You expect your leaders to step up and lead by example. They’re the ones who should encourage the wider workforce to be as productive as possible. Often, when your business falters, it’s down to a decline in leadership. People aren’t stepping up and taking control, which has a trickle-down effect throughout your organization.
How do you get more from your leaders when you need them the most? It’s too easy for people to enter a leadership role and get complacent. They don’t think they have to do anything as they’ve got a team beneath them to do all the work. You must eradicate this mindset and encourage those in leadership roles to do more for your company. Here are some ideas on how to do that:
Offer Leadership Workshops
Begin by giving leaders ways to enhance their skills. Think about what makes a great leader; they should inspire others and help the people they’re in charge of reaching their potential. Offering things like coaching skills training can be a big benefit here. It teaches your leaders to be better coaches, which in turn helps them get more from the people they lead. Even general leadership workshops are a good idea – regular training will hone their skills and encourage them to do more.
Highlight Their Good Work
It’s easy to forget that leaders are employees. They may hold big roles, but that doesn’t mean they are immune from the regular wants and needs of your workforce. Sometimes, leaders stop performing at their best because they don’t feel appreciated or recognized. Highlighting their good work is a simple way to avoid this. Let them know they’re doing a good job and they’ll stand a bit taller. Again, this has a trickle-down effect throughout the organization – only this time it’s a positive one!
Encourage A Feedback-Rich Environment
You can’t leave your leaders out to dry. There must be constant communication between you and them, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Otherwise, your business stagnates or can move in the wrong direction as goals aren’t aligned. Create a feedback-rich environment where leaders are encouraged to talk about positives and negatives. Hear what they have to say and think about where you can improve. It works both ways; give them feedback so they get better at their roles.
Set The Tone
If you want your leaders to lead by example, then there’s a potential solution staring you right in the face.
YOU need to set the tone and lead by example as well! Let them see the work you put in as a leader and they’ll draw from this. It gives them motivation to follow in your footsteps and you start getting a lot more out of them.
Why do you need to get the most from your leaders? Because they’re in charge of your workforce, and most of your employees turn to them for help or guidance. If your leaders don’t care, nobody else will. Use the tips above to encourage more performance and commitment from your leaders, creating a better business environment for all.
I live in a small Georgia town that you most likely have never heard of and I LOVE it! My house is more than full as I am a single mother of four & caregiver to my aging mother and uncle. Lover of all things Outlander. Goes to the beat of her own drum woman.
Kim Henrichs says
Highlighting the good work is really so important. It’s easy for those working under a director to focus on negatives – when it’s truly not easy to be a leader. Everyone equally needs positive affirmation!
Audrey Stewart says
We have a great leader that has organized all the cat colonies and schedules for feeding them.
Elizabeth says
Good communication is so important; my boss isn’t great at that and it drives me crazy.