You have been working at your present job and find that your hard work and dedication has been rewarded to a management position. Do you know what to do? Do you feel like a leader? In addition to using the knowledge, skills and abilities that led to the promotion but you need to act like a leader. Going from a follower to a leader involves adapting to changes that have you stepping outside of your current realm to a higher level of thinking and behaving. If you cannot separate yourself from the worker that you were to the leader you are now, you will have more difficulty adapting to your new role as will your new charges – your employees. If you are not believing in yourself, how will they?
In order to be successful, you will need to assess what led you to get that promotion – your leader behaviors and skills. This step will help you to recognize your worth and help increase your confidence and esteem, two qualities of effective leaders. It would also be helpful to look at other leaders traits to see how you stack up. These include:
- Good communication skills
- Effective Decision making and conflict resolution skills
- Recognizing your power and negotiation skills
- Empowering and relatedness with your employees
One of the effective traits that made Benjamin Franklin an effective leader was his people-skills – making people feel they were valued and that their ideas and opinions mattered. When employees feel they are recognized and valued by their leaders, they are more job-satisfied, more engaged and more productive. If you are a new leader, own the role and all that goes with it. It will go a long way toward your continued success.
We hear so much these days about how bad things are in the workplace. In a study done by Healthy Companies International, a management consulting firm, one-in-four workers are unhappy with their jobs finding it is only a means to making money to enhance other activities in their life. Of the workers surveyed, eleven percent reported that their jobs were “a drain on their happiness and their energy.” These feelings are attributing to widespread employee disengagement. More companies are starting to recognize the need to change these feelings in order to retain their workers and to create a culture of unity and productivity.
Creating this type of culture starts at the top. As leaders, you want to set the precedence for how you would like employees to perform in their jobs and to establish feelings that excite and unite. I have always been a believer in leading by doing, meaning that I always behave in ways that are open and direct, as well as respectful and recognizing. Leaders need to set the example for their charges in the way they think, act and behave. Listening to employees and observing their workplace behaviors and activities will help you to tune in to their wants and needs. But often employees are not sure how to act or respond to expectations demanded of them. That is why those in leadership positions need to be the example; this is not just about setting the policies but actually leading the way. It is about practicing what you preach. Get out on the floor and spend time with employees, even work with them one day a month. Survey them or have town hall meetings where they get the opportunity to express their views and offer solutions to workplace problems. Doing so will increase employee confidence, trust and loyalty. Do you practice what you preach?
Employee engagement is a hot topic in workplace news. Engagement means the degree to which employee’s are invested in their jobs and the organization. Employee engagement is down – last figures show 54% – and a lot of it is due to a lack of involvement by leadership. The downturn in the economy has led to poor treatment by employers who have had the mindset that employees should be thankful to be employed and will tolerate any directives given. This thinking has led to employee’s having feelings of high stress and mistreatment, hence the high number in disengagement.
We know that the economy is on the upswing and workers are looking for jobs again. It is predicted that there will be large numbers of workers exiting their jobs in search of organizations that will treat them more respectfully and offer more interesting work. This is the time that organizations need to practice due-diligence to refocus their practices and to find ways to retain their talent. If you are a leader, here are some tips to help you spruce up your behavior to do just that:
1. Assess your mindset – take the time to assess your thoughts and feelings about the state of your business practices and how you treat your employees; do you value them, are you open to their ideas and suggestions, do you have an “open door policy”?
2. Survey – talk to your employees to see how they are feeling about their jobs, the environment, the policies, you (as the leader); don’t be afraid to hear the truth – it might not be all bad and can give you direction on the future of your workforce
3. Take action – make the commitment to act on employee suggestions; involve them in the problem-solving process
4. Be the example – practice what you preach; employees will follow the person they feel not only talks the talk but walks the walk; leading by doing will earn employee’s respect and will empower you to make effective decisions to keep your team focused and productive
I am a firm believer that engagement is an employee’s responbility but it is the leader who sets the tone. What are you doing to spruce up your leadership behavior?
You have been working at your present job and find that your hard work and dedication has been rewarded to a management position. Do you know what to do? Do you feel like a leader? In addition to using the knowledge, skills and abilities that led to the promotion but you need to act like a leader. Going from a follower to a leader involves adapting to changes that have you stepping outside of your current realm to a higher level of thinking and behaving. If you cannot separate yourself from the worker that you were to the leader you are now, you will have more difficulty adapting to your new role as will your new charges – your employees. If you are not believing in yourself, how will they?
