A leader is someone who we look to as an example, someone whose actions we follow and habits we assume. But what if that person isn’t a good leader, someone who makes bad or poorly thought out decisions without thinking about the impact that they have on the company?
This isn’t someone who you would want to follow or who you would want to lead your team, is it? And yet, this could be your situation. According to the ADP 4 in 10 UK employees are unhappy with the current quality of their work leadership – in fact 15% don’t have any faith in the quality of their leaders.
A lack of strong leadership inevitably leads to misalignment, conflict, disconnect and miscommunication within your team. As wires are crossed productivity is lost, with teams not working together or feeling motivated to complete tasks. This leads to a lack of morale within the workforce, with a negative knock on effect to Climate creating a damaging Culture, which in turn hinders the productivity and success of your organisation.
According to Qualtrics, workers with high confidence in their senior leaders are five times more likely to stay at their company for more than 2 years than those who have no confidence. So, what can you do to better the leadership within your organisation?
- Relax the reins
The organisations that succeed are those which don’t control and micromanage their employees but let them develop and grow from their experiences. By allowing your teams room to breathe and demonstrating that you trust in their abilities, innovative and thoughtful ideas will form. But more importantly, your employees will remain loyal to you, Bupa research found that nearly a quarter of UK employees (24%) have left their company due to issues around trust.
2. Let your employees see the big picture
Your staff don’t turn up every day to put money in your pocket and ask no questions. They want to see the bigger picture and know what is in store for the organisation – and their futures in turn. Celebrate successes with them, especially as they have more than likely played a hand in the success. Only 42% of employees say their direct manager causes them to focus outside themselves and make them part of something bigger.
3. Be open to change
In increasingly crowded market places innovation is key. If one of your employees comes to you with an idea that differs from your usual offering, bear it in mind – it could be the idea that pushes you to the next level. Thank your employees and show them that their input is valued – the National Employee Research Survey found that over 90% of employees feel employee recognition is important at work.
4. Don’t scapegoat your employees
Mistakes happen, but how? Instead of pointing fingers and getting frustrated a good leader will look into the problem at hand and assess how they could have guided the situation better. By demonstrating a willingness to accept some of the responsibility, a leader proves that they are worthy of their team’s trust and respect – 43% of UK line managers rate their own managers as ineffective.
Leaders aren’t just born brilliant, it takes time and training to develop a fantastic leader for your team to follow. It can be difficult to know exactly where your leader and team may have gaps, but this information is vital for development, so it is well worth investing in a survey to gain this information.
Get in touch today to find out more about the PCS survey and how it can help you: email info@performanceclimatesystem. Or visit our website for more information: https://www.performanceclimatesystem.com/.