6 Ways to Be a Better Leader in 2019

6 Ways to Be a Better Leader in 20196 Ways to Be a Better Leader in 2019 Its one thing to be the boss, but its another thing to be a great boss . And when youre running a business, it pays to strive for the latter. The more effective a leader you are, the more youll motivate your team and push your employees to do better. So with that in mind, here are a few ways to step up your game as the new year kicks off.As the part in charge, youre probably used to giving orders and calling the shots. But how often do you take the time to hear what your employees think about existing processes and policies? By becoming a better listener, youll gain real insight into what makes your workers tick and what tools and support they need to excel.When you run a business, its hard to trust others to do the work youre used to doing, especially when the decisions they make could impact your bottom line. At the same time, you clearly cant do it all, and if you overextend yourself, you risk burning out in a really bad way. Therefore, youll need to get comfortable with the idea of delegating tasks to other people, whether that means turning to internal employees or outsourcing as needed.A good leader is someone others can relate to and respect, and a good way to make that happen is to own up to mistakes rather than gloss over them or put the blame elsewhere. If you show your team that youre willing to hold yourself accountable when things go wrong, your employees will be less afraid to make mistakes themselves in the course of stepping outside their respective comfort zones.Its not easy running a business, and youre likely to find that your days are jam-packed more often than not. Still, its imperative that you make yourself available to your employees, even if it means shifting deadlines to carve out that time. Giving your employees an opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns puts you in a better position to address them, thereby creating a more ideal workin g environment for all involved.Its natural to get stressed when things go wrong at work, but if you show your employees that youre able to keep your cool when things heat up, theyll be more likely to adopt similar behavior that enables them to better manage stress. And that could really come in handy the next time a disaster (whether major or minor) happens to strike your business.As the boss, you have every right to assign lower-level tasks to other people. And in many regards, it doesnt make sense for you to spend your time dealing with individual computer glitches or shipping issues when youre overseeing a major operation. At the same time, the last thing you want to do is give your team the impression that youre above the tasks theyre responsible for. Quite the contrary - if youre willing to spend some time in the trenches, youll gain insight as to what challenges your workers are facing and how you can help address them. At the same time, youll send the message that every ta sk is important, which will keep your team motivated.The departure of a new year is a great opportunity to resolve to do better. Follow these tips, and your leadership skills are apt to improve in 2019.This article was originally published on The Motley Fool . It is reprinted with permission.