Why the Best Leaders Anticipate Their Teams’ Needs

Have you ever had the opportunity to watch a great team function? Perhaps it was an incredible sports team or an amazing orchestra. Maybe you got to interact, as a highly satisfied and loyal customer, with a company operating at the top of its game. There’s nothing quite like observing a group of people performing together at the very highest level!

Through preparation and attention to detail, they anticipate all challenges. They’re responsive, performing at a level far above and beyond the norm.

Great Leaders Empower Their Teams

These teams and organizations are able to be so successful because their leaders anticipate which efforts and skills will be necessary in advance. Great leaders spend as little time as possible reacting to moments. Rather, they anticipate, practice, and prepare their responses many times over, not for completion, but to achieve perfection.

When watching a great team perform, their efforts seemingly aligned and synchronized by magic, remember that a great leader took the time to get them there. That leader, from within a nurturing culture, aligned systems and coordinated each team member’s preparation.

Thinking and Looking Forward

“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” —Alan Lakein

To anticipate what your team will need, you must first develop a deep understanding of your team members and their strengths. High performance is impossible without investing in working relationships. Your first job as a leader is to support and build these positive relationships, because they will serve as the cornerstone of any future, sustained success.

It is one thing to be responsive when a team member asks you for support. It is another thing entirely to anticipate ways to make that team member’s job easier and more productive before they even experience any frustration.

A hallmark of great coaches, directors, and leaders is their capacity to assess and improve systems before problems emerge.

This allows them to craft methods of practice, rehearsal, or professional development that lead directly to their desired outcomes.

In short, each great leader is intentional about their team’s improvement.

When those leaders bring intentionality and purpose to their work, when they’re able to anticipate and assess, there’s no space for yelling and directing. Instead, an environment of nurturing and coaching occurs. Team members develop their skills and abilities within a supportive internal culture, making them more likely to achieve high levels of productivity.

Team members are also far more likely to remain with an organization where their leader consistently makes their work-life better.

Your Team’s Loyalty Is Your Reward

A student once described their very best teacher as someone who made everyone in the room feels important and smart. This teacher observed the class so closely that they knew where to provide health and support without even being asked. Their student shared that, “because the teacher was so good at seeing our needs, we all became very successful.”

There are many reasons to help people become their best selves. One ancillary benefit is that doing so breeds deep loyalty.  Within the business world, effective leaders are well aware of the sustained benefits such loyalty can bring to a company.

 Longevity of tenure, high levels of customer service, and shared ownership of stated goals are just a few.

When a team member feels valued and they know their leader takes a personal interest in their growth, they will embrace the organization’s purpose and goals with resilience and vigor.

When you anticipate the needs of your team, you’ll reap the rewards of peace, plenty, and productivity to an extent that those who lead reactively can only imagine.

Build the skills you need to craft an amazing future for your team and your organization. Get FiredUp! today.