Leader: Our actions leave an impact on people around us. While in personal life, it may not affect as many people, when you are leading people at work, it becomes essential for you to take every step carefully. Why? Because you are who they follow, listen to and look upto. The way in which you act and speak has an influence over them. For them, you are the face of the company they work for and thus the success of the company is tied to what you say and do as a leader. It really shapes how productive and inclined towards achievement of company goals would the employees be. In short, the engagement, performance is in your hands.
To help you in becoming a catalyst of growth at your company, in this write up, we will share with you 5 habits that can be developed easily. We will also talk about the ways in which technology like HRMS software can help you.
- Lead with empathy-
Always listen, never assume, be present in person. It’s about crafting an experience with employee needs in mind. Till the time you don’t show employees that the company is invested in supporting them there will always be higher attrition rate and low engagement levels. When it’s the other way round, they will perform at their very best - Embrace change
First step is to get employees involved and encourage experimentation. You will see a higher turnover if you continue to act all traditional. Be the visible proponent of changing the world of work, adopt new technology to show constant improvement and forward thinking to new and existing talent hooked! The way to lead is this changing work world is to keep transforming and evolving into what’s desired. It’s nothing but the idea of continuous transformation that presents you as an innovative company in front of the world, so never fear change, embrace it! - Act as a mentor
It is important to think of the long term plan, that’s how you become an effective leader. You or anyone else in the team won’t lead forever, so try to anticipate the mentoring potential replacements. Some HRMS software come with a feature to see emerging leaders, use that. This would show how invested you are in their future and growth, ultimately helping you in retaining institutional knowledge and best people. So, it is essential for you to identify the skills, make professional development a priority and find ways like cross generational mentoring for people in your team. Performance management and training module in HRMS can contribute immensely in executing this agenda. - Celebrate different views
Following directions given by a leader is not always the sign of a best company. The best ones must always make their employees comfortable enough to speak up and share their ideas and concerns. The best way to develop this habit to celebrate different views is to invite second opinions, get an open communication policy implemented and then also not taking anything personally. Remember, business is built by people who care, who are okay with a disagreement, solve the conflict and get facts. If two people are agreeing in whatever is being discussed, there are no perspectives added or objections raised then one of them is highly unnecessary! - Encourage age-diverse hires
Leaving assumption at door and promoting cross-generational bonding can be helpful. Not doing so can make some employees feel undervalued and push them to look for an employer that won’t. To be one strong leader, you must value what every generation brings to the table and how they can be harnessed for the collective good of the company and its people. Remember multigenerational workforce makes a company more successful!
Let us know in the comments section if you would like to add anything in this and one habit that you will start developing first out of all these. Do keep using technology like HRMS software as and when required to facilitate the cultivation of these habits and changes in the company.