We all spend a lot of time talking about being good leaders and there are numerous articles out there giving advice on how to be a better leader. These articles give you tips about things you can do to improve yourself; but leadership is about who you are as a person. Straight away you may say that leaders are 'born' but I can tell you through experience that Leaders can me made. We are all capable of training ourselves to do pretty much anything, so we can improve the traits we need to be a better leader.
Exceptional leaders care, they care about their people, about their customers and about the company and its mission. They do this by treating each person as an individual. They get to know individuals on a more personal level, not just as a member of staff fulfilling a function. They greet the individuals in their team enthusiastically and by name.
In a company I have worked for I interacted with the CEO on just one occasion. When I sent him an email about 6 months later, he reminded me of the interaction we had and asked questions, in his reply, about one of my out of work passions. This made me feel valued, and good about myself and increased the company's image in my view.
The polar opposite occurred in the same company, where an area manager came into our shared office and asked if we had heard that a certain member of staff, who they named, had resigned. As it happened, that person was standing right next to me and the manager had not recognised them. I felt embarrassed for the manager, but I felt even worse for the colleague who had resigned as they had been working at the company for the past 3 years.
Remarkable leaders show empathy when interacting with their team. They are visible and available to their staff, and above all they "have their staff's backs." These leaders are also "present" in all interactions with their people. They ignore their phones and their screens while interacting and they actively listen to what is being said. Just as importantly, they are responsive, they do what is needed and what they say they will do.
I had a colleague at work who had been looking after a friend with mental health problems as their family was unable to. This person called my colleague saying they were having a breakdown and were desperate for help. My colleague approached our manager who got upset that they had taken a private call at work and that they wanted to go and support their friend. The manager didn’t let him leave and made him stay and work the rest of the day. I doubt that my colleague was able to concentrate fully on their technical job the rest of the day and this is an example of a lack of empathy in the workplace.
Another manager was sitting in their office and noticed a staff member walking down the passage who looked upset. They called the staff member in and just started talking to her. After a short while she opened up and said that she had had a client on the phone for 30 min who was nothing but rude and demeaning to her. She burst into tears. The manager consoled her. He asked her to get up, and walk with him. They left the building and walked around the block, 1st letting her debrief about the case and then just general chit chat and got her a cold drink before going back to the office. He told her to take her time completing the report. This act built significant trust in the manger and that member of staff is one of the best they have as they know, the manager has their back.
Excellent leaders allow their staff to shine, they don’t micromanage, they give them space and allow them to fail (without judgement) in order to learn. These managers also try catching people doing things right and praise them appropriately. They help their staff push their own limits and develop them so that they are better than when they arrived.
Company A treats their staff like production line robots, they track their every output. This is done both electronically (all their work is done on software specifically designed for the company), but staff are also expected to fill in daily trackers that include every activity they perform. Regardless of these 2 tracking tools, staff still get emails questioning short periods of "downtime." The staff in this company don’t trust management and the morale is very low. Due to this constant micromanaging, staff feel under-appreciated and don’t have any freedom to use their own initiative to better the workplace.
Another company, similar in size, focusses on their staff. Their managers are well trained, and as long as customer service ratings are high, and safety protocols followed, they pretty much let their people get on with their jobs. They have active peer-to-peer recognition and reward programs. Managers and directors are visible all the time and take time to talk to all the staff and sincerely thank them regularly for the great work they do. Here, staff have fun, and it shines through in their interactions with customers and there is constant innovation in the workplace.
Over the next few weeks, why don’t you try to find staff doing things right, and thank/praise them for it. Think of at least one way you can develop each member of your team and start implementing these actions, however small. I promise you will start seeing a difference.
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