Being an engaging leader
Being an engaged leader means understanding your employees’ needs, being aware of their feelings and thoughts, and trusting in them. Trust is a two-way street; not only do you need to trust them, but they need to trust in you too! The best way to build trust is to show genuine concern about their wellbeing. You also need to be consistent and maintain your commitment over time.
Why is it important?
Employees who have an engaged leader engage themselves. And it doesn’t stop there, the employees feel better, enjoy their workplace and deliver better results. Research has also shown that leaders who engage in teamwork create engaged teams. The teams become better at communicating, delivering and enjoy collaborating to a greater extent.
4 things you can do
1. Ask employees questions and listen to them.
Take the time to talk to each employee and listen carefully to what they have to say. It can be structured during a One-on-one or spontaneous when you stop by and say hello. Remember not to ask questions about how someone is doing or how things are going if you don’t have time to listen to the answer.
2. Learn to make your people feel great about themselves and their work.
You can do this by showing that you have confidence that tasks will be done and by giving specific feedback to the employee.
3. Keep a positive, optimistic outlook.
You are a role model and if you want happy, positive employees, you have to show the way. Sure, it’s ok to have a bad day or talk about things that aren’t so positive, but try to end on a positive note.
4. Learn to be more attentive with your team.
As a leader, you need to spend time on each individual employee, but you also need to make sure they work well as a team. You will of course receive information from the individuals during conversations, but it is important that you spend time with them as a team to get your own picture of how the collaboration works. Be sure to attend team meetings regularly to show the team that it’s important to you.
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