Do you know the 5 common challenges faced at work?

Whether you’re new to leading a team or have been in leadership for several years, managing the challenges that come up is something every leader has to face. 

Our Aviva Future Leader Programme helps you develop the skills and knowledge required to lead a successful broker business. You can apply to join the programme now until the end of September. 

Watch our current Future Leader delegates discuss their challenges on our recent video here.  Or, read our top five common leader challenges below and see if you recognise any…

Influencing

Being influential in the workplace is critical for success no matter where you work or what your professional goals are. Gaining influence within a team can help you all work together more effectively. It’s a skill that takes time and effort. And as you move forward in leadership, you’ll see more challenges that require you to use this skill. 

Pressure

Workplace pressures are common.  Whilst many of us think we perform best under pressure the reality is we don’t perform as well as we could. You may feel more productive, but what you create is usually worse. The ability to mitigate the negative effects associated with pressure – and thrive under it – is what sets highly-successful people apart. 

Accountability

Accountability is when every employee at work feels responsible for aiding in the success of the company. The most successful businesses are built on accountable employees. Whether achieving short or long-term goals, enabling employees to feel responsible makes the business more productive and efficient. Encouraging and adjusting to increased accountability is a common challenge you will face as a leader.

Problem solving

The ability to solve problems applies across all areas of business - but do you know how to do it effectively?  Usually we know a problem needs to be solved, but we're not sure how to find the best solution and expect conflicts about the best solution. However, if you can view problems as opportunities to improve the system or improve relationships, you may see better results. As a leader, you will often be challenged with problems, but the skill is making them into opportunities.

Developing

At some point we all need to hone our skills and learn new ones. Investing in training and development can help keep employees motivated. Plus, learning new skills not only benefits the individual but it helps to reinforce connections between an individual’s professional accomplishment and your organisation’s success. Whether it’s on the job, in-house or training delivered by an external company, making time to invest in learning is critical.

Take control of your future

Delivered over two years, the Aviva Future Leader programme uses theoretical and practical exercises to develop your leadership skills. Applications for the 2020 programme can be submitted now until the 30th September 2019. To apply you’ll need to have the full support of your current business and you will need to be able to commit to the twelve-module programme over the next two years. Applicants should already be working towards moving into a director or board position role within the next five to ten years.

Simply email john.nutter@aviva.com to request an application pack or visit aviva.co.uk/broker/leader to learn more about the programme