How to Become a Successful Business Leader

and Maintain Consistent Production Through

Leadership Skills
Nearly all businesses are bound to undergo stagnant energy within the workplace at some
point. As a business manager or leader, you might wonder how this experience is created and
how it can potentially be avoided.

Have you ever been an employee for a boss whom you felt you could never please? Or maybe a
boss who consistently invoked utter chaos and unending mayhem? I know that in my
experience, a bad relationship or negative experience at work has only aided in a halt in my
work production.

In all truth, most employees struggle to thrive in their careers due to poor management within
the company. A workplace leader can either make or break workplace productivity.

In this article, I will show you some of the best ways to maintain productivity in the workplace
and avoid employee burnout through leadership development.

Here are a few of the topics I’ll cover as we work together to create lovely work experiences for
all:
• Common workplace hindrances that contribute to company stagnation (and how to fix
them)
• Qualities of a successful leader
• Important leadership strategies that promote productivity and bypass company
standstills

On that note, let’s dive right in!

Common Workplace Hindrances That Contribute to Company Stagnation

(And How to Fix Them)
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So, you’re in a pickle at work. Business growth is at an all-time low and everyone seems bored
out of their minds. Let me tell you, you’re not alone.

What is workplace stagnation?

A stagnant work environment can mean something different for each person involved.
However, it generally relates to:
• Little-to-no growth within a business
• A slow, flat, or declining rate of production

An employee can feel a sense of stagnation due to a lack of advancement opportunities or even
the simple yet overwhelming sense of feeling burned out.

While employees can feel particular forms of stagnation with their workplace circumstances, a
leader can identify a significantly larger amount of halted progress even before that feeling
reaches the company’s employees.

In any case, career stagnation can be linked to numerous different explanations including:
• Personal issues (self-efficacy, goals, etc.)
• Organizational factors (workplace discrimination, harassment, etc.)
• Labor market circumstances (economic problems, etc.)
For a business leader, an unproductive environment can be an added frustration, especially on
top of unrelated and consistent company demands. Regardless, lack of production within your
company can lead to:
• Negative feelings of self-worth
• Unfulfilling quality of life
• Anxious and/or burned out employees
• Business failure

It is almost inevitable to feel moments of stagnation or inaction in the office and sometimes,
that feeling is unavoidable. However, lack of progress most frequently comes alongside deeper
issues within the company.

Don’t worry -- that doesn’t necessarily mean your company can’t come back from a place of
dullness. We know that if there is an underlying issue at hand, there is almost always a solution.

Let’s start by describing some issues that could potentially be playing a role in a stagnant
business.

1. Nobody Knows Why They’re Doing What They’re Doing

What are company values? Why do we need them?

A company’s guidelines and values pertain to the essential beliefs, goals, and most importantly,
the entire meaning behind the business. Your core values will not only reflect what your
company stands for, but they will also set the stage for responsibility and commitment from
your employees.

A reluctance to either create a set of values or continue to use them is a problem that often
occurs in unproductive situations.

Believe it or not, many individuals seek out work environments that maintain a successful
company culture - which ultimately rests upon upholding clear values.

A company mission creates a fulfilling and edifying culture and draws in valuable candidates. In
fact, 46 percent of job seekers claim that a successful culture is very important when applying
to a company.

A strong set of ethics and/or values is a critical factor in the growth of a business, and 85
percent of companies with a clear purpose showed positive growth in the past three years.

Alongside business success, a clearly placed and understood set of core values can ultimately
lead to:
 • Shared goals
• A valuable and clear company purpose
• A sense of oneness between employees and the company
• A united team of employees
• Improved employee engagement

When creating and outlining the important principles that your company stands on, ensure that
your company is in the habit of actually using those principles daily and in every area of work.
Become addicted to your values and get your employees hooked on them too.

2. Rules, Rules, Rules

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Have you ever been a part of a company that stuck to too many rules, leaving you to walk on
eggshells and avoid taking any risks? Me too.

Obviously, without rules and regulations, our workplaces would turn to utter chaos. However,
with too many limits in a work environment, employees are left feeling stifled and
unmotivated. An overdose of rules results in:
1. Poor engagement
 2. Slowed productivity
3. Deliberate disobedience
4. A toxic environment

According to Yves Morieux, director of the Boston Consulting Group’s Institute for Organization,
when a company or organization is too complicated with rules, policies, and regulations, the
harder it is to understand the true purpose of the work.

I can get behind what Morieux is saying. Nearly 40 to 80 percent of employee time is wasted
due to the overwhelming need to follow rules and regulations, resulting in less production.

Additionally, an overbearing manager at work can be a factor in willful disobedience. Much like
a student resists obeying his or her teacher when the pressure becomes too much, an
employee will likely do the same.

A toxic environment or a bad relationship between a leader and an employee are other
significant outcomes of too many rules and policies in a company. These include scenarios such
as:
• Employees becoming fearful of upsetting supervisors
• Less creativity in the workplace
• Unhappiness at work leading to a high turnover of employees

In an effort to maintain the delicate balance between workplace regulations and a creative
environment, Meghan Biro, CEO of TalentCulture, reminds us that if a rule is not efficient or
plausible, it is likely to be disobeyed.

Consider if each rule you put in place for your company is necessary, helpful, and beneficial to
your business.

3. Being A “Bad” Boss

It’s not unheard of for anyone to have at least one rather negative relationship with a superior.
I can personally say that I have left jobs due to poor leadership and rough employee-manager
experiences.

According to the 2018 Employee Retention Report by TINYpulse, managers play a fundamental
role in employee turnover and retention. Essentially, a leader can make or break an employee’s
willingness to stay productive and continue on with any particular company.

So, what makes a person a “bad” boss?

Let me break it down for you. Employees find it more difficult to maintain a positive
relationship with employers who:
 • Try to micromanage and control their employees
• Neglect to adhere to staff ideas and/or input
• Worry too much about following the rulebook rather than connecting with their
employees
• Ignore and disregard great work being done below them
• Fail to provide opportunities for advancement within the company

Employees will ultimately lose motivation and even throw in the towel because of a bad boss.
In fact:
• Reportedly 60 percent have left, or are considering leaving, their job because of a
negative relationship with their supervisor
• 53 percent have left jobs because they felt their superiors were not retaining high-
performing individuals
• 86 percent refrain from working for a company holding a bad reputation with former
employees

To put it into perspective, an employee who claims their employer has poor performance and
leadership skills is four times more likely to be on the hunt for a new job. While on the hunt,
many employees are unlikely to remain motivated within their current position -- indirectly
halting company growth.

Becoming a successful leader is obviously a process that comes with time and experience.
However, there are many approaches that can aid in giving that process a jump start. Which
leads right into my next point…

Qualities of a Successful Leader

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While not all individuals are naturally successful or even comfortable in leadership positions –
me being one of those people – there are many attributes that can easily be developed by any
person willing to take heed to their importance in the workplace.

A successful leader holds qualities and practices that ultimately ensure positive relationships
with employees and bring forth increased productivity and growth for their company. A few
examples of these might include:
• A genuine want to connect with employees and other co-workers
• A tendency to actively listen to staff and respond to their concerns
• An absent ego – self-centeredness is unproductive and can create toxicity in the
workplace
• An open-mind and acceptance of creativity

In a Harvard Business Review, Linda A. Hill explains that power is not the goal of becoming an
effective leader as much as inspiring and leading.

But managing a team is a big responsibility, and what happens when your team is reluctant to
respect you?

Reprimanding and building intimidation are the last things you want to do. Respect and
credibility come alongside the process of growing as a leader. Linda explains that the important
areas of advantage that a productive leader should demonstrate include:
• Character – employees pay close attention to their boss’s disposition from the get-go;
be sure to show that you have good intentions
• Competence – the knowledge of how to follow through with your good intentions
• Influence – the ability to execute your good intentions

Important Leadership Strategies That Promote Productivity and Bypass

Company Standstills
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So, are there any specific things leaders can do to help improve their workplace culture?

The rate of disengagement for employees who are not necessarily in management positions
within a company is fairly high, and productivity tactics are needed now more than ever.

Alongside important characteristics and relationships that a leader should uphold, various
different strategies can be implemented in the workplace to encourage a productive
atmosphere.

An administrator growing frustrated because of an unproductive team is almost inevitable;

however, for a business to stay on track in achieving goals and obtaining success, a leader
should apply some particular methods to help engage a team and spark efficiency.

Creating a great work experience for your employees is crucial in business progression.

Make Communication Between Employees and Management A Priority

Transparency and clear communication within a company are especially important in

stimulating productivity.
Open lines of communication between a subordinate and an employer are extremely valuable
and result in gaining trust in both the leader and the company.
• 61 percent of employees agree that trust in their management is important in
maintaining job satisfaction

While an employee is clearly heard and unafraid to speak up in the workplace, his or her job
satisfaction rate heightens, opening up the opportunity for a boost in both creativity and
productivity.

Additionally, open communication ensures that there is a consistent flow of feedback within
the workplace, and provides leaders with the information that is needed to make positive
changes and grow.

For an employee to be completely heard and ultimately become empowered in the workplace,
an employer should be careful to implement staff ideas and praise hard-working individuals
frequently.

Set Goals

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Goals in personal and team settings are a fundamental importance to encourage learning and
production, especially within a company.

What exactly is a goal?

A goal is an aim or an objective that a person is trying to reach. Essentially, we should set goals
to remind ourselves of our mission and motivate us to reach the end result that we are working
to achieve.

But, how do we know what kind of goals we should set for our companies?

There is a diverse range of goal-setting techniques out there. It all becomes a bit easier to break
down and set specific goals when you are able to classify them.

In a study done by Osahan Ogbeiwi, goals are explained by researchers and placed in different
categories. Examples included in the article are as follows:
• Order goals – to maintain proper workplace conduct
• Economic goals – to set profit margins
• Cultural goals – to satisfy the social needs of workers
• Consumer goals – consumer satisfaction aims
• Product goals – service and/or goods targets
• Operational goals – performance targets
• Secondary goals – goals that will help achieve the company’s ultimate mission

Another example of a successful goal setting technique is known as SMART goals.

SMART goals are simple and create an easily attainable goal process for individuals and/or
teams.

SMART is an acronym for some of the most important characteristics of achievable goals. Let
me dive into more detail.

S – Specific Goals

A fundamental attribute of a goal is that it should be specific.

In order to set productive objectives, a goal should include specific information and describe
the company’s mission in a way that helps encourage specific and particular actions that are
necessary in order to achieve the ultimate goal.

M – Measurable Goals
Additionally, the goal needs to be measurable.

In order to obtain progress, implement a form of measurement for your goal, and use that
method to help determine whether or not a goal has been achieved. This is also a helpful
motivator for a team as they can actually see and understand that they are making real
progress.

A – Achievable Goals

This is an important piece of deciding goals as it helps to create objectives that are realistically
attainable.

In the process of working toward an achievable goal, important skills, abilities, or tools are
necessary. This step ensures that a team is reminded of whether or not they are able to achieve
a goal, and if not, what they need to do to get there.

R – Relevant Goals

Ask yourself, does your goal make sense, and is it relevant to the ultimate and larger business
goals?

It is important to ensure that all company goals are in line with the main objective of the
company as a whole. If a goal is irrelevant to the company’s mission, it may not be attainable.

T – Time-Bound

Lastly, a realistic approach to setting goals is to ensure that your objective is roped in by a
specific deadline.

If you set a deadline, it is easier to ensure what you should have completed to reach the goal at
the halfway point and/or other points along the way. This is also motivating for individuals and
teams to reach the goal by a set time and creates a sense of urgency. Thus, promoting
productivity.

Goals inside a company strongly relate back to the business’s overall purpose. When goals are
met by a team, they ultimately add up to manifest the main mission and provoke feelings of
achievement for employees that encourage them to keep moving forward in progressing the
company.

Take Breaks and Provide Work Flexibility

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How many times has your brain been so occupied with work that the stress makes it
increasingly difficult to provide quality work?

While you may think that productivity and progress are linked to a dedicated and hard-working
team that advocates a consistency of “Work! Work! Work!”, this is not always the case.

It is extremely easy to become burned out after working hard, 9 to 5, every day of the week.
Any employee would rightfully agree with me on this one.

Believe it or not, taking many breaks actually increases creativity and provides a refresh for our
brains. According to Psychology Today, breaks help us work better by giving our prefrontal
cortex (PFC) – the executive functioning and decision-making part of the brain – the time it
needs to rest before jumping back into more goal-oriented work.

Psychology Today also describes different ways that breaks can help us in our day-to-day,
including things like:
• Preventing “decision fatigue” – the exhaustion that your brain faces after consistent
decisions throughout the day
 • Restoring motivation – helping to keep our minds focused on work by deactivating and
reactivating our goals
• Increasing productivity – refreshing the mind, encouraging creativity, and leading to
more “aha” moments

Alongside supporting more breaks for employees, offering flexible work hours or flexible work
atmospheres stimulates productivity.

Job satisfaction heightens when employees are able to better balance their work and personal
lives. This is essential in provoking business growth.

Many employees may feel guilty for taking time off or get nervous asking for more flexibility
with work hours; however, everyone deserves a break since we all reach our working limit at
some point. In fact:
• 72 percent of managers agree that employees are more willing to put in more work and
take extra hours when necessary if their management is encouraging about time off
• 84 percent of those managers agree that their employees come back to work more
creative and productive after having time off

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It’s evident that business stagnation is a common occurrence and difficult for many companies
to navigate; however, we’ve found a few ways to get around it and boost your company’s
growth.

All in all, standstills can ultimately be reversed and even avoided. Much of a company’s
stagnant energy begins and ends with leadership skills.

As a leader, it is extremely important to come down to base level, connect with your
employees, and encourage new ideas and methods to inspire productivity in the workplace.

Thank you for hanging out with me as we found new ways to create great work experiences for
all!