Great leaders create a work environment that garners trust, facilitates inclusion, sparks innovation and engages employees. They do this by being fair and objective, allowing their employees a voice in the process, connecting employees to a purpose, providing professional development and career opportunities, and appreciating, recognizing and rewarding employees.
I have worked for a few leaders who have had these skills. They believed in me, gave me opportunities, and helped me to learn and grow. It was their coaching, guidance and support that enabled me to establish a successful career that over twenty-five years allowed me to advance from an entry level associate position to becoming a vice president at a FORTUNE 200 company. These leaders challenged me to do more than I thought I could, counseled me when I went astray, held me accountable for results and when I delivered, rewarded me with more opportunities.
But for every great leader, there are dozens who don’t make the cut. These are the leaders that hinder employee engagement, cause low morale and drive employee turnover.
If your company is experiencing high employee turnover, has low employee engagement or lacks energy and passion, it may be a clear sign that you need to gear up your leadership development. Unless your company has an ongoing leadership development program that provides training and coaching, chances are your leaders are out of touch with today’s workforce needs. Developing trust, connecting employees to a purpose, providing professional development opportunities and recognizing and rewarding employees are leadership “must haves” in today’s workplace. Get it right and your company will flourish. After all, leadership matters.
photo credit: business2community.com