Self-Test: How Many of These Key Leadership Techniques Have You Mastered?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with having the skills to properly lead a team? Are you feeling frustrated with how to develop your skills where you would be considered a leader in the Network Marketing industry? Are you feeling stuck with the level of growth needed to be a viable leader to your team? Do you lack the knowledge to lead your team with the skills that you currently possess? Well, it is possible that you can develop your leadership skills with a few techniques that many great leaders perform.

Take a look at how you measure up against the following nine key leadership practices. How many do you follow? Hopefully, all or most, but keep in mind that it's never too late to learn and implement.

• Communicate the big picture. If you want your team to work hard and be committed to their business, you've got to keep them in the loop. Open communication helps foster loyalty and gives the team a sense of pride. It helps them understand how their work contributes to the overall team’s success. Set up regular meetings i.e. Skype, weekly calls, hotel meetings, home meetings, etc. Regular meetings will help to keep your team current about new business developments, maintain momentum, and to answer any questions.

• Delegate work and responsibilities. Network Marketing is a people business working in a team atmosphere, so do not try to be a one-person band; share the workload with the team. Each team member is its own business owner, however there are some more experienced than others. Sometimes the more experienced Network Marketer may find him or herself sponsoring more people, training more than anyone else, attending the meetings, etc. In order for the team to be equally vested they must learn and the more experienced network marketer must learn to delegate projects according to people's strengths and weaknesses and let team members develop their own good work habits and leadership skills. Special message to control freaks: this may initially be a challenge for you. Before you take on a project such as making a phone call for a team member or watching a training video to report the information, get in the habit of asking yourself whether the team can handle the task themselves.

• Help the team set goals. Setting deadlines and goals helps keep the team focused and busy and motivates them to do their work. Talk to each of your people about short and long-term goals and work with them to set individual goals directly linked to those missions. Make sure each team member understands his or her professional growth path on the entire journey.

• Recognize problems. Because Network Marketing is a form of franchising that is housed in a team setting, it's impossible to know about personality conflicts, lagging productivity or other problems on the team if you've got your head buried. Stay tuned in to your team so you can be proactive and resolve situations before they escalate. If you notice a change in a team member’s recruiting efforts, number of times on a call, or just their work habits or attitude, try to get to the root of the problem before it starts affecting their business and yours.

• Reward team members. In business everybody appreciates raises and bonuses, but monetary rewards aren't the only way to thank a team member for a job well done. In fact the easiest way to recognize a team member’s contribution—by simply saying "thank you"—is often the most overlooked reward. Whether you do it with words, money, a team member-of-the-month program or other incentives, make sure everyone knows you value their efforts and contributions.

• Be a mentor/coach. As a business owner, one of the greatest gifts you can give your team members is to share your knowledge and experience. Showing people firsthand how you close a deal or forecast sales is far more than just talking them through it. Have them on a prospecting call with you. Have them attend a home meeting to see how objectives are handled. These are a few of the ways that will help develop confidence in your team.

• Give reviews. Although you are not an employer, team members need and often times want ongoing feedback about their performance to improve their skills and grow professionally. Set up a formal review process that will give the team performance reports that they can see themselves making changes. If you helped team members set original goals and continuous feedback, also make sure you spend equal time addressing past performance and future goals.

• Have a heart. A lot of times we can set our goals in motion and anticipate that our team members will be on board full steam ahead for us all to accomplish our goals. However, we can often forget that family emergencies, illnesses and other unplanned events are bound to arise from time to time which can take you off track. Show business owners some compassion by being flexible while they tend to important personal matters. In network marketing we are a team which means while one team member is out the others need to pick up the slack. Network Marketers always appreciate a sympathetic team member, so make every effort to accommodate a team member who have special needs.

• Take the time to be a Leader. During the times when work is piling up and momentum is moving, don't forget to be a good leader. Remember that team members depend on your strength and guidance—especially when they're stressed out or faced with challenging business items that require your time and input. If a team member comes to you and needs to talk, give him or her your undivided attention. If necessary or possible, head out to a neighborhood café and chat over a cup of coffee. You’ll be rewarded with motivated, productive, loyal team members.

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