Aug 24 2021

What is effective leadership?

Effective leadership is about spending time with your team, nurturing and developing them to be the best version of themselves. 

Just like a coach for a sports team, who reviews performance after each game and addresses areas of development, celebrates the wins, as business leaders we need to consistently coach & guide our teams. 

Tip: the notion of areas of development is an important theme in leadership. Try to focus on improvement over failure or other negative labels.

Time 

Whilst most leaders are time poor, how do we know if we are truly spending the time required and listening to their ideas, plans & challenges. Slowing down and taking time to just be with your team is critical to leadership, and important not to rush the process; this is a marathon, not a sprint. And, I promise you if you invest time with your team, it will pay off. Time spent now will give you time back later.

Here are our 5 top tips on how to spend valuable time with your team:

1.    30-min huddles first up
We love team huddles first thing in the day, as they set the scene for the day ahead. It gives you the opportunity to motivate, and guide your team to hear their ideas.

2.    The 5-min check-in

After your huddle, spend 5-minutes checking in with your team one on one to make sure they are on track for the day ahead, and clear any roadblocks they may have. Please be present, don’t do this to tick a box. The point is to ensure they feel valued.

3.    Observe your team

Observations are critical to successful leadership. Listen to how they engage with others, their language, body language, and client interactions. You will be amazed at what you see when you really look.

4.    Bite-size your feedback

People love feedback, they want to improve as long it is delivered respectfully with the view of developing them. Working on a development plan and focusing on one thing at a time, or providing one solution is the key to ensuring we set our team up for success. It’s also important to ensure we are investing in the team. Praise is one element, however, it needs to include development suggestions. If those conversations fall short, the receiver won’t feel the discussions are meaningful. When you provide critically, or no feedback people generally give up and disengage.

5.    Wrap it up

Time permitting, you may opt to do a wrap-up session with the team in the afternoon, or at the end of the week. Doing a quick run around as a group to celebrate wins and congratulate them on great work will send your team home to their families happy and feeling valued. It’s also a great opportunity for you to share things that you are working on to inspire them.

Development

Most people want to invest their energy and efforts in a company when they know there is potential growth, or a career investment plan; further education. Employees want to know what the future holds for their ‘now’ careers. 

What we have noticed is that most people are looking for a growth path quicker than some companies can facilitate, which can sometimes lead to people looking elsewhere. 

We don’t believe this is limited to a singular company, as in discussions with other clients they are stating the same or similar. This needs to be considered.

Flexibility

We are starting to see people wanting flexibility, especially in these unpredictable times. Flexible work schedules offered are a huge advantage to both parties when executed properly. While this is limited for certain sectors, exploring different ideas can result in positive outcomes for the business and employees.

Consistency and habits

Consistency is the key and taking time to tell our team what you value about their contributions. Building regular routines and spending time with the team individually or as a group at the end of a busy day to say thank you is an important part. 

Celebrating the win has helped strengthen team culture.

How can Umana help?

We understand leaders are super busy, this is where we can help. Umana Group offers a host of different programs including our CARE Program:

Connect with individuals

Address any issues or concerns

Reset their motivation

Explore new ways working together 

The Umana CARE Program will give leaders time back allowing us to do a deep dive into your staff engagement, provide positive outcomes, and areas of improvement.