What are the top 5 personality traits of a great leader? What are the top 10 qualities of a great leader? There are so many articles that address these questions and I encourage you to read them. But this article is going to take a different angle. While it’s focused on business leadership, some of the tenets outlined are encountered in daily life. And even if you are not a business leader and have no desires to be one, we are all leaders in some form or another. Parents are leaders. Teachers are leaders. Leaders are all over, so this is an article for the masses.
Human resources are the most valuable assets the world has. They are all needed desperately.
Eleanor Roosevelt, “Tomorrow is Now”
Humans first! They are absolutely the most precious resource we have in the business world. But I don’t think they get the amount of attention that is required. Sure, there are plenty of companies that have a focus on human resources. But does every leader share the same level of focus? How about the role of HR in the company… is it primarily focused on recruitment, benefits, and pay? Is there an element of coaching, mentoring, and career counseling? Are there conversations about life in general? As a leader, do you have these conversations?
#1 Have conversations about life.
No, not personal life per se. Although that’s okay to discuss certain aspects if both parties agree and the conversation is professional. But I’m talking about everyday life. Philosophy. Soft skills. Personal improvement. Et cetera. You will be surprised at how many of these conversations lead to more effective business acumen. And a deeper connection evolves between the parties. Give it a try. I’ll give you a topic. And no, I’m not going verklempt. (Some of you may understand that joke).
In our organization and/or department, what steps can we take to understand one another better?
#2 Make time for your staff.
This seems like a no-brainer, but high priority projects and tasks have a way of getting in the way. This is especially true for the “working” managers out there. There is no such excuse as “I don’t have time.” We all do. It’s a matter of priorities. It’s very important to stress the importance of making time for your staff to your leadership. Block out your calendar for 1:1 meetings that last longer than a half hour. Talk about career aspirations, current challenges, tenet #1 above, and so on. And don’t just have the conversation. Take notes, take action, and follow up. It’s critical.
#3 Do not just solve problems that your staff are encountering.
What?! Yes, you read that right. Leaders should facilitate solving problems that their staff is encountering. A great worker will come to their leader with a problem and have one or more possible solutions in their pocket. This method should be mandatory, even in critical situations. And if their pockets are empty, give your staff members a little time to think about it. Even if it’s only 5 minutes. Tough problem? Guide them to a solution; don’t just provide it explicitly.
#4 Lead by examples of accountability and a “we” mentality.
Mistakes happen. We all make them. It is what we choose to do with mistakes that makes or breaks greatness. Let’s say a member of your team makes a minor mistake that impacts an external party. Another area manager reports the issue to you, and you confirm that a mistake was in fact committed.
Here’s what not to do:
- Spend time avoiding accountability immediately to protect yourself and your team. This is how it usually works, either one strategy or all:
- Dig through email to figure out if someone along the way may have made a decision that otherwise would have avoided the mistake.
- Point to a step in the process that could have been improved so that the risk of error would have been mitigated.
- Completely deflect the error and point out mistakes that others have made in the recent past.
- Communicate this information to the individual that originally reported the issue.
- Discuss all of the above information with the team member that made the mistake.
Results, in no order:
- Time wasted (blame effort, additional time between issue identification and resolution)
- Lower morale
- Conflict between departments (never-ending finger pointing)
- Missed learning opportunity(s)
- Likelihood of the mistake happening again
Try this instead:
- Thank the person that took the action of reporting the mistake to you. Take accountability for your team. Let them know that it will be addressed.
- Gather details and discuss with the individual who made the mistake with an emphasis on learning and mitigation.
- Discuss process improvement with the individual and assign them to lead a project that will mitigate the risk of mistakes in the future.
- Respond to the original reporter of the issue and explain the steps you took.
Results, in no order:
- Higher morale
- Learning from failure
- A better process
- Mitigation of risk of mistake in the future
- Example setting
- Improved relationship with other departments
In conclusion, be close with your staff and allow them to learn by doing, learn from you, and learn from the mistakes they make. Follow up regularly. There are many other tenets that concern human resources, but this is all for now.
Next up… Innovation!