Help & support
- Learn the key leadership skills that help your team perform at their best, including communication, feedback and values-based decision-making.
- Discover how to identify strengths in your people, build trust and delegate tasks effectively to support growth.
- Get practical guidance on improving people management so you can focus on long-term business goals and strategic direction.
Q: What is leadership and what makes a good leader?
A: Leadership is the ability to guide a team to a common outcome. Good leadership, however, is something more. It’s having the ability to share a vision, make decisions and empower your people to achieve. Having the skills to listen, be empathetic and have good communication skills are all essential.
It’s easy to get caught up with everyday tasks when you’re running the show but you can’t underestimate the impact of supporting and developing your team. When your people perform well and take more ownership, it frees you up to focus on the bigger picture instead of every last detail. And those results are what make good leadership qualities really stand out.
How do you model your values?
“Leadership starts with values,” says David Holland, managing director of talent solutions at Employment Hero. “Every business leader talks about them but living them – actually making them part of the day-to-day – is where most fall short.
“For example, if one of your values is ‘customers first’, do you celebrate the staff member who takes ownership and fixes a problem? If teamwork matters, do you make time for team catch-ups, even during busy weeks? Your values should show up in what you do, not just what’s written on the wall,” he says.
Can you identify strengths in your people?
“One of the most important things you can do for your staff is foster their growth,” says David. “You want team members who are enabled to make decisions, work independently and exhibit the culture of the business. The only way you get that is through strategic and considered leadership.”
When you’re developing staff you need to identify their strengths. “Talk to your people,” says David. “Ask what parts of their job they enjoy most, when they feel they’re at their best and what they’d like to learn next. Observe what energises them. When you align roles with strengths, people become more confident and capable – and that’s when your business starts to scale.”
How do you give feedback to staff?
Being a good leader also means having the ability to give feedback and navigate difficult conversations. “Keep feedback simple and consistent. Don’t wait for problems to pile up,” says David. “Focus on what’s working first then discuss what can improve. Be specific about behaviours and outcomes, not personality. Setting clear, achievable goals will help your people understand precisely what success looks like and how they contribute to the organisation.”
How do you delegate tasks?
Once you have developed good working relationships with your team, you can begin to delegate. That’s when you free up time to focus on the big-picture work of developing your business.
“Delegation is about trust and growth, for you and your team. It gives people the chance to learn and shows that you believe in them,” says David. “Start small, explain the ‘why’ behind the task and give people space to figure things out. Delegating properly allows you to step back and your team to step up.”
Being an effective leader takes practice
Learning how to lead a team takes time. It’s not a set-and-forget task. Once you start delegating, you need to be available as a sounding board with advice, direction and understanding. The objective is to be supportive without jumping in yourself – or worse, micromanaging the task. However, if you see staff veering off track, it’s always a good idea to intervene early.
Congratulations, you’ve completed this lesson!
Next lesson: 4.3 - How to manage conflict as a business owner