WANT TO BECOME A BETTER LEADER FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES? HERE’S HOW
Whether you’re about to become a leader of a start-up, or you’re 20 years deep into leading a company, you should always be improving your leadership skills.
A leader can be empowering, inspiring, beneficial. They can also be demotivating, negative, and destructive. Leaders are at the bedrock of every business. People, culture, success and turnover are impacted by leaders – good or bad.
79% of employees will quit due to lack of appreciation
58% of employees say they trust strangers more than their own boss
Only 35% of employees feel inspired by their boss
It takes intentionality to be a good leader. A good leader means a trustworthy, genuine and inspiring leader that employees can feel supported by. Here are 4 tips to improve your leadership as a manager:
UNDERSTAND LEADERSHIP STYLES
No one will lead exactly the same, which is good – but don’t get too comfortable.
Every leadership style has it’s own perks, but it also has it’s own flaws. It’s crucial to recognise which category you fall in so you can maximise your strengths and work on your weaknesses.
Psychologist Kurt Lewin distinguished 3 different leadership styles, and although recent studies have identified even more – these 3 styles have been a bedrock for the business world. Give them a read and see which category you most likely fall into… and think about how you can work on your leadership style (Very Well Mind):
Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic):
Extremely independent leaders, taking little to no input from the rest of the group
Usually viewed as controlling and micromanaging
Discourages creativity, leading to followers feeling uninspired
Delegative Leadership (Laissez-Faire)
Offer little to no guidance to group members – leaving decision making to the group
Provides members with lack of personal responsibility and teamwork
Leads to poorly defined roles and lack of motivation
Participative Leadership (Democratic)
Offer guidance to group members but allow members to offer guidance too
Encourage creativity and input but retain the final say
Leads to followers feeling important and committed to the group
BE A ROLE MODEL
You may have noticed that in all those leadership styles, the behaviour of the leader impacted the behaviour of the followers so it’s crucial to be what you want to see in your employees. Have a character that is:
Inspiring
Encouraging
Supportive
Open to new ideas
In other words, walk the walk.
Leaders are supposed to be passionate about their work right? Surely we’d want our employees to hold that same passion and make a big impact? Fear, dull work environments, and control creates nothing but unproductive, uncreative, and disloyal employees.
ENCOURAGE CONTRIBUTIONS
It’s your business, it’s your department, it’s your team – I get it. But have you ever thought that one brain isn’t enough?
The ‘Authoritarian’ stifles their employees from thinking outside the box and these types of leaders end up stifling their goals as a result.
Employees aren’t just workers. They’re team members who, when valued, are often truly committed to seeing the company’s goals come to life. Create an environment where employees feel comfortable to express their ideas and use their skills. Giving people freedom to contribute doesn’t mean letting go of your authority as a manager – it makes you a more respected and valued leader.
CARE ABOUT THE WELLBEING OF YOUR TEAM
Leaders aren’t meant to be scary, immortal beings that are untouchable and far away from the day to day lives of their employees – they’re meant to be human. There is that tendency for new managers to go full force into wanting to be perceived as super serious, but that only reaps more negative results than positive.
Be an active, caring member of your team. And this doesn’t have to always be with over the top shows of recognition. Simply be in conversations, have a laugh, let them know you’re approachable and that you actually want them to be happy… it goes a long way.
One way to practically do this is by conducting 1-1 meetings frequently. It allows you to get to know your employees better and vice versa, creating an environment for trust and transparency.
- Written by Oliver Howson
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