3 tips for being a great team leader

I wanted to share three tips that you can use to inspire your team -- whether you're the formal leader or an emerging leader within the team.

These tips are especially important when you're leading a group of high performers, because it's easy to assume that they'll lead themselves.  With these tips, you can help your high performers flex their talents and contribute even more to your team. ​

​1. Communicate how your team objectives fit within the bigger picture

Most people on your team, especially high performers, are so busy (maybe even overwhelmed) that they focus solely on the work in front of them. By articulating how their work fits in the bigger picture, you give them more context about how their work is contributing to the organization's mission.

This is especially important for mission-driven organizations -- when you don't measure success in profit, stock prices or other figures, it can be tricky for your high performers to really understand how their work is impacting the organization. You can boost morale simply by verbalizing the big picture WHY behind their work. 

2. Tell people they matter 

High performers often take initiative and are self-motivated. And because of that, it's easy to assume that they understand just how important they are to the organization. But even high performers need a confidence boost -- especially since high performers can struggle with impostor syndrome. Telling your people that they're important shows that you care and that you see them.  Even something as simple as :

"You have a bright future ahead of you in the organization. I don't know what your path will be, but I can see that you are going to make a real difference here."

3. Arrange regular feedback sessions

High performers crave feedback. In some cases, it's because they want confirmation that they ARE in fact performing at a high level. But most of the time it's because they constantly want to improve -- and you can use feedback sessions to help guide them.  As a leader, you have the bigger picture, and your high performers will appreciate your guidance. This is not about "fixing" problems, or pointing out weaknesses. This is about helping your people see how they can develop their abilities.