We see that we’ve probably all had a boss that was difficult to work for, who focused on our mistakes and made us dread coming in to work as well. We see that more importantly, some of us may also have been fortunate enough to work for a great boss as we know that – a strong leader who listened to us, valued us, and motivated us all at the same time. We see that the former typically leads to low morale as well as high employee turnover. We know that the tatter will increase the productivity of employees and create a culture of high performance all at the same time. We often ask why does one lead well and the other leads poorly as well? We see that empathy has been identified as a leadership skill. Unfortunately, we see that many leaders have been promoted to their positions based on past performance or because of their industry credentials, as well but they have little or no leadership training at the same time. We see that the result can be a heavy-handed, order-giving manager with unclear expectations and little empathy for his or her employees as well. We know that low productivity and morale are usually the results of Odd Numbers of situations that we have to tackle. We see that teachers come up with ways how a person can be a good teacher too. This as we see us one of the Maxims of Teaching.
They must remember to be genuine with the team but that shouldn’t mean becoming best friends with them. It means sharing r common human experience, as we have seen it bringing down the defensive walls, and showing that they are a real person too. It makes them seem more approachable as well as helps them earn respect. They must ask if they are still the boss? Yes, but by exhibiting empathy and mutual respect, we see that employees are far more likely to give and accept honest feedback at the same time. Do we ask who doesn’t want to be heard? We see that Hand in hand with empathy, a good leader values the input of his or her team members, wants to know what makes them tick, and helps them set and achieve career goals all at the same time. Do we ask if that will make them always agree? Of course not, but demonstrating that they value them by truly listening and acting on what they hear will earn them a huge amount of respect as well as loyalty. Do we ask if there is a conflict with another employee or not? We often ask if they will address it as quickly as possible. Do we ask if there is a family emergency? In this way, we offer a way to adjust their work schedule without worrying about their job security as well. We should not forget that listening to employee feedback can prove invaluable as well. We see that when they have good ideas, then they must be known to them. We see that the more they can build that professional relationship with their staff members, then the easier it will be for them to be honest about the positive improvements that should be made as well. We see that change can derail the best of leaders as well. We see that learning how to lead through change, then, is a critical skill that leaders must have as well whether it’s adopting new policies and procedures, or maybe introducing a new business model, or can be about adapting to a new CEO’s leadership style. We see that effective leaders model a positive as well as professional response to change and set the standard for how to move forward. We see that failure is a part of life as well. How they handle it as a leader speaks volumes to the employees they have. We know that anger and finger-pointing are often counterproductive as we have seen. Instead, if the person wants to know how to be a great leader, they must explore with their team what went wrong and how things could have been done differently to ensure success as well.
