Are you looking to move your business in a new direction? As a business owner, success begins and ends with you. Consider how you, the employer, can be a key part of leading your employees towards better productivity and a higher level of satisfaction - just by improving your leadership skills. But there’s a lot more to it than just patting your employees on the back every day. Leadership is a skill that must be learned and practiced to become a regular part of your workplace culture. FrankCrum’s Human Resources Director David Peasall explains just a few of the techniques you and your managers can start using right away to get your business on the road to higher achievement and fulfillment.
Leading Others Toward Productivity
David Peasall, SPHR
When you became a manager, did you think “I want to do as little as possible” - or did you want to be the type of manager known for great leadership…one who influences their team toward excellence and increased productivity? We’d like to think you’ve chosen the latter. Getting there can be easier with the practice of just a few key skills.
Managing can be defined as accomplishing work through others. It has five major components: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Leading, and Controlling. Leading can produce the most significant increase in a group’s level of productivity because it’s the only component that encourages the inherent desire for excellence.
Think of yourself as the captain of a ship. A manager can choose to either maintain the ship’s current course that may not be going in the right direction. Or –a manager can take their ship on a much more productive journey by:
Managers can best lead their employees toward excellence by practicing some key characteristics. The following traits foster professional development, accountability and respect for everyone in the workplace.
Great Leaders:
Consider some of your favorite leaders. What stands out about them that made them so great? Think about this… no employee ever says, “Gee, he was a really great manager because he encouraged me to do nothing but sit down and work”, or, “Wow, she really motivated me by letting me know that recent miscommunication was all my fault”. Poor leadership is a grind on the team and discourages an individual’s resolve, however great leadership seeks to ignite the high performer’s level of determination. This will result in a high level of effectiveness and efficiency (the right things done right). As an employer, you seek to hire high performing individuals who have the desire to matter – therefore employers must remember to lead this talent in a way that fulfills their desire to play a significant role in the continuing drive for productivity and excellence.