Leadership makes or breaks businesses. Even if you have a solid financial plan, provide a unique product or service, and have genuine demand from customers, poor leadership will derail your efforts and leave you with unmotivated, disengaged employees.
Likewise, strong leadership galvanizes businesses and organizations – even in the hardest of times. Effective leadership can help your employees exceed targets, reduce slack in business operations, and drive up your bottom line.
However, the way we lead has changed. Businesses cannot rely entirely upon incentives like bonuses and flexi-work. Instead, leaders must be culturally aware and must communicate the vision and goals of a brand with nuance and passion.
Here are a few ways leaders can motivate their employees and become the change that the world needs today.
Understand the difference between Manager and Leader
Every organization has managers, but not all organizations have leaders. Managers are responsible for the employees below them, and often believe that employees who fail are incompetent or didn’t follow instructions. Whereas leaders see themselves as part of a team and do their best to raise those around them.
As a leader, you need to understand the difference between management and leadership in the workplace.
Me vs We
Managers often focus on their own gains and losses, whereas leaders see themselves as part of the team. So, when teams are successful, a leader highlights the efforts of the team. When things aren’t going so well, a leader takes responsibility and stands by their employees.
The Importance of Action
We’ve all seen managers who do little to improve the workplace. It takes them days to complete mundane, unimportant tasks, and they are quick to accuse others of inefficiency. Leaders, on the other hand, aren’t afraid to graft and will directly aid employees when work demands are stressing employees out.
Always Thinking
Managers and leaders both get time to reflect on their organization. Managers might think about ways to further secure their position and only do what they must to maintain their status. Leaders use this time to innovate and create opportunities in business. They take the helm on issues like employee wellness and are constantly creating unique ways to further the business’ vision.
Retention and the Great Resignation
Around the world, companies are experiencing a phenomenon dubbed “The Great Resignation”. In reality, this trend towards resignations is likely driven by employees who took work below their pay grade during the pandemic and who are now returning to their previous careers.
However, many resigning employees also cite employers and poor leadership as one of the reasons behind their decision to resign.
Retaining top talent is vital for both small and large organizations, and a healthy turnover rate is a sign of a well-led organization. Leaders can prevent staffing issues by playing a hands-on role in the hiring, assessment, and motivation of employees.
Good leaders should prioritize new hires who can complete the work and are well motivated. These highly motivated hires will work hard to fit in and perform their roles. A standardized hiring process can also help hiring managers disregard under-qualified employees and will ensure only the top talent makes it through to interviews.
Leaders should set the tone during the onboarding and training of new employees. By setting clear expectations and standards, leaders show new employees exactly what is expected of them.
Finally, leaders aren’t afraid to address underperforming employees – but this doesn’t mean you need to create conflict. Employees underperform for all manner of reasons, and sometimes an open conversation about the stressors employees face can help leaders find solutions to problems.
When speaking to an underperforming employee, you should centralize their wellbeing, as it may be that family life or other external factors are impacting their ability to work. If you show these folks kindness and help them overcome the challenge, they will likely become loyal, hardworking employees in the future.
Leadership and Wellness
Leaders help the bottom line of the company, but they also ensure that employee wellness is a central component of that bottom line. This is because great leaders are emotionally intelligent and can empathize with their employees.
Research also shows that companies that care for employee wellness will earn more efficient and motivated employees. Sixty-three percent of employees say flexible hours are motivating, and HR experts have found real value in the active promotion of diversity and inclusion programs in the workplace.
As a leader, you can prioritize employee health wellness by reaching out regularly to employees and by giving them the benefit of doubt if their performance dips below your expectations. You can also encourage increased uptake in corporate wellness programs, and should ask questions if folks don’t seem to be interested in such programs.
Leadership for the Future
Leaders who are willing to graft alongside their employees and who take the lead on employee wellness programs are great for business. These star leaders can revolutionize underperforming aspects of a business and can help employees become the best versions of themselves. As a leader, you should always be learning – this sets you up for future success, and allows you to become the change that this world needs today.
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