Assuming you’re in a leadership role in your life—what type of leader are you? Would you want to work for or follow someone like you?
Aligning with who you are today as a leader and who you want to be, if a gap exists, is an essential and necessary step. Here are some ideas to get you going.
The following piece includes excerpts from my #1 bestselling book, Fearless Women at Work: Five Powerful Strategies to Thrive in Your Career and Life!
Mentor & Sponsor Others
I’ve discussed in previous articles the importance of leaning on mentors and sponsors. What about you, are you mentoring or sponsoring others within or outside the company?
There are always people coming up behind you—people starting at the firm, a team member, a direct report. In the same way that you have benefited from the support of a mentor or sponsor, these people would benefit from your support.
Develop Your Team
When it comes to developing your team members, (the people who work for you), how would you rate yourself? Are you doing a great job or barely getting by?
Many companies don’t have a structured developmental program in place. Performance review processes can be haphazard, and some managers do it because they have to—they don’t see the value it provides to the recipient, the employee. And to help these employees develop:
Are you giving employees constructive feedback throughout the year?
Are you helping them expand their skills, providing in-house or external training as needed?
Do you ask them what they want, how things are working for them, what they want to achieve?
I’m a firm believer that employees don’t engage when they don’t feel taken care of by their leadership team, (therefore the company).
As leaders, our companies and we have a lot to gain by showing our employees that we care about them, that we care about their success along with caring about the success of the company.
The obvious benefit of connecting with employees in this manner is higher employee engagement and all related benefits—engaged employees are involved, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and results.
According to Gallup’s State of the American Workforce 2017 report, engaged employees are more likely to stay with their organizations, lowering overall turnover and associated costs. They are more effective brand ambassadors, as they feel a stronger bond to their organization’s mission and purpose. They also help increase sales and profitability by building stronger relationships with customers.
By Dr Ginny Baro