Have you ever attended a team meeting and felt like you weren’t included or valued as a member of the team? This is a common experience for many people, and it can be demoralizing and demotivating.
Lack of inclusion during team meetings is often due to cliques, not being part of the leader’s inner circle, or the leader being focused on him or herself. As a leader, it’s your job to engage each and every person.
Here are five ways that the best leaders involve every member of their team successfully:
Acknowledge each person: The best leaders are really good at acknowledging people. By greeting and giving everyone a chance to speak and be heard. This means actively listening to what each person has to say and acknowledging their attendance and contributions.
Leaders don’t speak first: As the leader, it’s important to set an example by not speaking first in team meetings. This allows other team members to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas without feeling like they are competing with the leader.
Recognize everyone’s ideas: Encourage team members to share their ideas and thoughts, and take the time to consider and discuss them. Even if you don’t end up implementing every suggestion, it’s important to show that you value the input of all team members.
Assign tasks appropriately: Make sure to consider the strengths and interests of each team member when assigning tasks. This will help to ensure that everyone is engaged and motivated to contribute their best work.
Appreciate each other: Show appreciation for the contributions and hard work of each team member. This can be as simple as thanking someone for their contribution in a meeting or giving them a shout-out in a team email.
Bottom line, your job as a leader is to engage each and every person on the team and create a culture of inclusivity. Inclusivity is about creating a culture of belonging and respect, where everyone feels valued and able to contribute their best work.
Lead From Within: The best leaders know how to involve every team member so they feels like they belong and are able to fully participate and succeed.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
- 12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
- A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
- How to Succeed as A New Leader
- 12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
- 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
- The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
- The Deception Trap of Leadership
Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.