Leadership Responsibilities: 5 Core Leadership Responsibilities

Team leaders find themselves tasked with a range of responsibilities—some of which are in their formal job description and some of which are not. Consider five of the most integral responsibilities of a team leader.

1. 1. Decision-making: Companies expect good leaders to have keen decision-making and problem-solving skills. The best leaders carefully review their options and make informed choices for the business in a timely manner.
2. 2. Balancing the needs of all stakeholders: Leaders work with a range of stakeholders, including customers, fellow executives, entrenched employees, and new hires. Their task is to make each of these stakeholders feel valued and heard in the day-to-day operations of their business. It can be hard work to keep all team members engaged in the long-term success of the business, but companies rely on leaders to balance competing needs to keep operations running smoothly.
3. 3. Communication: In many businesses, good leadership skills can be nearly synonymous with communication skills. Effective leaders unite team members around big-picture goals, delegate tasks clearly, and communicate one-on-one to monitor progress. They also foster an environment that encourages feedback.
4. 4. Empowering colleagues: The most effective leadership style is one that empowers colleagues to make decisions in their areas of expertise. Great leaders are detail-oriented, and yet they avoid micromanaging others' work. Instead, they invest in their coworkers’ professional development, offering both mentoring and development opportunities.
5. 5. Embodying company culture: This means embodying the values, ethics, and hard work that the company expects from all team members. Great leaders at both large corporations and small businesses assume their coworkers are looking to them to exemplify the company values.

The roles of a leader go far beyond giving speeches and displaying technical competence. Based upon prevailing leadership theory, most of the world's better leaders possess a few core traits, which are often thought of as soft skills.

1. 1. Responsibility: Great leaders understand they are responsible for far more than their own performance. They see themselves as stewards of a brand and a stabilizing force for all those who report to them.
2. 2. Respect: The best leaders treat their colleagues as human beings with goals of their own. They never treat them as replaceable cogs in a machine or, worse, targets for abuse. They hire people they respect and demonstrate that respect as they delegate tasks, solicit opinions, and allow colleagues to take on initiatives without interference.
3. 3. Trust: Delegation is a key facet of effective leadership. Seasoned leaders know it is both impractical and ineffective to micromanage every task. They trust their charges to lead projects and assume responsibility whenever possible, allowing for stronger employee retention and satisfaction.
4. 4. Openness: Leaders who are open to feedback and constructive criticism have a better chance of helping the business expand and adapt. Being open about the fact that there’s always room for improvement allows coworkers to actively engage in problem-solving. In this way, open-minded leaders also foster healthier work environments.
5. 5. Time management: Great business leaders know how to manage their calendars. Effective management requires full days that may touch on pursuing business goals, managing personnel, overseeing health and safety measures, interfacing with fellow managers, and interfacing with clients. The only way to balance all of these interests is to run meetings on time, complete tasks promptly, and exercise discipline.

If you see yourself as a leader in waiting, start by taking the following steps to leadership development.

1. 1. Participate in training programs. Some companies hold instructional training opportunities designed to groom the next generation of leaders. If such training programs are offered at your workplace, make an effort to attend them. Soak up the information and apply it to your work.
2. 2. Let people know you are looking to take on a leadership role. With appropriate humility, let your company's current leadership team know that you are looking to take on more leadership responsibilities. Work with your manager to identify tasks you can absorb to develop your leadership skills.
3. 3. Take on extra duties. Show your commitment to teamwork by stepping up when company leaders seek new project leaders. You can also propose new initiatives and offer to oversee the initiative as a project manager.
4. 4. Think beyond your current company. If you find barriers to a leadership role in your current company, begin looking for openings at other businesses. If you work in the corporate world, explore opportunities that may exist in the nonprofit sector, or vice versa. During interviews, be direct about your goals to expand your leadership skills and ask what opportunities the new job may offer.

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