Our previous posting was the first installment of this series on building an \u201cengaged\u201d workforce.\u00a0 In that posting, we talked about vision, values, mission, and culture being foundational to a truly engaged workforce.\u00a0 After all, we argued, employees need to know what the organization does, why it does what it does, what outcomes it hopes to achieve, and what code of conduct it expects everyone to follow.\u00a0 Without that knowledge, employees can\u2019t possibly make a commitment to the organization because they won\u2019t have any idea what they\u2019re committing to.<\/p>\n
In this second installment of the series, we want to talk about the essential role effective leadership plays in building a committed, energized workforce.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because no factor influences job satisfaction more (and therefore, commitment to the organization\u2019s goals) than does effective leadership technique.\u00a0 When managers are armed with the right leadership skills, the people under their care will strive to achieve the company\u2019s objectives, because they want to, not because they have to.\u00a0 And furthermore, when managers model effective leadership behaviors, those behaviors filter down to everyone in the organization and\u00a0ultimately become part of the company\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n
For more on what effective leadership looks like, and how it is critical to building an engaged workforce, please read below.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t lead from behind.\u201d<\/strong> In a scene from the Civil War movie, \u201cGettysburg,\u201d Confederate General Robert E. Lee is talking to his next-in-command, General James Longstreet.\u00a0 Lee is chastising Longstreet for venturing too close to the front lines.\u00a0 \u201cWe cannot afford to lose you, General\u201d says Lee.\u00a0 Longstreet shrugs and replies, \u201cCan\u2019t lead from behind.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s true, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 A real leader has to be out in front, modeling the behavior he or she expects others to emulate.\u00a0 Do-what-I-say-not-as-I-do never was a great leadership technique, but it\u2019s even less so now that we have smarter, better-informed employees than ever before.<\/p>\n So what are the behaviors leaders need to model?\u00a0 Since thousands of books have been written on leadership, it would be absurd to try to cover the subject here in a few paragraphs.\u00a0 So instead, let\u2019s consider some bullet points of the top behaviors effective leaders need to exhibit.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Develop and nurture trust.<\/strong>\u00a0 Honor your commitments.\u00a0 Not sometimes, not most of the time . . . every time.\u00a0 Not just the big, important commitments, but the little incidental ones too.\u00a0 Not just to your own people, but to suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders as well.\u00a0 Do what you say you\u2019re going to do, and do it when you say you\u2019re going to do it.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Develop and nurture trust II.<\/strong>\u00a0 You will probably have to demonstrate to your people that you trust them before they will return the favor.\u00a0 Look for authentic ways to show that you trust their skills, their judgment, and their commitment to the company\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Be transparent.<\/strong>\u00a0 While that term may be over-used and trite, it\u2019s probably still descriptive.\u00a0 Be honest about your weaknesses.\u00a0 When you make a mistake, own it.\u00a0 When you don\u2019t have a ready answer, have the courage to say, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Be a coach, not a critic.<\/strong>\u00a0 Make it your job to help the people in your care to be successful.\u00a0 Using a whip and a chair is old school and not particularly effective.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Treat everyone with dignity and respect.<\/strong>\u00a0 Not just the people above you on the org chart . . . everyone.\u00a0 Think the Golden Rule.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Be a good communicator.<\/strong>\u00a0 Adopt the \u201cDoctrine of No Surprises.\u201d\u00a0 Tell your people what\u2019s going on, completely, honestly, and frequently.\u00a0 Make sure they are not blindsided by events you saw coming but they didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Be a good listener.<\/strong>\u00a0 Good communication is a 2-way street.\u00a0 Make sure your people know that you want to hear their thoughts, ideas, and opinions.\u00a0 You won\u2019t always agree with them, but they need to know their thoughts have been heard and given honest consideration.<\/p>\n As we\u2019ve said, leadership is a very broad topic . . . way too broad to be treated here in more than a very cursory fashion.\u00a0 Still, if you commit to really mastering the behaviors we\u2019ve bullet pointed here, can you take your place as one of history\u2019s great leaders?\u00a0 Maybe not.\u00a0 But you\u2019ll be pretty damn good, and you\u2019ll make a huge contribution toward a fully engaged workforce.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Normal false EN-US MicrosoftInternetExplorer4<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our previous posting was the first installment of this series on building an \u201cengaged\u201d workforce.\u00a0 In that posting, we talked about vision, values, mission, and culture being foundational to a truly engaged workforce.\u00a0 After all, we argued, employees need to know what the organization does, why it does what it does, what outcomes it hopes<\/p>\n
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