Cultivating a positive workplace experience is a sure-shot way to help businesses and employees thrive. The last few years can vouch for it.
But since times have changed now, sticking to the old-school leadership skills isn’t enough. Recently, Gallup also discovered that managers or leaders need to do more than empathize to enhance employee performance.
Are You Lagging or Leading?
If you’re in doubt whether your leadership skills are lagging or leading, read ahead. This article has a compilation of must-have leadership skills for managers in 2024.
Put Employee Well-being First
Employees are a valuable asset to any company. So, make sure to welcome them on day one itself. Let your guard down sometimes and try to know them personally. It will help build trust.
Sinead Aylward, VP of contact center technology at Endurance, says “If I can help [an employee] feel comfortable enough to bring their real self to work, that is the launchpad. That means taking the time to know people, embracing their differences, being respectful of their downtime, listening for the things that may be barriers to participation at work, and helping them find solutions. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty results-driven and deadline-driven, but I don’t think you can get the results you want until the people are in the right mindset.”
Be empathetic and Authentic
Always remember that one becomes a leader not because of rank but trust. A seasoned leader usually puts in time and effort to know the employees, identify their strengths and weaknesses, learn about their motivation and use it for the best of the organization. A true leader is also confident, humble and accepts when things don’t work and guides team members on the right path to success.
Gregg Johnson, CEO at Invoca, says “This means showing up daily as my true self and acknowledging my expertise and limitations. It’s important as a leader to recognize certain situations and scenarios when you’re not the expert in the room and when to bring others in who know how to get the job done. This [awareness] is the best way I’ve found to build credibility and trust with our team,”
Support Other Leaders
Let other leaders know that you value their ideas and support them. Also, ask them the right questions to help them develop thoughts. This way, you can ensure that these leaders can run your organization even in your absence.
Janelle Raney, chief marketing officer at Pathlight, says “Leaders can encourage one another to take risks, point out opportunities, or make introductions to their network. It’s about helping others connect the dots and sharing your expertise.”
Conclusion
If you’ve got the leadership skills discussed above, then, congrats! Your leadership skills are leading. However, if you’re missing out on any of them, then you’re probably lagging on to the skills and must work on them as soon as possible. It’ll aid you in retaining and rearranging top talent in your organization.
