Lolly Daskal's Blog, page 62
February 4, 2021
How to Gain Credibility with your Employees
Do you ever wonder what makes a leader credible? Credibility isn’t something you’re born with but a trait that’s built through hard work and long-term effort. A leader needs credibility to achieve the level of respect and loyalty they need to be effective. To make sure you’re on track to reach that goal, consider the following points:
Give respect to earn respect. Credible leaders understand the importance of treating people with respect—not because they expect it but because they deserve it. And when you give respect to others, they’re inclined to return it to you. Titles can be granted and positions are given, but respect is something you earn—and it’s one of the most significant elements of credibility.
Show consistency in your behavior. People respond well to consistency. Unpredictable leaders, on the other hand, are disturbing and disruptive. In an uncertain world, people understandably like things they can depend on. If your employees know they can count on you, you’ll be seen as a credible leader. It’s as simple as that.
Be true to yourself and others. There’s a surprising amount of power in being authentic and genuine. Leaders earn credibility and trust when they’re sincere about who they are and demonstrate that they’re willing to stand up for their values.
Communicate with transparency. It’s important to always be straight with people and to communicate with candor and a spirit of honesty. You don’t want people to hear or read your words and immediately wonder what you really meant. Honesty and openness go a long way in establishing and keeping credibility.
Extend trust to receive trust. Like respect, trust is best earned by being freely given. Credible leaders are quick to share trust, and in return they are trusted to lead.
Tell the truth. Credible leaders follow the voice of their personal integrity. They never fudge the truth to get out of a difficult situation or gain the upper hand in a negotiation. They don’t play games or hide unpleasant details to make themselves look good. Their word is as good as the truth.
Assume responsibility. Hold yourself fully accountable for your decisions and actions. When you make a mistake, own up to it and take the necessary steps to correct the wrong. Model unwavering integrity in every situation, and in turn you’ll receive not only credibility but also admiration.
At the bottom line, your credibility as a leader plays a huge role in determining whether people want to follow you or not, whether they respect you or not, and whether they’ll be loyal or not. It’s one of the greatest assets you can give yourself, with a value that extends beyond employees to influence customers, investors, your peers, and your community.
Lead from within: It’s easy to become a leader but difficult to become a credible one. It takes years of determined effort and doing the right thing to earn a high level of credibility, but the benefits are worth the effort.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post How to Gain Credibility with your Employees appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
February 2, 2021
How to Build a Relationship with a Leader You Admire
One of the most important ways you can grow in your leadership is by building a relationship with a leader you admire. An experienced leader can provide you with insightful feedback, intelligent advice and a different perspective. The value of such a relationship can be priceless—but how do you get started? Here are some steps you can take:.
Be willing to take the first step. It’s easy to think about how good something could be, but the only way to turn a dream into achievement is to make a plan and take action. Start by drawing up a list of leaders you admire who might be good candidates for a relationship.
Test your own assumptions. If you have someone in mind, don’t assume that they’re too important or too busy or too distracted to be interested. Most top leaders are committed to using what they’ve learned to help others, and you never know what’s possible until you try.
Make your request: Once you’ve decided which leader you want to approach, find a way to reach out to them—in person if possible, or by email or phone or letter. You don’t have to treat it as a formal request, but be clear about what you’re asking—especially if you don’t know the person well.
Speak from the heart. I’m a big believer in the principle that it’s not so much what you say but how you say it that matters most. If you speak from the heart, it’s likely to be appreciated. Let them know why you admire and respect them.
Combine vulnerability and confidence. Make sure your request and early communications don’t sound either too needy or overly confident. Let the person know that you’re eager to learn and want to improve.
Be gracious. If the person says yes, thank them warmly and follow up with a handwritten thank-you note. Schedule your first meeting promptly to get the momentum going. Keep your tone both enthusiastic and professional.
Treat rejection as a lesson too. If you get rejected don’t take it personally. If you have a chance, ask why they chose not to accept. The answer may help you improve your next attempt, or it may be just a question of overcommitment or bad timing. Whatever the response, know that you were courageous enough to ask. Be proud of yourself and find someone else to ask.
Make it a two-way relationship. As you work with the other person, keep your desire to learn and grow at the forefront to make good use of your time together. At the same time, look for ways you can benefit them—there may be times when your own perspective or background will be helpful.
Lead from within: Learning how to build a relationship with someone you admire is a skill that is both worthy and meaningful. This type of connection is a valuable investment, so treat it with care.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E RThe Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post How to Build a Relationship with a Leader You Admire appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
What Happens When a Leader Stops Communicating
He was a great businessman, but stubborn. As his coach, I was recommending that he be more transparent within his organization, but he kept insisting that his people didn’t need communication—they just needed to do their work. After some back and forth, he said in exasperation, “Maybe I’ll just stop communicating altogether!”
I told him it was the worst idea he’d ever had.
A lack of communication from leadership has the potential to harm teams, businesses, workplace dynamics, and the processes that keep everything moving. An uncommunicative leader often causes serious organizational problems. Some of the most common:
A dysfunctional culture. Ineffective communication leads to employee frustration, which in turn breeds distrust and confusion. As those problems spread, loyalty and commitment to the organization decline. Unhappy employees are the top symptom of a dysfunctional culture.
A lack of respect. Respect grows out of relationships, and relationships are built on communication. Communication allows for opportunities to share ideas and perspectives; it builds mutual understanding and trust—all elements of the respect that effective workplaces require. Without communication, there is nowhere for respect to take root. And without an atmosphere of respect, it’s difficult for any organization to function effectively.
Decreased performance. Employees need to know what’s required of them, what success looks like, what issues may be causing trouble, and how they’re doing. Without reliable access to information and resources, they can’t effectively perform their jobs. The resulting frustration leads to a decrease in morale and motivation, causing productivity to drop even further. And every drop in performance carries a cost in reputation and success.
I stated all these points to my client. As I said, he’s a stubborn man—but he’s smart about business, and the last thing he wanted was for his organization to lose its reputation and success. He began to understand how necessary communication was to reaching his goals for the company, and he saw that providing employees with effective communication could boost performance and help his business run more efficiently.
Leaders sometimes think the more they withhold the more power they hold. But I believe the opposite is true—the more you communicate, the more power it gives you.
Poor communication between you and your employees, on the other hand, can have serious long-term consequences for your organization. It can also keep you from reaching your full potential as a leader, alienate those around you, and have a negative impact on the performance and results your leadership is judged by.
If you want to lead, it’s vital that you cultivate your communication skills and spend significant daily time and effort on communication with your team.
Lead from within: Making communication a focal point of your leadership can lead to successes within your business and boost productivity and profits.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post What Happens When a Leader Stops Communicating appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
January 28, 2021
How Do You Know Whether You Have True Leadership Skills?
Ask any group of leaders about the most important leadership skills, and much of the discussion will focus on capabilities like strategic planning and budgeting. In my work as a coach to leaders around the world, I see the importance of these areas—but I also see that a leader’s humanity is the source of their most essential skills. With that in mind, ask yourself how you rate in these specific areas:
Vulnerability. Great leadership requires that you be confident in your vulnerability. That means being able to express your emotions and connect with others on a human level. When leaders are comfortable with showing what they’re feeling, they exhibit true strength—and they encourage others to be open as well.
Empathy. To be a great leader, you need the ability to place yourself in someone else’s shoes by suspending judgment and concentrating on their perspective. Empathy lets you think through decisions from multiple perspectives, but its main power is in establishing trust and building relationships.
Patience. People often associate strong leadership with fast, decisive action. And certainly there’s a place for that, but patience—with oneself, with others, and with situations that are outside your control—will keep you calm and protect you from decisions made in haste.
Listening. Many people aren’t even aware of the difference between hearing and listening. But knowing how to listen with focus and without interrupting, and how to think before you reply, is the secret weapon of the best communicators. It takes attention and practice, but it’s a skill anyone can learn.
Trust. The best leaders work consistently on trust: earning it, keeping it, and according it to others. Trust is by necessity a two-way street. It means getting to know people, understanding them and showing them the same respect that you would like to receive. Being known as someone who values trust will strengthen your leadership in countless ways.
Honesty. Speaking the truth is often difficult, but it’s the foundation of any form of personal integrity. People may not like what you’re telling them, but they’ll appreciate your truthfulness. Honesty is how leaders maintain a positive reputation even in challenging times.
Supportiveness. Support can take many forms: Sometimes it’s an encouraging word. At other times it means seeing that someone is moving off track and helping them make the adjustments they need. You can also express support by applauding a strong effort that didn’t work out, making sure people have everything they need to do great work, or providing assistance to help people reach their goals. Supportiveness goes beyond praise to show you genuinely value those you lead.
Lots of skills contribute to great leadership, but it’s a leader’s human factors that build great connection, foster trust and respect, and at the end of the day get things done.
Lead from within: The humanity of your leadership, and how it makes people feel, will largely determine their loyalty and contribution.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post How Do You Know Whether You Have True Leadership Skills? appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
January 21, 2021
How To Become A More Empathetic Leader In Difficult Times
In difficult times it’s easy for people to fall victim to their anxieties and fears, a natural response to an extended period of stress and uncertainty. What that means in the workplace is that more than ever before we need leaders who are empathetic—who have the ability to be compassionate and sympathetic, who can step into someone else’s shoes, who can understand and act on the needs of others. When people feel seen, heard, and understood, leadership is at its best, and empathy is what makes that happen.
Here are some of the top traits of empathetic leaders. As you read through, ask yourself how many you can claim and where you could be doing more.
Empathetic leaders listen attentively. Listening is one of the most important skills of great leaders. Too often when others are speaking we only half-listen as we judge, think of what we’re going to say in response, or interrupt. The solution to these bad habits—which can become even worse when anxiety and stress are at high levels—is the practice of empathy. Tune in with your full attention and listen to understand.
Empathetic leaders embody compassion—toward themselves and others. You can’t give what you don’t have, and you can’t serve others unless you first care for yourself. The practice of self-compassion—that is, treating yourself as you would treat someone you care about—is a necessary component of empathy.
Empathetic leaders stay connected. Building and maintaining connection is key in any relationship, in the workplace or in your personal life, and connection requires intentionality and effort. One of your top priorities as an empathetic leader in a time of crisis is to show that you care, and connection provides the way for you to make that happen.
Empathetic leaders communicate frequently. As a leader it is important to communicate what you know, candidly and clearly, as early as you can. Even if nothing is changing, staying in touch builds trust and credibility. In the absence of credible communication, damaging rumors quickly take root.
Empathetic leaders show appreciation. Whether it’s a small word of affirmation, saying “thank you” to someone for a job well done, or an announcement or email acknowledging a strong group effort, the time you spend recognizing and showing appreciation to your people is always well spent. Remember to acknowledge and praise not only results but also effort. Especially in times of insecurity, appreciation helps people feel validated and valued.
Empathy means first sharing an understanding of someone else’s experiences and then responding with compassion and caring. Empathy brings us together as human beings. And especially in times of crisis, it’s among the most important attributes you can bring to your practice of leadership.
Lead from within: Empathy is important in business and every other area of life; it helps you see with the eyes of another, listen with ears of another and feel with the heart of another.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post How To Become A More Empathetic Leader In Difficult Times appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
January 19, 2021
The Leadership Quality That Will Help You Get Comfortable With Crisis
In times of crisis, one of the most important roles of leadership is setting an example that shows others how to respond. In uncertain times people look up for guidance—they watch those in charge to see how to manage their anxiety and stay focused and motivated.
The secret to leading in such situations is staying mindful. Act in the awareness that you’re working to help those around you feel more comfortable in a difficult time. That means bringing the core principle of understanding to everything you do.
Here are some ways to bring understanding to your crisis leadership:
Be approachable and available. Understanding begins with letting those you lead know you’re in this with them, which means being present and available. Be generous in the time and attention you provide, and make sure you’re doing more listening than speaking. Give people space to express their anxiety, stress and fears. Remember that you don’t have to try to fix everything—help where you can, but stay within appropriate boundaries. What’s most important is your willingness to listen with empathy and presence.
Be sensitive to what other people are feeling. People have strong feelings in times of difficulty, and as their leader it’s your place to let them feel without trying to make it to be about you or the organization. Never negate anyone’s feelings by telling them “Don’t be anxious” (or scared or sad or whatever they’re feeling). Empathize and, if you can, point them toward resources or information that may be helpful. Be sensitive not only to the feelings people are expressing but also to those they’re silent about.
Be flexible but grounded. To be understanding is to make the changes that might be needed or helpful in response to shifting circumstances while maintaining the stability people hold on to in difficult times. You need to find the balance between being flexible and adaptable on the one hand and strong and grounded on the other.
Be determined and showcase perseverance. To be understanding of others you first need to know about yourself. Tap into your own determination and motivation. Think about ways you’ve persevered in the past, and share those experiences with others. In this as in all things, your example is your most powerful leadership tool. Show them how it’s done through your own actions and by sharing your stories and those of people you admire.
Leading people through uncomfortable times is never easy, but it’s part of every leader’s responsibility to help them become as comfortable as possible. And that’s done by being approachable, available, strong and adaptable, and by remembering that the people you’re leading may not have been through a significant trial before this.
Lead from within: If you can help others be comfortable being uncomfortable, they’ll be prepared to handle whatever situation comes along.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post The Leadership Quality That Will Help You Get Comfortable With Crisis appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
January 14, 2021
9 Dumb Things Smart Leaders Need to Stop Doing Right Now
Many leaders don’t know—or don’t want to know—about the dumb things they do that drive their people crazy. Even smart, committed leaders have blind spots, and you may be needlessly frustrating and irritating people with unthinking behavior and attitudes. They may not be able to tell you about it, but I can: if any of these apply to you, it’s time to stop. When you do, you’ll benefit everyone in your organization—including yourself.
Stop talking over people. Don’t think that just because you’re considered a good communicator you should be doing all the talking or interrupting others when they’re speaking. The best communicators know that the most important part of the process is listening to understand.
Stop thinking you know best. If you think you’re usually the smartest person in the room, you have a problem. Great leaders surround themselves with people who are smarter than they are. A team of smart people will challenge one another, and you. Everyone will learn and grow, and your organization will benefit at every level.
Stop creating unattainable goals. Of course it’s good for your team to try and reach past their limits . But a steady stream of unrealistic goals adds pressure and unnecessary stress to the workday. People feel frustrated and distracted, and they give up pushing themselves toward something they know they can’t reach.
Stop trying to control everything. Most people value strong leadership, but they resist control. If you have smart, talented people who are willing to step up, give them autonomy and help them grow into leaders themselves.
Stop taking people for granted. Not just once or twice a year but on a regular basis, take the time to recognize people for doing good work, show appreciation for their efforts and commitment, and if necessary remind them that failure is part of success.
Stop the hypocrisy. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. Align your actions to match your words, and people will always respect the power of your example.
Stop imposing unnecessary rules. Where rules are necessary, they’re important, but when they seem arbitrary and make people’s lives more difficult instead of easier, something’s wrong.
Stop criticizing people in public. It’s one thing to disapprove of what someone says or does, but to publicly humiliate them is disrespectful. Give feedback that’s constructive and do it kindly and privately.
Stop trying to act alone. The best leaders know the power of collaboration. They understand the truth of the old adage: if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.
Even smart leaders can do dumb things and develop bad habits—what makes them smart is recognizing when they’re going astray and making the changes they need.
Lead from within: To be a successful leader, learn to minimize the dumb things you do and always acknowledge that you have things to improve.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post 9 Dumb Things Smart Leaders Need to Stop Doing Right Now appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
January 12, 2021
How a Crisis can Make a Bad Leader into a Great Leader
Times of crisis are inherently challenging and difficult—but they also present great opportunities for leaders to grow. That’s especially true in the present. One of the many changes brought by the pandemic is that old-style control-and-command leadership is quickly becoming a thing of the past.
A largely virtual workforce has a high level of autonomy, and leaders are faced with more variables than they can possibly control. With their habitual styles of leadership no longer viable, more and more leaders are finding that change is the order of the day. It’s a perfect time for growth. Here are some points to remember during this moment of opportunity:
In crisis leaders can engage. If your leadership before was all about control, now it should be more about engagement—being curious about your people and learning not just what they’re doing but how they’re doing. It’s time to take off the tight reins, loosen the grips and build points of connection, because that’s where the real power of great leadership begins.
In crisis leaders can pay close attention. If you’ve always been one of those bosses who didn’t really listen, now is the time to start tuning in. People don’t want to feel that they’re wasting their time or their concerns are unheard. Give voice to your people and encourage them to speak their mind, then listen to understand and to learn. In times like this you need the benefit of everyone’s thoughts and ideas.
In crisis leaders can support. If support and advocacy haven’t been part of your leadership style up till now, you need to incorporate them immediately. Especially in times of crisis, people need support and encouragement from their leaders. If you don’t know how to begin, try asking your employees a basic question: What do you need from me, and how can I be of help? In that simple inquiry is the beginning of a positive new norm.
In crisis leaders can celebrate and benefit from diversity. In an ideal workplace, everyone works from their own perspective in a way that leverages their knowledge, skills and abilities. In other words, people bring their diversity to work, and different ways at arriving at great results are celebrated. But many leaders fail to take full advantage of diversity and instead try to impose a rigid way of doing things on everyone. The current moment, with its need for new processes and perspectives in every area, is a perfect opportunity for people to explore working together in new ways that incorporate diversity and recognize its extraordinary value.
Difficult as they are, times of trouble present an opportunity for people to bond together in new ways. Even if you’d evaluate your leadership so far as mediocre bordering on bad, you now have an opportunity to make it great.
Lead from within: In crisis people tend to come together in new ways, and leaders can rewrite the status quo so that taking care of one another becomes the norm.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post How a Crisis can Make a Bad Leader into a Great Leader appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
January 7, 2021
How to Care for Your Employees’ Mental Health
Most of us have greatly expanded our understanding of stress over these past few months, when we have the usual everyday stresses plus the uncertainty, disruption and chaos of a pandemic. It’s no surprise that mental well-being is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. As leaders we want what is best for our employees, and that means caring for about their mental health—especially now. Here are some solid steps you can take:
Break the silence. Leaders can mitigate the stigma around mental health issues by discussing them openly, using mental health resources themselves if needed, and sharing their stories. Make it clear that the workplace is a welcoming and supportive space.
Keep the dialogue going. Hold communication channels open for discussion, taking care not to pressure anyone to disclose private information. Work with Human Resources to identify and issues and resources, and share the information personally in a meeting or seminar. Let employees see your commitment.
Provide (or advocate for) mental health resources at your company. The best thing you can do for your employees is to be proactive in meeting their needs. Do everything in your power—ideally through your employee health care plan—to provide accessible, affordable mental health services such as counseling, therapy, and treatment for addiction.
Maintain regular check-ins: The best leaders stay on top of important issues, and making mental health a top priority means treating it as an ongoing commitment rather than something to check off your to-do list. Communicate regularly about mental health and make sure channels are available to help people those who are feeling overwhelmed.
Watch for signs that someone’s struggling. If you’re worried about an employee who’s experiencing decreased productivity or a marked change in personality, set up an informal meeting. With discretion, care and compassion, ask how they’re doing—at work and at home. As much as possible, provide assistance by adjusting workloads, adding flexible hours, or connecting them with resources.
Create a virtual support system. The best leaders create virtual connections to alleviate feelings of isolation for employees working from home. A sense of community is an important component of mental and emotional well-being, and connection helps reinforce a spirit of belonging and mutual support among employees.
Lead by example. Make sure you’re fostering healthy behaviors not only with your words but also through your actions. Don’t tell people to be maintain a good work–life balance and then stay logged in late into the evening yourself. Employees look to their leaders to set the tone, so be the example you want others to follow.
Advocating for mental health support in the workplace may seem like an insurmountable task, but it starts with small, intentional steps and a caring leader.
Lead from within: Given that we spend half our waking hours working, it’s unsurprising that work is one of the most influential factors in our mental health. The best leaders understand this principle and address it.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
How Great Leadership is Generated in Significant Crisis
How to Lead Your Team When The Future Is Uncertain
The One Aspect Of Crisis Management That No One Talks About
How The Best Leaders Are Already Planning Past The Crisis
How to Engage Employees During Uncertain Times
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post How to Care for Your Employees’ Mental Health appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
January 5, 2021
The Best Ways Leaders Promote Happiness
Part of any leader’s job is caring about their people and working to instill in them a sense of happiness, motivation, and pride in what they do and who they are. Many leaders neglect this important element of their role, but it’s too important to leave it up to chance.
There are lots of ways you can promote good feelings among your employees. Here are a few ways to get started:
Put people in charge of their own destiny. Successful leaders know that giving people more ownership over their day-to-day schedule, tasks and professional development is essential to building a workforce that’s happier, more engaged and more productive. They’re constantly looking for opportunities to help their people learn and grow, and they make sure to provide support where it’s needed.
Provide a clear roadmap. When you let people know where the company is going and the reasons behind its direction and pace, you’re giving them an opportunity to buy into the vision. And once that happens, they can find their role and purpose within that vision. People are happier and more motivated when they see themselves as part of something bigger than a paycheck.
Spread lots of positive reinforcement. It’s a simple common-sense principle that recognizing and appreciating people makes them feel valued. Positive reinforcement at work can happen in lots of ways: treating others with dignity and respect, extending empathy and compassion, practicing gratitude. Whatever form it takes, it makes people feel good about their environment ane themselves.
Let people know they’re not alone. Successful leaders build strong teams and encourage people to rely on one another. Their mantras are “We’re all in this together” and “Together we can do anything.” They know that engaging with others helps people feel energized and a sense of connection builds happiness—and employees who are happy and energized are productive and effective in everything they do.
Give people a reason to be proud. Employees who are proud of their organization are three times more likely to be happy at work. This kind of pride goes beyond satisfaction with individual or team output—it extends to the entire organization, its values, and everything it stands for. It’s what people mean when they say that cultural fit is an important part of their satisfaction at work.
It’s unsurprising that happy employees turn out to be more engaged, more committed and more driven at work, and they’re more willing to make contributions that go beyond the workday and their job description. So if you want to be a successful leader, make sure you’re taking the time each day to check in with your employees’ happiness. It makes a big difference—for them and for you.
Lead from within: Research shows the when leaders take the time to foster their people’s happiness and well-being, they find it’s well worth the investment and effort because the payoffs are tremendous.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
How Great Leadership is Generated in Significant Crisis
How to Lead Your Team When The Future Is Uncertain
The One Aspect Of Crisis Management That No One Talks About
How The Best Leaders Are Already Planning Past The Crisis
How to Engage Employees During Uncertain Times
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post The Best Ways Leaders Promote Happiness appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
