time. His results proved the theory that people tend to believe things go well because of how great they are at whatever skills are needed to accomplish the task. And when things go wrong, it’s because of a negative situation or a third party.
Take test grades for example. It’s not uncommon for people to blame a bad grade on a teacher but take all the credit for themselves when they earn top scores.
Not sure what the difference is between self-serving bias and the concept of attribution?
These two concepts have a symbiotic relationship. Think of the concept of attribution as the cause and the self-serving bias theory as the result.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison:
Fundamental Attribution
Self-Serving Bias
Not taking responsibility for negative outcomes
Taking responsibility for positive outcomes
Focuses on situational factors
Focuses on internal factors
Negatively reinforces distrust and pessimism
Positively reinforces ego
The root cause of self-serving bias and other related biases
A type of fundamental attribution
Systematic error in judgment
Self-defense mechanism
Examples of self-serving bias in the workplace
Self-serving bias is all about taking credit for work success regardless of the situation. Here are some examples:
A vendor accepting praise for the on-time delivery of materials one week but blaming shipping freight issues for other delayed packages the next.
A manager evaluating their team’s performance solely based on the aspects their own supervisor will be looking out for in the manager’s own performance review.
A team lead assumes responsibility for the success of a project they oversaw rather than crediting it all to their colleagues who created the product.
A collaborator choosing to believe their increased productivity has more to do with their own time management skills than the new project management software they’ve adopted.
A business owner failed to recognize the support of their staff who helped them win an entrepreneurial achievement award.
How to avoid self-serving bias at work
There are plenty of ways to avoid self-serving bias at work and create an environment where employees are encouraged to maintain a healthy sense of self-esteem while also growing their skill sets. As a leader, it’s your job to implement the self-work and workplace culture listed in these suggestions:
Show gratitude
When a product is successful, the best thing you can do to defeat self-serving bias is to publicly thank the people who helped make it possible.
This can be something as simple as sending out a celebration message tagging the appropriate team members on your instant messaging platform. Or it can be something formal like a congratulatory dinner after a large or long-term project is complete.
Whatever you do, just make sure to look around you and ask yourself whether or not you really could have done this on your own.
Keep a journal
Journals are a great way to keep track of your growth over time.
At the end of each workday, take a moment to consider what you did well and one thing you like to improve on tomorrow. Building this habit will help you see your own work from a more subjective place.
Encourage employees to do the same and hold an accountability group if people are interested in participating.
If journaling turns out to be an effective tool for you, consider setting aside even more time to evaluate your skills on a big-picture level.
Set intentions
As a leader in the workplace, you have a responsibility to determine how you want projects to go. A great way to consciously practice this is to set intentions for your day, week, month, or for every assignment.
You can set the simple intention to continually monitor your own self-serving bias throughout the day. Or you can look for ways to improve when you do encounter a stumbling block.
Share your intentions with your team so that you have a shared vision you're all working toward.
Systemize feedback
The best way to systemize feedback is to clearly track who is responsible for what and whether or not they've achieved the goal for their portion of the project.
A visual project management tool will make it easy to evaluate performance at a glance. You'll also be able to fairly provide feedback since details such as due dates and expectations will be clearly laid out.
Go a step further and create a rubric for performance that is based on key performance indicators rather than opinions.
Need a place to start? Why not brainstorm solutions for self-serving bias together.
Identify motivations
Consider whether or not your team members have an internal or external locus of control.
An internal locus of control assumes that actions and outcomes are an individual's responsibility. An external locus of control assumes that actions and outcomes are the responsibilities of outside forces.
Those with an internal locus of control are motivated by themes of self-improvement.
But those with an external locus of control thrive when project elements that impact their work are thought out and managed well. This allows them to release the stress of monitoring those aspects and instead concentrate on their own contributions.
And if things do go wrong, they’re more likely to see how their actions may have affected the outcome when all other elements are in place.
Welcome feedback
It's important to create an environment in which other managers, employees, and collaborators feel comfortable providing constructive criticism and feedback on everyone else’s work.
If giving and receiving feedback graciously is part of your workplace culture, it will be easier to identify self-serving bias before it gets out of hand.
This also means providing a safe way to communicate these ideas. Some employees may feel like they can't speak to higher-ups about ways we can make their management style more compatible with the team.
But in order for the step to work, feedback must go both ways. Not only will this make employees feel more empowered, but it will also keep self-serving bias in check among management.
Focus on process
At the end of the day, self-serving bias is all about taking credit or putting the blame on someone else for the end product. But the truth is, the most important part of any project is the process.
The process will help you determine who is responsible for what, while clearly setting expectations. That way, even if an employee is struggling with self-serving bias, they’ll be able to see for themselves what tasks they've completed and how their work will affect the rest of the project as a whole.
When you have Gantt charts right in front of you, it's hard to shy away from personal responsibility. Using tools such as color-coded tasks to assign responsibilities and making timelines visible for all project members helps everyone look at their own role more subjectively.
Want to limit the influence of common cognitive biases in the workplace and get more done? Use Wrike to clearly plan out responsibilities and subjectively evaluate performance using data-backed reporting. Start your two-week free trial today.
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How to Inspire Disengaged Employees and Manage Detachment
You have a rockstar employee on your team. They always go the extra mile, wrap up projects before the assigned due date, volunteer for new work, and always lend a helping hand.
Suddenly, you start to notice that employee pulling back. They stop going above and beyond and barely meet minimum requirements, start missing deadlines, and act bothered every time you interact with them.
Why the change? You might have a disengaged employee on your hands. Don’t panic yet. With a solid understanding of disengaged employees, how to identify them, what they cost your business, and how to help get them back on track, you’ll have your top-notch employee back in the groove in no time.
What is a disengaged employee?
Employees can exhibit levels of disengagement in various ways. But generally speaking, a disengaged employee isn’t enjoying their work, is unlikely to go the extra mile on any project or task, and may actively dislike the company they are working for.
Even worse? Disengaged employees are sometimes known to spread negativity amongst other employees — meaning it’s important to nip disengagement and detachment in the bud.
How to identify a disengaged employee
The first step in addressing the problem is identifying disengagement by spotting the warning signs. Keep an eye out for these red flags and common characteristics of a disengaged employee:
Employees withdraw or act disinterested. Disengaged employees may not become disengaged overnight. This change might happen slowly over time, and it starts with signs of withdrawal and general disinterest. Say you have an employee who always used to raise their hand and dive into new projects, but lately, they seem less likely to volunteer or avoid new work altogether. This is a common sign of someone who is becoming disengaged.
Employees frequently become absent without prior planning or reasoning. Absenteeism is a red flag when it comes to a detached employee. If you notice that an employee stops coming to work suddenly or starts using multiple sick days back to back, your employee is potentially displaying signs of disengagement (although, of course, remember that they could actually be ill too).
Employees miss deadlines and don’t seem to care. Disengaged employees likely aren’t striving for maximum quality and may not care if they aren’t fulfilling expectations. These employees might be doing just enough to keep their jobs or continuously ask for extensions on projects because they aren’t making any progress. If an employee’s productivity is declining, it can signal low engagement.
Employees show a negative change in attitude. We all have bad days, but if an employee repeatedly acts out through rudeness, cynicism, or other negative feelings, this change in attitude might signal a larger problem. No matter the cause of the attitude shift, it’s essential to get ahead of this type of behavior before it impacts your other employees, or even worse, your clients and customers.
Employees start defying the rules. Resistance to feedback and suggestions and refusing work when it’s assigned can be a sign of disengagement. Defiance could be an employee’s way of trying to feel heard or expressing their anger or boredom resulting from feeling disengaged. Sure, there could be other issues at hand like company-wide changes, for example, but constant defiance is a behavior that you should keep an eye on.
How can employee disengagement impact a business?
So, how costly is having disengaged employees? Disengaged employees leave their marks on businesses and can cause more of a ripple effect than you might realize.
According to a Gallup report, companies with higher employee engagement see better customer engagement, higher productivity, better retention, and higher profitability by 21%.
If that’s not convincing enough, another study revealed that disengaged employees in the U.S. cost companies anywhere between $450 and $550 billion per year. And when we look at turnover, a Korn Ferry study revealed that 33% of respondents cited boredom as their top reason for looking for a new job. So, when disengagement is severe enough, businesses have to deal not only with the cost of losing employees, but having to train new hires to replace them as well.
How to help and manage detached employees
Needless to say, employee disengagement has a big impact on businesses, from cost to culture and everything in between. With an employee engagement strategy and thoughtful plans for managing disengaged employees, you can help your detached employees and your business before it’s too late. Let’s take a look at tips for managing detached employees.
1. Communicate more frequently with detached employees
Communication is crucial for creating a high-engagement culture. A disengaged employee may start communicating less with their teammates and manager, but increasing communication is a must to help them get back on track.
Using a centralized tool like Wrike can ensure that your teams communicate and connect frequently. Keep in mind that communication is a two-way street, which means if your employee has feedback to share with you, it’s essential to hear them out and make a note of areas of improvement on your side.
2. Identify motivators and create a professional growth plan
An employee might be tasked with work that isn’t motivating or exciting, leading to disengagement. Knowing how to motivate a disengaged employee can help you get them back on track. Spend some time with your employee, identify natural talents and hidden motivators, and see if you can squeeze in new work that aligns better for them.
Maybe your employee is in a role that isn’t a good fit any longer, but there might be another role better suited for them within the organization. In this instance, you should follow the same process of identifying key motivators and where that type of work might appear within your organization.
If a transition plan is needed, consider developing a professional growth plan together. Put that plan into a project management tool like Wrike to keep track of progress and hold each other accountable for the transition’s agreed-upon timeline.
3. Reward positive behavior and improvement
Communicating with your detached employee and identifying an actionable path forward together provides the opportunity to see positive behavior change. That change shouldn’t go unnoticed.
When you see a shift in behavior and your employee starts to become more engaged, pause and take time to reward the improvement you’re seeing. Consider asking your employees how they prefer to be recognized for their achievements in advance (such as when you onboard them), so you can recognize them in a way that’s meaningful to them.
4. Regularly conduct employee engagement surveys
Employee engagement surveys are a useful tool to help you get ahead of disengaged employees by giving them an opportunity to share feedback and voice their concerns. Conduct surveys of your workforce at least annually to gather feedback and address areas of improvement on the business side.
Be mindful of any concerns that multiple employees raise. When possible, follow up with employees who seem disengaged or frustrated through their survey results to get ahead of more severe levels of disengagement down the road.
Disengagement doesn’t have to be an inevitability
When you notice an employee is becoming more detached and disengaged, that isn’t the point of no return — instead, it’s the time when you need to step in and right the ship.
Getting disengaged employees back on track isn’t easy, but it’s almost always more than worth the effort.
Give all of your employees the transparency and visibility they need to succeed. Get started with Wrike today.
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