Enhanced Leadership = Extraordinary Employee Experiences
You’ve probably heard the saying, “You’re only as strong as your weakest link.” This relates strongly to the correlation between good leaders and happy employees.
The relationship between your leaders and their team is particularly important. Why? Because happy employees get more done.
On average, happy employees are 20% more productive than employees who are disgruntled or disengaged from their work. So, it makes sense to invest in your leaders and to help them be not only good — but GREAT!
What makes a happy employee? Think about this in relation to parenting. Children like structure. Children need guidance. Children want to know what you expect. Children want to make you happy. Children thrive on praise. Children want to be listened to and heard. Children learn by being allowed to make mistakes. Children want to feel cared for. Children want clarity (are we there yet?) Children like variety (they get bored). Children need to feel safe. Children want to feel valued and loved.
As you look at what children want from being a parent or from when you were a child, what is there for you? Set aside what you got as a child. Think about what you wanted as a child. What is the correlation you can see to being a leader? Bottom line, what we know is there are basic things that employees want from their leader.
There are lots of things a job or company might offer to keep employees happy — health care benefits, vacation plans, great compensation, parental leave, flex time, retirement plans, and other innovative offerings (i.e. pet insurance, legal support, mental health support).
Related to happy employees, in a recent poll of 10,000 workers only 51% reported they were happy in their current workplace. BUT in that same poll, nearly 80% reported that when they were given a chance to obtain significant personal growth, they were extremely happy in their current role. Look at a recent Gallup data about what is really important to employees today and for the future.
Additionally, employees feel more connected, engaged, and happy when they have a voice in the culture and feel valued for their contributions. Check out this recent 2020 report from Glassdoor.
And this fact points to your managers and leaders…managing and leading people is the single most significant role in an organization. As a leader, not only are you responsible for yourself, your deliverables, your development, you are also responsible for the lives of other human beings.
Remember, too, YOU’RE the team leader’s leader. Great leadership comes from within and is based on the leader’s core values and principles. When it does, the right behavior is modeled, the right conversations are engaged in, the right questions are asked, the right coaching is provided and when needed, a great leader is accountable and humble when they make mistakes.
As a manager or leader, do you have the confidence and competence to do what it takes? If not, what development or growth do you want to invest in for yourself?
If you’d like to have a conversation regarding your own leadership or leadership in your organization, I would be happy to engage with you in a free 60-minute discussion.
Bottom-line, I want to help you enhance your (team/organization) leadership so your employees have extraordinary experiences. Your employees are the ones who make a difference in the organization.