Managing a team is not an easy feat. People aren’t plug and play templates—there’s no formula for the best way to do it. The best managers lead with empathy and kindness, communicate clearly, and empower their team members.

As a team leader, it’s your job to inspire people and help them reach their goals and their potential. Continue listening to learn how to improve your team management skills and reach success together using one of all the six tips I’m about to share with you.

1. Lead with Empathy

In Gary Vaynerchuk’s book, Twelve and a Half, he talks about how empathy is a central part of how he operates. When you leverage empathy, he argues, it “makes you a better business person, CEO, manager, or leader.” To motivate your team, you need to understand them, and to understand them, you need to lead with empathy.

If someone on your team makes a mistake, instilling fear in them and being angry with them immediately can lead to more mistakes. They lose the ability to learn from their failures and will approach future challenges with trepidation, not from a problem-solving perspective.

Instead, take the time to understand what happened and where they were coming from. As a business owner, you’re ultimately accountable for anything that happens under your watch, so understanding your team can help you to better understand how to guide them to better outcomes.

2. Clearly Communicate Goals and Expectations

Effective communication includes clearly communicating things like deadlines, tasks, and deliverables. When your employees know exactly what’s expected of them, they have a better chance of success. The goal for you is to set them up for that success.

Don’t assume that someone knows what their role entails. You may have a different picture in your mind than they do of what needs to be done. To avoid any confusion, write out a clear job description, but here’s the trick—check in regularly and continue to communicate what your expectations of them are. Have an ongoing process to reassess performance and make sure you’re both aligned. Once you can clearly communicate these goals, it’ll lead to the next tip, which is to provide honest feedback.

3. Provide Honest Feedback

Providing feedback, especially negative feedback, is not an easy task for any manager or business owner. But it’s much more beneficial to both you and your team member for you to provide honest feedback that’s delivered with kindness, than to dance around the subject and leave room for misinterpretation.

If an employee isn’t performing their duties or achieving the goals you’ve set together, they deserve to know! Be specific in your feedback and in how they can improve. The biggest thing to keep in mind, as well, is to offer your support. As their manager, it’s not your job to set it and forget it—as much as your team’s successes are your own, so are their failures, and it’s up to you to change things up if something’s not working.

4. Be Transparent About When You Need Your Team’s Support

Leading a team doesn’t mean you don’t need support as well. The most successful managers and business owners lead with humility and self-awareness. They understand where their weaknesses are and how to delegate where others are strong.

Transparency is a strength. It makes you a better leader and allows for your team to trust in you more. Being transparent promotes creativity, teamwork, and loyalty. Oftentimes when you are willing to be vulnerable and open up to your team, they will feel safe enough to open up to you as well.

Additionally, when you are transparent about any challenges you’re facing, it can encourage collaboration as your team works with you to figure out solutions together. It will strengthen your team’s trust in you and lead to higher levels of performance.

5. Create a Framework for Growth

Having a well-defined framework for growth helps set expectations both for your employees and for yourself. When you have regular check-