Teams reflect the culture created by their leaders. In turn, leaders create behaviour standards, goals and a vision that should capture the interest of the team. When the two are not aligned, leadership fails, teams disengage.
While it’s easy to make general suggestions on how to prevent this from happening i.e., by showing strong support, having a positive mindset, giving useful feedback, encouraging collaboration, and creating opportunities for skill development, there may be a more practical way to ensure it. Say, through a defined checklist? Similar to a standard operating procedure, a Leadership Effectiveness Checklist, allows leaders to safeguard the company’s culture, think of the bigger picture, and get a better and more consistent sense of what’s happening within their team.
Mentoring organization Pollinate Networks, created this very list. It helps track evidence of effectiveness; virtual leadership and what to do in times of crisis.
How does this relate to you?
Are there areas here that could put you in a place where your culture is at risk? Or are there areas you could focus on now to strengthen the culture? In times of crisis, the tone, trust, timing, and tolerance leaders demonstrate, will set the precedent. Now that virtual and hybrid working options are the norm, having presence, establishing priorities at a steady pace, and having frequent check-ins are the actions that will help strengthen culture. How will you know success? Check the evidence of effectiveness by celebrating accomplishments, managing capacity, and ensuring the completion and coordination of efforts.
Becoming a leader is an honour and a privilege. They set the blueprint for others to follow. Staying connected to your team and ensuring their needs are met are important foundations for the entire company to thrive. According to a recent article by Business Insider, which cites a 2023 report by Achievers Workforce Institute that found 79% of employees would rather stay in a job where they feel appreciated, even if they were earning less. Showing that happiness on the job “comes down to a more basic human need… People want to feel [valued] for the work that they do — telling your employee a simple “well done” might be the difference between whether they stay or go.” Furthermore, a Gallup survey found that 30% of workers “received recognition or praise for doing good work” over the past week” and only 32% admitting that they felt engaged in their roles; and 52% said a top reason they left their company was because they didn’t feel valued by their leaders.
Give praise where praise is due
So, when you see someone doing a great job, tell them so. Be clear and concise about what you’re noticing in your employees. Acknowledge the effort, the quality of the work, or the unique, constructive approach that was used. Strong leaders leverage their teams and look for ways to build on strengths and utilize resources to achieve high performance. Find ways to share insights in a way that lifts others up and encourages the behaviours that are needed in the organization. Helping others grow and develop is a key leadership skill. If you notice a co-worker is struggling, you might offer to coach or mentor them, or suggest useful resources or beneficial approaches to help them uplevel their abilities. If you see a larger gap in skills or knowledge on the team, think about hosting an internal seminar or training session. Find ways to support the development of others.
We are all guilty of getting caught up in our day and forgetting a few basic principles that can make a world of difference with our team. Remember we judge ourselves on our intentions, we judge others on their actions, however, intentions are only known if they are shared and too often, this does not happen. Take the time to pause, reflect and consider how you can positively impact those around you.
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