People desire a “leadership
refresh” in their organizations. Employees want leaders that are
likeable, understand their needs, can
authentically motivate people and know how to energize a workplace
culture to generate the best results for the organization. Just because
you are a great sales person doesn’t mean you will be an effective
leader. The traditional leader still employs the old school ways of
doing things that make it difficult to engage a workforce that is more
diverse and multigenerational than ever before.
Today’s short-term,
rapid-paced, limited-resource workplace requires more trust amongst
employees and their intentions, transparency in communication and
requirements and cross-departmental collaboration to fuel more desired
outcomes – where people feel valued and respected.
Employees want an awakened, dynamic spirit to come alive at work.
They are tired of excuses and just want people to be real about how they
feel and honest about what needs to be accomplished. Employees are
fed up with the office politics and corporate rat-race and are ready to
start having fun again. They want a workplace that is challenging,
encourages trial and error and makes them feel that they matter.
I recently keynoted an event where a senior executive was asked to
share a few words about her leadership experience with the
organization. At first, she said all of the right things (which is
exactly what people didn’t want to hear). Then, she shocked the room
by expressing dissatisfaction with her lack of leadership. She went on
to say that even though she knew that people were unhappy with the
organization’s leadership protocols, style and approach – that she
regretted not saying or doing anything about. She concluded by
talking about “courageous leadership” and why the workplace demands it
now more than ever before.
To become an effective leader in the 21st century
workplace, you must do six things to make the workplace exciting again.
Along the way, you will earn trust and respect throughout the
organization as a courageous leader.
1. Allow People to Fail; Encourage Employees to Test Their Ideas
Empower your people to be entrepreneurial and to test their ideas and
ideals. Encourage your employees to be their best by discovering how
they best fit within the team and throughout the organization. Don’t
always feel like you need to be in charge. Effective leadership is
about delegating and being able to trust yourself enough to let go and
allow others to establish their own footing without being so dependent
upon you. Give your employees the room to explore and unleash their
passion.
A recent study by Deloitte made it clear that employee engagement isn’t enough.
It’s about allowing employees to be passionate about their work and not
so confined to their immediate roles and responsibilities.
The passionate worker
is always looking to provide and create impact through long-term
sustainable growth. Great leaders are the ones that allow their
employees to discover their passion.
2. Build Teams That Last; Allow Them to Be Think-Tanks
Great teams require great leadership. Today’s workplace must remove
silos and operate without boundaries – putting a premium on
collaborative thinking and holding each member of the team responsible
to contribute. The days of depending upon one or two superstars are
over. Leaders must now play the role of “think tank” facilitators –
guiding clusters of strategic topics that roll-up to specific
organizational goals and objectives. Leaders need to influence but
not control the dialogue. In the 21st century workplace,
their responsibility is to find interconnection points that exist
between each cluster to guide and direct the focus and the thinking.
Leaders must allow team building to become more organic,
less instructional and more enabled by the members of the team
themselves. They must measure effectiveness by how well each member is
contributing to the overall impact, dialogue, thinking and outcomes of
the group.
In a fast-changing marketplace, engaging employees and discovering
their passions are best achieved when people feel valued and empowered
to think, act and innovate in ways that come most naturally to them.
3. Be a Great Communicator; Hold No Secrets
Never stop communicating your vision, goals and objectives. Be a great communicator
who uses all available methods to define your expectations and set
the tone for your department or organization. Never be vague and run
the risk of losing trust from others. No secrets allowed.
The workplace is becoming more fragile and employees want to know
what they are ultimately being held accountable for and what they can or
cannot do. Stop being so structured about how you communicate. Be
human and be approachable.
For example, when I was in the c-suite, I often held informal (at
times impromptu) employee town hall forums. The goal was not to deliver
a “state of the company” address or some other important announcement –
it was to address questions directly from employees. The objective
was to communicate the truth about growing tension points and/or
concerns that people had about the direction of the organization. I
learned that people simply wanted to know what was going on.
You also learn quickly which employees want to be part of the
solution – and which ones put up roadblocks. Though I was there to
communicate and be transparent, these meetings also served as forums to
identify the real leaders and the lifters versus the loafers and the
leeches (those that would enable the confusion and disruption). Great
communication is most effective when it is two-way and everyone is held accountable.
4. Don’t Hide Behind the Title; Be The Real You
Leadership effectiveness is more than just the influence a “job
title” gives you. The real impact of leadership is when you can reveal
the person that is behind the title. People are more curious now than
ever before and they want to know who their boss is as a person.
People want leaders they can relate to and respect as people. Be
real in who you are and what you represent as an individual. Reflect
your true intentions as a leader and don’t hide behind a title as this
limits your ability to build relationships with employees.
People want leaders who are humble enough to be approachable, yet whose executive presence
is impactful and dynamic enough that they never cross the line of
respect. People will naturally gravitate toward you if you allow your
likeability and approachability to flourish.
5. Awaken the Organization; Keep People On Their Toes
Keep the organization alive by enabling a culture that embraces new
perspectives and keeps people on their toes. Electrify the
organization with hope and opportunity that can create endless possibilities. Never allow your employees to get complacent.
Help them stretch their thinking and ability. Make the workplace an
environment where people are continuously growing and thinking big!
Don’t just be a provider, but rather focus on being an enabler of
opportunities. Make it easier for people to contribute and feel more
valued – yet demand enough from your employees that they are
continually challenged and hungry for more.
6. Keep it Simple; Make it Fun
Establish standards and best
practices that everyone can enjoy, learn from and improve along the
way. The new workplace is less about the business defining the
individual and more about the individual defining the business.
When my father came to America – on his way to earning a degree in
Chemical Engineering from Cornell University in 1936 – he took the time
to understand the United States and its customs, culture and people.
He was a keen observer of people and always curious to understand what
made leaders effective, trustworthy and reliable. Early in my career
he would often remind me that people complicate things to make
themselves feel more important. In other words, leaders purposely make
things more difficult for others to make themselves appear smarter and
more capable than their peers. Oftentimes they seek relevancy when they
begin to feel more vulnerable. Have you had a boss or known anyone
else like this?
My father would tell me that the more simple you make things, the
more believable, trustworthy and effective you will be with people.
Perhaps we are beginning to understand why most leaders need a
refresh. They need to simplify their approach and make it more fun and
enjoyable for employees as this will increase productively, engagement
and desired outcomes.
My father often encouraged me to read books and watch movies from the
30’s, 40’s and 50’s – to understand what he meant by simplicity. Read
the Declaration of Independence. There is a reason it transcends
centuries and generations because its principals are easy to
understand. Simplicity always prevails. Just ask Apple!
If you step back, you will see that simplicity is becoming the new
normal. The workplace and the world are changing fast and it’s
important to embrace the basics that serve as the foundation for how we
think, act and innovate new products, services and the technological
advancements that support them.
Make employees feel that they can relate to you and what you expect
from them and encourage their voices to be heard and amplified. Don’t
intimidate, make the journey simple and fun and watch them flourish.
By Glenn Llopis
