Don't Get Caught Flying Blind
December 11, 2006
If your leaders aren't engaged in the business, then it's likely their team members are not engaged either. That's like having pilots in a cockpit flying blind.
The demands of today's leaders are high and intense with layers of complexity. In fact, most of your leaders are probably technically competent, but they lack experience and the effectiveness that make them truly good leaders who can keep their employees happy and consistently engaged in the core values and goals of the organization. Engagement equals productivity. So how do you keep your leaders flying with their eyes wide open?
Essential Skills of Leadership
Greater impact on the rules of engagement in your organization can be realized every day by your leaders' ability to do these three things:
- Maintain and enhance team members' self-esteem while dealing with everyday issues.
- Base discussions about performance and work habits on behavior not personalities and attitudes.
- Involve team members in general problem solving and decision making.
Everyone is Flying in the Same Direction
These skills are so important. People need to know where they are headed on a regular basis. Not just once a year or once a quarter. Each employee needs a daily dose of involvement with their manager. Informal conversation about what's going in the department and the work each employee is doing is very effective in keeping the all of the team flying in the same direction.
Joe is a supervisor for a local bottling plant. He manages a work team of ten people. Prior to receiving training on leadership skills, he spent most of the day in his office looking out the big glass window into the shop. Before, he always felt like if there were a problem, someone would let him know. Besides, they covered everything at the monthly meetings. Yet, productivity in his area was not what he would like it to be, and his own manager was beginning to wonder why.
After training, he began sharing more information with his team members on a regular basis. He was on the floor more and began to talk with the team about the quality and quantity of their work each day. After a couple of weeks the team members began opening up about issues or ideas they had for improving productivity on the line. After a couple of months the entire team was engaged together in improving the productivity and quality of their output. Joe's team was on track and headed to the top. They are now flying high and proud of it.
Keeping Them on the Team
Studies show that when employees feel good about what they are doing and they are on the same page with their boss, they tend to want to stay with the organization. Joe didn't realize it at the time, but the frequent interaction and information exchanges with his team built up the existing relationships he had with them. When challenges came, the team members were better able to handle things and trust grew within the group.
As a result, the team consistently experienced fewer turnovers. In today's tight labor market that's a benefit not only for the team but the entire company because productivity doesn't falter.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 76 million baby boomers will be eligible for retirement by 2011. So, keeping great leaders and skilled employees is essential as the labor pool continues to shrink.
So if you think leadership doesn't matter that much, think again. Over the next 50 years, the U.S. labor force is projected to grow at about one-third of its current rate. Good leaders with these essential skills will keep your great workers engaged and productive.
By getting your leaders the training they need and practicing these essential skills right away, you can keep them from blindly blocking productivity and driving employees away.
Quote for the Week
"The great leaders are like the best conductors - they reach beyond the notes to reach the magic in the players." – Blaine Lee
Sources:
Bell, Antony B. (November, 2006), Avoiding the Leadership Tailspin, Training + Development.
Lee, Christoper L. (November, 2006), Feedback, Not Appraisal. HR Magazine.
Shankman, Pam. (November, 2006), The Ins and Outs of Global Sourcing, Training + Development.
Vital Learning Corporation, (2006).