3 Habits of Successful Leaders During The Great Resignation
The Great Resignation…everyone is talking about it…it’s like a dark shadow hiding behind the corner of every organization. On top of that, we are navigating this remote/hybrid/in office landscape, have teams of people to manage and deadlines to meet.
It feels like a lot to navigate, and as a consultant immersed in many different organizations throughout the country, I can tell you the struggle is real. Over and over again, a common question I receive is:
As leaders, how do we balance making our employees happy AND hold them accountable in this hybrid environment and dare I say, volatile market?
With the threat of star employees leaving or being poached for brighter horizons elsewhere, organizations and leaders are raising the bar providing new benefits, and perks to keep their employees happy, and engaged. On the flip side, there is a fear of holding employees accountable because leaders don’t want to seem like they are micromanaging, and they don’t want to be left without a resource. It is quite the predicament.
Seeing this trend across the country and organizations, I wanted to share the habits of highly successful leaders I’ve collaborated with to help keep your team happy and accountable. I admit it’s simple, but it’s not always easy.
They understand one size does not fit all – We are all unique in our communication styles and outlook on life, so unless you understand how to best communicate with your employee, it’s going to make it a lot harder to effectively lead them. Tools like the DiSC behavior assessment can help you understand how to work with them in a way that yields a better relationship and results. It doesn’t mean you have to change who you are to accommodate your employee; it just gives you a tool to approach them in a much more effective way.
They have built trust – No matter how good your communication is as a leader, if you have not built trust, your employees won’t be open and honest with you about where they need support, or any challenges they might be facing. Creating a culture of trust starts with you, and your ability to be open and vulnerable with your employees and team which takes time and consistency. The goal is to create a climate of authenticity, empathy and seek to understand one another to lay the foundation of trust.
They have clear expectations – Now that you know how communicate with your team, and are on the journey of building trust, the third common habit of great leaders is creating clear expectations. You hire smart people because you can’t do everything and want them to use their brains to problem solve and think of things you wouldn’t. Working with your employees to outline expectations and deliverables, especially in this remote environment, ensures a level of accountability because you’re on the same page about timing and deliverables. Focusing on the results, and giving your employees the freedom to figure out the “how” to get it done (because you have great communication and trust one another…right?) will build even more trust and yield amazing results! Also, establishing clear expectations from the get go will make it a lot easier to hold your employees accountable should there be bumps along the road.
In order to successfully implement these habits, what I’ve found to be the most important quality of these great leaders, is they are self-aware. Knowing yourself, including your strengths and weaknesses and how people perceive you is like having a winning lottery ticket. Relationship and trust building can be complex because people are dynamic, but understanding yourself, and working to develop yourself is the key!
Do any of these resonate with you? Do you have other tactics to keep your employees happy AND engaged?