In today’s world, leadership’s role in the organization’s progress and achieving success is not hidden from anyone. We only see the success of great and influential leaders, but when we look more closely at their work lives, we understand what small and big problems they faced on the way to success. This article introduces common leadership challenges and discusses their management methods.
13 common leadership challenges
Leadership challenges can be divided into several categories. Some are related to you and your skills, and others are related to your work environment and subordinates. In the following, we examine the most common challenges and propose ways to deal with them.
1. Inspiration and self-motivation
Your subordinates need motivation to continue their activities. One of the most important tasks of a leader is to motivate people. How can you inspire others when you don’t have enough motivation yourself?! You may lose motivation when things don’t go as planned. As a team leader, it is necessary to understand the lessons of failure and continue on your path.
Sources of motivation are divided into two categories: external and internal. Intrinsic motivation is more stable and better than extrinsic motivation. You will perform better if you create internal motivation for yourself and other team members.
One of the most common ways to motivate people is to create meaning. Humans want their work to be meaningful, so by showing the value and importance of each person’s work, you can help them gain the necessary motivation.
2. Help others progress
Your second task and challenge is to help the people of the collection to grow. You cannot provide a recommended plan for their growth without knowing your team members’ hopes, fears, and skills. As a team leader, you must know your team members’ strengths and weaknesses and allow each to grow.
3. Change leadership
Managing the transition is one of every leader’s most complex challenges. Maybe your organization needs a structural shake-up. In this case, you must have the mental preparation and will to make tough decisions. You may have to say goodbye to some cast members. You may have to create new departments in the organization. All these processes are time-consuming, costly, and exhausting.
It is necessary to take crucial points for change management, including bringing together the organization’s members. Do you have the ability to convince others?
4. Conflict management
In any group, there is a conflict between the members or the members with the leader. This conflict may take any form, From simple gossip to different views on the organization’s goals and roadmap. In this case, your ability to mediate disputes is essential. Most of your day should be spent solving intra-organizational or extra-organizational conflicts. So, you should strengthen problem-solving, dialogue, and adaptability skills.
5. Coping with self-destructive syndrome
One of the challenges that Noorhebran faces is self-destruction syndrome. In this syndrome, the person thinks he does not deserve the current position. He sees himself as unworthy. Therefore, he suffers from a lack of self-confidence. Suppose you have just been chosen as a team manager. In that case, you may feel like this when making decisions, constantly doubt the correctness of your decisions and opinions and fear that by making a mistake, others will think you are unworthy.
To deal with this syndrome, look at your abilities and identify those that have caused you to find such a situation and try to develop them.
6. Manage your relationship with the team
Whether you’re being introduced to a new team as a manager or arriving as a longtime team member, these situations present challenges in adjusting your relationship with the team. Team members want to know what your plans and goals are for the team, what your expectations are, and how they should work with you. At the beginning, be sure to spend time setting mutual expectations. The clearer you speak and act, the more trust you gain. If you try to control everything they do, you will soon lose trust between you. Learning to trust your team members and their abilities would be best.
7. Delegation of authority
Things will quickly become arduous if you become obsessed and handle all the issues yourself. The management challenge is delegating authority because you must choose the person or people to do the job. Delegating authority gives you time to focus on more important matters and increases subordinates’ mutual trust and self-confidence.
8. Coordinating members with each other
In a set, everyone has specific tasks. Your task is to align people’s work towards goals. It can be said that you are a link between your team members and between your team and other departments. Therefore, holding continuous meetings and creating a space to share essential data with members is one of your duties and, at the same time, challenges.
9. Making tough decisions
You have become a manager and team leader because you make decisions that others do not dare. The burden of responsibility and the consequences of the decision are with you. That is why you should prepare yourself for such situations. One of your most difficult tasks is to share bad news with your team members. For example, maybe you have to say goodbye to one or more members. How do you want to tell him or his colleagues about this news? Transparency and honesty play a decisive role, along with the manner and tone of speech. Don’t forget that the right decision is not always the easiest.
10. resource management
You are responsible for managing all or part of the organization’s human and financial resources. Managing assets, dealing with economic issues, and allocating resources can be challenging, especially in our country facing high inflation. Therefore, if you order a collection, you must be able to use the available resources properly to maintain and strengthen your organization.
11. Get feedback
Without getting feedback from others, you cannot discover your mistakes in the true sense of the word. Are you ready for your subordinates to give you honest and transparent feedback? Your leadership style is essential in creating a free and comfortable space for criticism. You can’t claim to have mastered leadership challenges if you can’t stand hearing dissent or others questioning your decisions.
12. to be popular
One of the internal challenges that every leader must deal with is the desire to be popular with others. It is natural for us to want others to like us and like us, but in leadership, sometimes you have to make uncomfortable decisions that will surely upset some. Your task as a leader is to manage the organization or team and make it successful, not to be popular with everyone!
13. keep calm
Sometimes, as a team leader, you must go through a big crisis. In this case, there is a lot of pressure on you. You may panic and make impulsive decisions in the chaos that may result in decisions that may cost you your position or the survival of your entire organization. Therefore, it is necessary to keep calm even in the worst situation and make a rational decision. This is where emotional intelligence comes in handy. So you should try as much as possible to strengthen it.
How do you deal with leadership challenges?
Although we mentioned some methods and solutions for managing these challenges, we would like to introduce other methods to deal with common leadership challenges in this section. These methods focus more on you as the group leader.
1. Don’t forget to take care of yourself
Leadership is a challenging and exhausting job. There will come a time when you will feel exhausted and helpless and think you can’t bear the situation anymore. In this case, you should be able to cope with the problem. How? Be sure to rest and get away from the work environment. Although you will always be dealing with calls and emails as a manager, avoid this temptation during those times.
During the day and in the work environment, spend time relaxing in your office. It would be best if you were not busy working all the time. Drink water regularly and rest your eyes for a short time.
2. Clarify your responsibilities and those of others
You can’t handle everything. Some things are beyond your responsibility. So, make it clear at the beginning what you are responsible for and not responsible for. Facilitate the process of doing things and reduce your work pressure by delegating part of your authority and responsibilities to competent and trusted people. It would be best to spend your time on the most important things.
3. Maintain the originality of your speech and behavior
Leadership styles and the theories proposed about them are different and diverse. You don’t have to follow a particular style, but don’t try to be someone you’re not. Be yourself and keep your originality and fingerprints in your behavior. If you constantly try to imitate others and different styles regardless of the situation, others will not accept you.
4. get help
The leader is not supposed to be an Iron Man! Sometimes, it is pretty standard to ask for help from others, especially your team members, to do various tasks or solve problems. In this way, you show them that you are also human, and they can ask you for help. You can also seek guidance from leadership coaches and consultants to develop your leadership skills.
5. Use criticism as a tool for improvement and growth
Emphasize the culture of criticism and improvement in all parts of the organization. As the head of the group, if you are open to criticism, others will accept your criticism. To promote a culture of criticism, you must first learn the correct way to give feedback. Then, teach it to your subordinates. If employees see that managers are ready to accept criticism and feedback, they will be more motivated to provide their opinions and experiences. In such an environment, synergy and creativity are more likely to emerge and grow.
Remember that criticism is not meant to blame others but to guide them. They will use your critique to improve their work, so your critique should include a solution.
6. Communicate effectively
Effective communication is the key to successful coordination and cooperation in the organization. Design the communication channels of the organization in such a way that people can easily communicate with each other and with you. Make sure all team members understand the organization’s goals and values. Use diverse and effective communication tools to convey messages.
Conclusion
You will face many challenges as a leader, but great rewards await you. Although the environment of businesses and markets is becoming more complex daily, management methods are also improving to respond to some of these challenges. By developing yourself personally and investing in improving your leadership skills, you can prepare yourself to face challenges.
