While productivity and leadership may seem to go hand in hand, they aren't always perfectly synchronized. Though you may be a thoughtful and engaging boss, if you fail in the area of productivity, this limitation will likely negatively affect your leadership ability over time. Employees lose respect for their bosses who do not adequately support them in their day-to-day lives, such as not giving feedback in a timely manner or wasting valuable work hours with unproductive meetings. To become or remain a productive leader, here are a few helpful suggestions:

Have clear project goals and expectations
Nothing stalls productivity more than being unsure about what you are trying to accomplish. Before any project, Peter Economy at Inc. wrote that you should thoroughly outline each step of the process, assigning certain tasks to your staff, while being upfront about what you will handle. Organization is a key component of productivity and necessary for seamless leadership. Avoid panicky situations after overlooking key project areas due to a lack of planning and outline your goals and expectations in the beginning.

Don't overload yourself
Maybe you are traditionally a productive person, but lately have been overwhelmed with work. Don't let your productive reputation suffer because you are failing to delegate certain job responsibilities to your capable employees. Even if you cannot unburden your workload, you can find ways to multitask or technology applications or platforms that will support you. Time management applications and to-do checklists are excellent methods to keep on track throughout the day. Implementing workflow management software in your office may also help you collaborate and communicate with your staff more easily, thus improving your productivity.

Communicate with your team regularly
One of the best ways to discover whether or not your productivity is suffering is through one-on-one meetings with your employees. Ask them about how well they feel that you support them and if there is anything that you can improve upon. You might not have previously realized where you were lacking or what you were doing right. In addition to personal meetings, you can hold periodic large-group brainstorming sessions to outline ways your office as a whole can become more productive. In many ways your productivity output sets the tone for the rest of the office. For example, if your staff sees that you seem to not value productivity, they may be less likely to send you reports in a timely manner or make the most of their workday.

Our course called "Leadership: Recognizing the Leader in You" offers more valuable insights on becoming a great leader. At ProSolutions Training, we offer online child care courses and social services training for interested early childhood education and social worker professionals looking to gain more experience in their field. Contact us today to learn more about our selection of online services.