Organizational leaders have enormous impact on nearly everything in their arena of influence, even if that impact is not always obvious. Team members look to those in leadership for direction, guidance, coaching, and a whole lot more. When you find yourself sitting in a position of authority, you have to decide whether you want to be known as a benevolent leader – or something else far less flattering. Here’s what I advise:
Model the right behavior You earn admiration and respect when you model the behavior you expect. If you smile and have an upbeat attitude, that will likely show up across your organization. If you holler and criticize, you can expect your people to do the same. If you use language inappropriate for the workplace, do not be surprised to hear it from others.
Preach the message Leaders have direct impact on the morale of the workforce. When a leader shares the company’s history and provides updates on the status of its current operations, the team can learn and become more deeply connected to the organization. Really good leaders will also dedicate time to the company’s mission and values to further cement the relationship between the leader, the team, and the goals that bring them together.
Own up to the issue When a leader screws up, everyone recognizes it; and if the leader tries to ignore the situation, it only gets worse. The right action is for the leader is to simply stand up in front of the team, explain what happened, and apologize. In my experience, this level of accountability earns instant respect and can even inspire an attitude of “let’s help the boss clean up this mess”.
Partner with your people Unusually high staff turnover is a significant and often expensive issue for an organization. Though there are often several reasons behind an attrition problem, I have found most issues revolve around challenges between leaders and team members. Good leaders can make all the difference in the world by treating employees as true partners in the business — sharing openly, recognizing performance, and soliciting feedback.
Be a visible leader Spend as much time in the workplace as you can; and while you’re there, remember to talk to everyone about everything. Make it your goal to understand as much as you can about the workplace and its everyday operations. Take this information to heart and use it to improve efficiency and morale.
Explain why If your organization provides a service or manufactures a product, you likely field questions from employees about the “why” behind their work. Why do we do this? Why do we do it this way? By answering those questions clearly and often, leaders can help the team understand the intention behind their work. From there, team members may be inspired to share ideas related to how the work could be improved. The best ideas about improvements almost always come from the frontline workforce.
As leaders, we must remember that “people do what people see”. Set your team on a strong course by always choosing the professional high road – your influence matters.
published Nashville Business Journal
