Becoming an Exceptional Leader: Steps to Investing in and Engaging Your Team
What would the people who work for or report to you, say about you as a leader?
When I ask people this question, invariably their responses are very positive. Responses like:
“They think I’m great.”
“I have an open-door policy.”
“I’m always available if anything comes up.”
“We hang out after work, all the time.”
What do those even mean? When we take on a role as a leader, we accept responsibility for the growth and development of our people and foster a healthy and inclusive culture. Leadership means investing in and engaging with your team. So, what does that look like?
Investing in your team:
The goal is to advance others, not just yourself. Ask and listen to the people on your team. What are their aspirations and how can you encourage and support it?
Are you adding value to your team? Leaders who are dedicated to adding value to their people build a level of respect and trust in others.
Are you involving your people in the solutions? Benjamin Franklin says it best – “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” It’s easy to just make a decision or do something yourself because it’s faster. Great leaders involve their people and strive to advance their skills.
Engaging your team:
Talk less, listen, and ask more questions. Strategy and planning won’t matter if your team is disengaged. Engage your team by talking less and asking more questions. Great leaders understand that they should be listening 70% of the time and talking 30%. When you’re listening – put the cell phone down! Better yet, don’t even have it handy.
Recognition. People want to be recognized for their contributions. This goes deeper than saying “good job.” Personalize it so they know you fully understand what they contributed. “Jack, the planning report you created was exactly what we needed. It made all the difference.”
Follow up and follow through. One of the quickest ways to lose credibility with your team is to not follow up or follow through with what you say. If you tell your team you’ll look into something…, do it! As soon as humanly possible, get back to them. The time that elapses between your commitment (“I’ll look into it”) and your response – speaks volumes about how much value you put on their needs. If there will be a delay in getting the answers – tell them. Set a reminder to get the information and circle back to close the loop.